An outdoor cooking revolution has taken place with Masterbuilt’s Gravity Series. A grill, griddle, and smoker are all included in this gravity-fed charcoal cooking setup.
In the beginning, I saw it being used to cook NY Strip steaks at 700 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in an incredible sear on the exterior. The first time I saw it in action, it was clear to me that I had to try one out myself.
Eight months later, we had a chance to examine the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 up close and personal.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800
Key Specification:
- Assembled Dimensions: W55.1″ x H50.9″ x L30.5″
- Assembled Weight: 204 lbs.
- Hopper Capacity: 10 lbs lump/16 lbs briquettes
- Main Cooking Area: 450 sq. in
- Warming Rack Area: 350 sq. in (2 shelves)
- Cooking Grates: Cast Iron, reversible (smoke and sear)
- Folding Front Shelf: yes
- Temperature Range: 225° – 700° F
- Meat Probe(s): 1 included, space for 4
- Digital Control: yes
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
- App: Apple or Google Play
- Warranty: 1-year limited
Shipping
The grill arrived in approximately a week after the order was made. It arrived in a full-size van, and two women helped get it out and onto a dolly cart so it could be driven up the driveway and into the garage. We were surprised to see a grill come on a flatbed truck without a lift gate, but we’re presuming that this was due to the frantic nature of this year’s Christmas delivery season.
If you’re looking for something that isn’t going to be damaged when it comes, this is a good option for you.
Packaging
Despite its size, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800’s packaging was sturdy. Due to the quantity of reinforcing present around the unit, I could picture numerous boxes being readily piled in the warehouse.
We were astonished to see a large ding in the front of the gravity chute when unpacking the cooker. Because there was no sign of a cut or indentation in the packing, our best guess is that this occurred somewhere in the manufacturing process and somehow found its way into a box without anybody knowing.
I’m sure if we contacted Masterbuilt about it, they’d offer to make it right, but the damage is in a panel that doesn’t impair the operation of the grill, so we chose to go and put it together.
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Assembly
About 90-120 minutes and a few “here, hold this please”s later, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 was assembled. Assembling this grill will need the assistance of another person for a few screws that need to be installed, so plan ahead and have someone on standby to help you.
The 800’s main body and gravity chute are pre-assembled, thus the most of the assembly labor is spent on the cart, shelves, and other accoutrements. When buying a grill from a large box retailer, be aware that certain parts may be “pre-greased,” which may lead to a major mess, so be prepared.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 Seasoning Instructions
If you want to properly season your Gravity 800, Masterbuilt includes step-by-by-step directions in the included instruction manual. It might be frustrating to have to wait a couple of hours to start cooking after seasoning the grill, but it is necessary to burn off the oils and chemicals that have built up on the metal of the smoker before using it.
The steps are straightforward.
1. Start the grill and cook for 60 minutes at 120°C/250°F.
2. temperature should be raised to 205°C/400°F for 30 minutes at this temperature.
3. Turn off the machine and let it to cool fully.
4. Use a cooking oil such as Canola to coat the inside surfaces of the cooking chamber. To make our lives simpler, we prefer to stock up on a few culinary sprays.
5. The grill should be preheated to 175°C/350°F for 30 minutes before starting the cooking process.
6. The weather is perfect and you’re all set to go.
To season it properly, why go to the bother of doing it yourself? Rust prevention on your grill doesn’t get much better than this. It keeps rust at away on all of our grills here.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 Griddle Seasoning
Seasoning the grill itself is different from seasoning the griddle attachment, although that procedure is very straightforward. You may see a video on how to season your griddle on our YouTube channel here.
In order to get started, we had to take apart our grilling unit and install the new griddling unit in its place. Our grill was preheated to 260°C/500°F and we started cooking our food on the griddle.
Once the griddle had reached the desired temperature, we used a rag towel to apply a thin layer of cooking oil on the surface. The top of the pot started to burn as soon as we poured the oil, which was exactly what we wanted. To achieve the non-stick coating that griddle cooks are familiar with, the oil must be cooked into the surface of the griddle.
We’d wait for the oil that was visible on the top to burn off, and when the top began to appear dry again we would repeat the procedure. On this specific model, we applied oil 4-5 times over a period of roughly an hour until we thought that the top was ready to cook on.
As soon as we were comfortable with the seasoning of the top, we went into our first cook by tossing down a rasher of bacon to give the top some flavor to absorb. If there’s a better method to season a griddle than using bacon, I haven’t discovered it.
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Features that Ensure Your Safety
The grill has quite a few built in safety mechanisms. When the lid is opened, the temperature drops to 500°F/260°C. This implies that as long as you have the top open, 500°F is as hot as your grill or griddle will operate. This is particularly critical while using the griddle since you’ll most likely have the lid open the whole time when using it.
Hopper switches may be located on both the top of the charcoal hopper and the ash door to keep the chimney effect under control. Without these switches, the whole column of charcoal might easily ignite with a fan pumping hot air into what then becomes a charcoal chimney. Masterbuilt recognizes this, and when either door is opened, the fan pauses to safeguard your grill and your cook.
Grilling
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 Series is definitely a beast when it comes to cooking at high temperatures. If you’ve ever barbecued over a charcoal fire, you know how hot the coals can get if you want them to, and this grill features a fan that stokes the embers to make them boiling hot.
We cooked a Porterhouse steak as the first high heat test, and the grill markings from the factory grill grates were fantastic. The grates are reversible on the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800, with one side designated for smoke and the other for sear.
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In order to get the best markings, the grilling (searing) side includes broad grill supports. For Christmas dinner, we also used the grill to cook some Snow Crab, and it imparted a wonderful smoky taste to them that you won’t get by just boiling them in water.
It’s no slouch when it comes to high heat cooking with a maximum of 700 degrees, since most grills sold at large box retailers can’t even approach this level of heat for searing. That’s one of the features of this unit that really appeals to me.
How to Switch from Using a Grill to Using a Griddle
You just remove the grill grates to access the manifold underneath and switch from grilling to griddling mode on the 800.
It’s possible to store either the grill or the griddle manifolds on the shelf below the unit while they’re not in use.
Simply remove the grill manifold, swap it out with the griddle manifold, and set the griddle on top of the grill. The Gravity series is a breeze to switch between settings, and we didn’t have any issues when switching between cookers.
While the griddle is in use, the grill grates may be simply hung from hooks beneath the side shelf. However, we don’t advocate hanging the griddle from the hooks. If you bump the grill the griddle will probably slide off at that point. Don’t bother asking how we know.
Griddle
Cold-rolled steel makes up the griddle’s surface, and man, is it heavy. You won’t find this on Amazon, where you can purchase a griddle attachment for a gas grill for a few bucks. Cooking on it is safe and secure since it’s designed to suit the 800 series.
The front left of the griddle top has a drain for emptying water or other rubbish that doesn’t need to stay with you for the length of your cooking.
In order to pick up and move the griddle without having to attempt to grab the cooking surface, it has a handle connected to it.
This griddle produces an outstanding sear. The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 excels because not many griddles are made to withstand the extreme heat it generates. You can sear burgers and steaks to perfection on a grill set to 700 degrees by opening the cover once the temperature is reached.
The first time we made Smashburgers is one of my favorite memories from the 800. We began with bacon, then added double patties, cheese, and grilled onions, and the crust that developed on the burgers was wonderful. Using this grill, you can create burgers in a whole new manner.
Smoking
In terms of smoking on the 800, things are rather straightforward. Make sure you’re inserting pieces of your preferred smoking wood per 2″ or so of coal in the charcoal hopper. About 10 bits of cherry wood and our full hopper of coal were all that was needed to keep the smoke going for a long time.
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Charcoal Hopper
Adding a few chunks of smoking wood to the ash bucket before lighting the grill adds even more smoke to the celebration.
We started with a chuck roast, which we smoked at 275 degrees for four hours straight. When we reached the 4 hour mark, we decided to place the roast in a foil pan with some beef stock and cover it to complete cooking. There was an excellent crimson smoke ring on the shredded roast.
When my parents came to visit, we cooked a whole rack of spare ribs. With the ribs unwrapped while cooking at 250 degrees, we wanted to test how the grill would perform, and the slab ended at the 4.5 hour mark with the type of crust that can only be achieved with charcoal as your fuel.
Storage
Under the optional cover, we keep our Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 outdoors. If you’re intending to leave this unit outdoors, we think the heavy-duty cover is well worth the money.
If you want to move the grill about, be aware that it does rely on a standard AC outlet for electricity, so keep that in mind.
Masterbuilt’s Gravity Series is an excellent contribution to the outdoor cooking industry. They’re bringing a level of technology formerly reserved for professional BBQ chefs to the backyard of the average cook.
Despite its flaws, we believe that the Gravity Series is an excellent choice for anybody who enjoys smoking and grilling.
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 grill combines the convenience of a pellet grill with the taste and tremendous heat of a charcoal barbecue in one convenient package.
When it comes to small machines with a wide range of cooking possibilities, the 800 series is one of the most flexible currently available on the market.
