With all the convenience of a modern Pellet Grill, is the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 a good alternative to a pellet cooker? Find out if this grill and smoker combo is the right choice for you.
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Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560
Specifications
- 560 square inches of total cooking space
- Three cooking grates
- Enameled steel construction
- Temperature range is between 200 and 700 degrees F
- WiFi-enabled with a proprietary app
- Forced air flame acceleration
- Charcoal hopper holds 10 pounds of lump or 16 pounds of briquettes
- Removable ash catcher
- One side table
- Four wheel cart
- Made in China by Masterbuilt
Full Review – Masterbuilt Gravity Feed Digital Grill & Smoker
PROS
- WiFi enabled Charcoal Grill
- High Cooking Temperature
- Smoker and Grill
- Unique Design
CONS
- Limited Construction Quality
- Long Term Durability Unknown
- Lowest Temperature is 225 degrees
- High Charcoal Consumption
Pellet grills are easy grills to use. Their set-it-and-forget-it technology makes them appealing to a market that has been moving from fast and easy grilling to low and slow smoking. However, Masterbuilt has produced a charcoal grill that promises all the advantages of the modern pellet cooker with superior charcoal power. The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560, also known as the Gravity Feed Digital Grill & Smoker, features an external charcoal tower and a blower fan that both accelerates and controls the combustion rate, allowing for easy temperature control. It can be set on the grill itself or through a WiFi-enabled app.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 – Heat and Fuel
This grill can use any charcoal, whether lump or briquettes and can hold enough for over 10 hours of cooking time. You can easily add more charcoal during cooking, and the ash is collected in a removable catcher for effortless clean-up. In many ways, this charcoal grill is as easy to operate as a pellet grill. Even better, charcoal is a potent fuel, allowing this grill to reach temperatures above 700 degrees in less than 15 minutes of preheating time.
This grill can consistently maintain a minimum temperature of about 220 degrees, which might be high for serious pitmasters but is still good for low and slow cooking. This grill can’t achieve lower temps because it needs a minimum rate of charcoal combustion to keep the fire going. Since this unit doesn’t control the airflow, it can only maintain a certain level of heat. Also, it doesn’t have the features to retain heat, so the fire must keep burning at a specific level and is influenced by wind and weather.
Gravity Series 560 – The Bottom Line
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 is a true innovation in outdoor cooking. It combines what we like about pellet grills with the power of charcoal. This grill runs hotter than pellet grills but can still be managed remotely with relatively precise temperature control. It is lightweight and seemingly durable, clean and easy to use, and it works. Remember, this grill will let you cook a delicious steak and smoke a brisket.
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5 responses to “Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 (Digital Grill & Smoker Review)”
had mine for a few weeks now and i have to say i’m pretty impressed with both the smoke and grill aspects. Biggest ‘complaint’ i have is not being able to ‘easily’ remove charcoal that i’ve filled the ‘hopper’ with. I could just remove the grate thing and have it all fall down in the ash bucket, but that’s not as big as the hopper or chamber that the charcoal is loaded into. Given, it’s not often you’d want to do that, but sometimes i would like to do the wood chunks in layers with charcoal, but then next time i cook, i might not want the wood. This is the method i’d try to use for a long smoke if i didn’t want to have to go throw a few chunks in the ash bin every hour or so. I was skeptical about the ash bin being a good place to put the wood chunks but i did it with ribs yesterday and it worked great. Great smoke ring and the ribs were super moist even though i overcooked them a tad (one rack fell in half when i picked it up if that tells you anything). The ability for it to get up to 700 degrees is awesome.. i’ve grilled numerous steaks on this thing and i have to say, i prefer it over my 4 burner weber gas grill anyday. Seriously, great for searing, the grates even have a beveled side for smoking and a flat side for searing. I do have some problems connecting it to wifi, but that could be because of where i have it right now.. i’ll know once i move it closer to where my router is at. If that starts working and i can use my app to monitor/control things, that would give me a full 5 stars worth of happiness. I guess bottom line is if you are ok with ‘cheating’ but still want that wood chunk smoke that you can’t get with other smokers and also have the ability to get a great charcoal sear on your steaks, this is probably the best option out in my opinion
Hi Derrick,
Very interested to hear what you have to say about this Masterbuilt gravity fed charcoal unit. Personally, I’ve got some reservations about the four-season usability of pellet grills. Maybe this will answer that concern?
I will keep checking in. Thanks.
Ross, Barbecues Galore, Calgary
Ross,
We will have to see how this grill performs. You are right though about the cold weather issues with some pellet grills. With so many coming out in the next few months, that segment might see some serious changes.
I am in Ontario Canada and own a Grilla Grills Silverbac pellet grill and the Original Grilla. Both are double walled construction and perform flawlessly in winter. Going on my 3rd winter now.
-I also hear that Masterbuilt will have a larger version of the gravity 560 come spring. Can’t wait to see how it performs.
Cheers.
Ross,
I am on my 4th winter with my pellet grills, and I use 1 of them every week. I do have their thermal jacket installed, but the work like champs no matter the temp in Edmonton. I do like the look of this Masterbuilt Gravity Series, and will be keeping an eye on the reviews to come.