Looking to upgrade. New cooker suggestions/opinions.

[dave2521]

Hey y’all.

I have a gmg Daniel Boone currently that is starting to show its age (got it in 2013). I really want a new grill that I can use for both smoking and grilling. I first was looking into another pellet grill however I came across the two gravity fed charcoal grills recently and now I am having a hard time deciding.

I want something that I can do low and slow and hot and fast on. It needs to be all in one unit due to the space I have in my yard (and to meet wifey approval). My options right now are as follows.

Camp chef woodwind wifi 24 or 36 with some kick for the bbq grill and pizza
Gmg Jim Bowie prime plus with pizza attachment (can’t do hot and fast on this one though)
Master built 800 or 1050 (depends what’s in stock at the time)
Char griller 980.

I’m leaning toward the two gravity fed options because I miss charcoal. I started my smoking journey on a little charcoal grill/smoker I got from my 5 years of working at my current job but when that got lost in a move I went the pellet cooker route.

I just need ease of use (two small kids who require a lot of attention). And that will last at least the next few years.

My budget is 1,000 or less.

What are your opinions/recommendations?

 

[onemanlan]

Both the gravity feeds fit the bill. I bought my 560 thinking it would be a fun toy & now it's one of my favorite cookers of all time. I'm about 20 cooks deep into it now. The 560 isn't not he most well built, but its decent enough for the price tag. The leg of it leaks off and on for some reason. Go figure.

I did get a chance to look at the Chargriller 980 & was pretty impressed with how sturdy comparatively. It has a good bit of horizontal space as well. The MB does make up for that with shelving though or you can buy 800 or 1050 models. If I had a do-over I'd pick it up over the 560. That said I'm gonna run this 560 until it goes kaput. If it does take an un-repairable dive I'd buckle up to get another gravity grill without question. My hope is we get more competition in this market segment!

As for ease of use - its set it and forget it. You can control with apps as needed. If you want completely hands off smoking you have to dope your charcoal chute with wood chunks. It helps to be deliberate with front loading it. There is a limit to how much wood you can mix with the charcoal though (15-20% I think). Alternatively you can run a full charcoal cute & feed in wood chunks into the firebox at will. For the burn time before reloading - its hard to estimate. Really depends on the charcoal & the temps you're running. Some filler charcoal burns up really quick where as fat lumps chunks tend to take longer. You could definitely set it up to go overnight with a load of charcoal & sleep easy knowing it will carry through the night 8 hrs or so.

 

[dave2521]

Both the gravity feeds fit the bill. I bought my 560 thinking it would be a fun toy & now it's one of my favorite cookers of all time. I'm about 20 cooks deep into it now. The 560 isn't not he most well built, but its decent enough for the price tag. The leg of it leaks off and on for some reason. Go figure.

I did get a chance to look at the Chargriller 980 & was pretty impressed with how sturdy comparatively. It has a good bit of horizontal space as well. The MB does make up for that with shelving though or you can buy 800 or 1050 models. If I had a do-over I'd pick it up over the 560. That said I'm gonna run this 560 until it goes kaput. If it does take an unrepeatable dive I'd buckle up to get another gravity grill without question. My hope is we get more competition in this market segment!

As for ease of use - its set it and forget it. You can control with apps as needed. If you want completely hands off smoking you have to dope your charcoal chute with wood chunks. It helps to be deliberate with front loading it. There is a limit to how much wood you can mix with the charcoal though (15-20% I think). Alternatively you can run a full charcoal cute & feed in wood chunks into the firebox at will. For the burn time before reloading - its hard to estimate. Really depends on the charcoal & the temps you're running. Some filler charcoal burns up really quick where as fat lumps chunks tend to take longer. You could definitely set it up to go overnight with a load of charcoal & sleep easy knowing it will carry through the night 8 hrs or so.

Would you still pick the char griller over the masterbuilt 800 or 1050?

 

[onemanlan]

Would you still pick the char griller over the masterbuilt 800 or 1050?

I don't know. I think I've only seen the 1050 once. It was pretty massive compared to the 560. If you want a rotisserie function then yes on the MB choices. If not then perhaps the CG 980 is better choice. The build feels more sturdy. It sits in a the middle ground between the 800 & 1050 space wise. MSRP wise its CG 980 < MB 800 < MB 1050. I have found the upper grates, or as the call it 'warming racks,' being helpful in adding to the overall space footprint by a supposed 240 inches^2. They're only noted as fitting the 560 so I'm not sure you can add them to the others or if the others, 800 & 1050, just come with the rack space completely filled out. I do not think the CG 980 has upper rack space.

Here is a link to MB's comparison info sheet between their models if that helps.

 

[crayman]

One mans opinion.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpHedLffOwk

 

[dave2521]

One mans opinion.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpHedLffOwk

Thanks. I saw this video and this is what got me interested in the 980 at first. My concern with the 980 is the fact that the fan flap has had some issues with melting away or getting stuck and causing temp swings. I also am concerned with smoking right on the lower grate in the 980 due to potential flare ups with fatty meats. I like smoking one upper racks but the 980 doesn’t seem to allow me to do that at least that’s how it looks.

The built quality in the 980 though seems leaps ahead of the masterbuilt 800/1050.

I like the 1050 because of the extra height and love the fact the 1050 can have a rotisserie added for prime rib/chicken/ etc.

Is the hopper size the same in both the char griller and masterbuilt as far as capacity is concerned?

Also any other options of those that have tested either side by side?

Thanks for the assistance all!

 

[Rebel78]

I've been looking at the 980 pretty hard as well, it's sold out everywhere, want to see it in person before deciding.

 

[RacrX]

I just cold my 560 and bought a 980 on Saturday. Waiting for the assembly and delivery next weekend...the 980 build quality is much better for sure, and the way the manifold and manifold cover are designed, the temps seem to be much more even than the 560. Not sure about the 1050 though, any opinions on that?

 

[dave2521]

Seems like the 1050 has some improvements overall to the 560 but not sure it would be better than the 980. Wish I could see them both side by side for myself and tell. Everyone seems to agree the char griller is better though.