Masterbuilt 560 One Year Later

Except for the firebox, no significant wear. Body held up to outdoor storage with no rust, corrosion, or breakage. Items replaced under warranty was the hood switch and the meat probe. The original meat probe stopped working after one use. Masterbuilt responded quickly and sent me out replacement parts. Only main issue is to keep up with routine cleaning of the fire box and grease chute as flare ups at higher temps are a reality. Thankfully, clean up only takes a few minutes. There is an aftermarket shield available that goes over the fire box to help prevent flare ups. I was able to cook in the lower 40's. Wind has not presented much of a problem as you can move the unit so the rear vent is not facing the wind. There are aftermarket mods to address the rear venting. I use the rear vent to peak into the cooking chamber without having to open the hood. For shorter cooks, do not fill the chimney stack full, instead plan about 4 inches of coal for an hours worth of cook at 300 degrees. This helps with losing unused charcoal during the snuffing process. The grilling size of the 560 is more than enough for my cooks and can handle a sizable party. One year in and its been all good. At $500, it's still the value champ for gravity fed smokers--Char Griller entry into this field is considerably more.

[genegowdy]

Love my 560. I only use it as a smoker. Like you, i have others for grilling.

[rossishima]

We had a roller coaster temperature swings this winter. As outside temps hit above 40, will crank up the grill. 3rd year in and running fine, no rust. I did notice that when outdoor temps are low, the lcd display is blank so used the phone app. When thing warmed up display came back on. Probably not fuel efficient in cold weather, but it did ribs fine without needing to refill the chimney.

[kevinm.]

2 years later & my fire box is almost rusted out & the lower shelf that holds the main grates has rusted so I can no longer grill on that first level! NOT a good grill for the Houston Texas area. The probe went out in 9 months. I love the grill/smoker in how it cooks but it did NOT hold up to the Texas Humidity!