dropped you a subscription. Love your videos. I'm an offset guy, filming youtube videos here in the UK...but recently bought a 560 for convenience, and your videos have been great. cheers man!
Nice try bro, but maybe add a variable resistor to lower your fan speed. Even then you are still introducing "cold air" to your grill and ultimately working against what the grill was engineered for in the first place.(DOH!) Kinda saw that one coming. Remember-the factory fan is behind the heat source to begin with! Reversing your blade to pull air toward that side may create an even more lopsided temp as that side is already the hot spot. A for effort!
Well there were a lot of unknowns going into this experiment. The fan had no speed control, but I also was unaware of the amount of airflow this would produce. After the test was concluded I reversed the fan blade but have been unable to re run any tests. Being an electrical engineer I have no issue wiring in a pot, but I decided against altering the fan because I could end up selling it if it in fact doesn’t do the grill any good... so I ordered a fan controller which is basically a plug and play solution. In regards to your comment on the hotspot the bottom far left tested 74F less than the center of the grill. So maybe pulling the heat in that direction will help. Tonight I’ll be toying around with it on camera again to see if I can mitigate the problem.
For sure bro! I appreciate you blazing the trail for all us "Masterbuilters" in your journey to potentially make this already awesome machine even better! Good luck to you!👍👍
Excellent video! It seems a little extreme to install a convection fan to get uniform temps. Meat drippings will destroy it anyways. Something nobody talks about, is using the damper (slider plate that you remove on light up) to control the temp fluctuations. I have the Gravity Fed 980. To stabilize temps, I partially insert it to control temp runaways (windy conditions) as well as some even-ing out of temps on the cooker. Small adjustments (sliding in or out) will work wonders. Might work on the Masterbuilts, just make sure you use the one on the cook chamber...not the fan.
Awesome Video man. Im glad you did the video. Now we will know that the extra fan wont work. I dont know if you did a video after all the LSS mods but how do you think they work for you? Have you had them on long? Im very curious about the rear vent mod. Mainly because I dont have protection from the elements so keeping rain or snow out while cooking might be a problem. Not sure if the need for adjusting the air flow is necessary but keeping out elements might be. Let me know what you think.
I think the mods help the grill out. The firebox insert will help with the longevity of the grill. I like the water pan too! The damper is nice but it’s not designed to keep the elements out... it may help with it but I’ve see other actually fabricate a vent hood to keep water out. I’ve noticed more smoke using the damper so I know that it makes a difference.
Well I like the idea Andrew and I tell ya I bet there still will be a purpose for that fan someday!!! Fun to see you messing around with the MODS brother!! My guess you are not done with that fan yet!!! hahah Have a great week bro!!
Do you have a preference and can you taste the difference? I was using Royal Oak and then I tried B & B. B & B is good, burns for a long time and not as much ash.
I think lump with some hardwood chunks added is the way to go. I have a tendency to load up on too much stuff so I’ve just been trying to get rid of the Kingsford
I am very interested in seeing what you do next. My 1050 has a full 50 degree difference from the temp on their probe and an ambient probe right next to it. I think its just the controller. My next step is to try the Firebrand but if the heat shield works that would be better.
I haven’t yet figured it out. I added a convection fan hoping that it would even out the temp which it did but it dropped the temp down to where it couldn’t reach set point. I still have some playing around to do and I plan on filming an update at some point soon. Thanks for watching Nate
I’m here because I’ve got the same problem. My brisket is taking forever, just realised why. Really shouldn’t have to mod your grill to make it work to spec
I was wondering if the convection fan was set to pill the hot air from the manifold or blow back at the hot air coming from the manifold? On a different note. Have you had a problem with the griddle where the temperature sensor would say it is at 350 but the door thermometer says 250? My thoughts are that the temperature sensor is getting hotter as there is a gap for the hot air to go straight to the sensor. I am going to try to mount a temp sensor in the back above the griddle and see if that works
I actually tried it both ways.... I spent a lot of time after this video messing around with the fan trying to make it perfect. I even added a variable speed controller to try and dial it in, but no matter what I couldn't get it quite perfect. If i remember correctly I got it to even out REALLY well, but it was sitting at like 15F below setpoint which causes the fan to run constantly and burn more fuel
Never thought of doing that mod, not a bad idea in concept. You might try to turn your fan blade around, pull the heat into the wall and allow it to "bounce" back. Can you put a pot on the to try to slow it down as well? Just so thoughts.
I did think about the flipping the fan blade around, but not until afterwards. I was going to wire in a potentiometer, but found a fan control module which is basically a plug and play pot. I actually think that done right it will actually work to help mitigate the problem... but in this video in its current configuration...not so much. Thanks for watching Cliff
@@AndersonsSmokeShow Now I'm thinking about what your doing, it would take some S.S and some welding. The mod you put on top of your heat plenum, I would basically duct the fan lifting the mod and making a second plenum above it, with you speed controller you would be able to blow air over top the heat plenum, and more evenly circulate the air. I see it in my mind, but not sure its coming out in words. Might draw the up on cad and send you a dwg. I believe the goal is to remove hot spots and even heating through the convection process which I believe this would do. I have two sheets of 316l s.s that I am building the fire box mod with and have plenty extra to try this idea out. I'm thinking make the new plenum I deceived above and bring out above the heat plenum support bracket and mount a 120x120x85 mm digital fan and control it. Then again, might be over thinking this whole damn thing lol.
@@AndersonsSmokeShow cool! You did test it. Then the fan is in the wrong location. And or what is going on with the heat flow? Heat flow is everything.
In the US it can only void the warranty of the part you modified. Just like how shucking a HDD voids the warranty of the USB case but the drive within is still under warranty.
@@AndersonsSmokeShow Yea basically companies will try to claim that you will void the entire warranty for example those warranty void if removed stickers. US case law has made it clear that you can only void the warranty of the individual part you break and only the part. So for example even that part he drilled into could still be covered under a warranty for a paint defect if a part of the same piece had covered damage that is unrelated to the owners modification. Or for example if his PID controller now breaks that is covered under warranty as he did not do anything to the PID controller. They would need to argue and prove in a court of law that the modification caused the breaking of the PID controller for example in order to deny warranty coverage. Remember, in the US you have the legal rights to modify and repair your property without voiding the warranty.In so far as your repair / modification does not directly cause the failure that you are making a warranty claim for.
I did a couple tests with the fan speeds and found that it does make a difference but not in the ways that I expected. There will be another video on it here soon.
I agree, but keep in mind the price point of this grill.... that’s something that I have to keep reminding myself. I’m determined to get the fan working to where it will be a solution and not a problem. I’ve ordered a fan controller so that I can slow it down and I’m also going to try reversing the fan blade.
Yea I really like the idea of these things but for something this amazing I would be willing to spend extra to have something of higher quality from the start. Hopefully such options are on the way from the factory in 2021!
@@AndersonsSmokeShow your problem is the back vent. Close it up. Where is the heat going? Think about this for a sec. Unless you are shoving heat out a vent by creating positive pressure the fan should literally just be stirring up the hot air. Mixing it and making it uniform. The stack and venting on all grills is the biggest factor at controlling heat flow.
Great vid. I honestly think if that Smoke Daddy Pellet Smoker convection fan had variable control knob with 5 to 10 fan settings from very low to high, you would have not had that issue. If that fan could've spun at a 8th or 10th of that speed; especially in that small space, it would have circulated that air perfectly without pushing out all that heat. You might have seen around a 5 to 7 degree drop at max. Nice concept though. I wonder if they fixed that issue?
I did try a fan controller which actually got it pretty even, but the controller wouldn’t hit setpoint and would often run like 10-15F below which means that it continuously tried to heat up… thus burning more fuel
@@AndersonsSmokeShow unless of course, you purchased it from Costco. THEN you could bring it back. In the last six years I have returned to triggers and three Louisiana grill pellet grill smokers. Costco recently had the Masterbuild 800 for sale for $500 and I grabbed one. I have to say that this is truly one of the best REAL BBQ smokers out there! But if something happens where it fails in the next three or five years, I will definitely be bringing it back and getting whatever else at Costco has available. I just hope there will be another Masterbuilt BBQ available for purchase at that time. That is the benefit of having a Costco membership, that not too many people know of. Except for the ones that are reading this comment.
I was thinking you need to put the fan in the middle and back or under. Anytime you are changing the designed features you need to engineer what you are attempting to accomplish. Add a rheostat to that fan and dial it down. Way down. You just may have the perfect solution. I would have dropped a smoked tube in and light and tried to video the airflow.
As someone whos looking to buy a new grill/smoker for my home to learn to smoke meats and be able to make nice steaks, would you recomend this grill or something else, thanks for any advice
It depends who you ask. I have personally had a pretty good experience so far with this Masterbuilt 560. Is it built with top notch quality? No. But I’m able to look past the flaws and use it to make some awesome food! There’s one thing to remember when it comes to any product.... there’s a market for everything and everyone. This MB560 runs about $500, but I’ve seen it a bit lower now that we are coming up on the end of summer. It’s a great grill for that price range. But with that price range you can’t expect perfection. You can’t compare it to a $1200 or $2000 smoker.. it’s not even fair lol. I’ve learned that there are some temperature inconsistencies and I learned to work with them rather than against them. With that being said I think it’s a great grill for someone looking to get into smoking and still be able to have a hot grill when you need it. I will say that pellet grills are a little easier and cleaner to operate, but it’s really not much more work. I hope that my long winded answer gives you some guidance. Let me know if you have any questions! And thanks for watching!
@@AndersonsSmokeShow thanks for the fast response, watched all the videos you have on the masterbuilt over the last two days, food looked great. Do you get a good smoke flavor on it when you add in the wood chunks
Yeah it produces a pretty good amount of smoke, and I’ve been happy with the smoke flavor that i get from it. Not sure if you are on Facebook or Instagram, but I have pages there and posted a picture of some beef ribs that I smoked yesterday and you can see the results yourself.
Well at least you found out that the fan seems to keep the temp the same almost. When the fan was turned off it was a good 20 degree difference. So yea you either got to make a shield so the air flow goes up or at an angle, maybe, or find another place to mount it.
Sorry it did not work out! I think the two fans are competing with each other! I would buy a Cheap Drum Smoker kit "You put it together" and see if that fan could give you the ability to cook low and slow! Most drums want to run 300% F Plus!
@@AndersonsSmokeShow This guy has done many Mods to bring about even temp! I thing he is running a controller on a modded fan for even temps! ua-cam.com/video/k-YBq87Ivis/v-deo.html
I think you missed a data set that this mod makes for a more uniform temp throughout the unit, despite the probe temp vs set temp. Having a uniform temp in the whole cooking space is a valuable effect of such a mod. My theory is that a slower fan mod would be a good mod if you can match the set temp to the whole cooking space!
I put a fan speed controller on there and could never get it dialed in to where it was useable. It did even out the temperature, but because the temp reading was below the set point the controller just kept pushing. Eventually it would’ve errored out, or fuel consumption would’ve been through the roof.
@@AndersonsSmokeShow It was a good experiment. Thanks for trying it and sharing the results, esp. since it was a fail. As an engineer, I know you’re still contemplating possible solutions.
Anderson’s SmokeShow I would like to place it on top of the bracket that supports the heat diffuser. Based on the dimensions I took, it should easily fit.
Your fan was blowing against the inlet from the coal burning area. You were basically fighting the grill. A much smaller fan mounted to the back bottom would be a much better location.
Years ago, a co-worker of mine (Vietnam Vet) could not be in the fire house kitchen when we opened a canister of Pillsbury biscuits. He said the "pop" reminded him of a sound that he would hear just before some sort of explosion would occur. We would give him a heads-up and he would exit the room.
My stock mb 560 shows a different temp than "meater" ambient probe temp regardless of where in box, probe is... I consider that a "whatever"... control holds steady temp.. I can work with that.. how does fan affect "eveness" of biscuit test?? Not convinced your mod is a fail... merely that master built control temp is based on stock fan speed. If the hot spots are eliminated then the extra fan is successful and you only proved what a "control" test would have proved .. controller temp isn't 100% accurate. Did anybody ever trust a lid mounted thermometer? Why would you trust a digital controller?? Aside from showing fluctuation?
I added a plug and play potentiometer and it didn’t seem to “fix” the issue but I did get some interesting results m... so this will probably end up being an additional video
Probably pushing air against the original fan motor, original fan motor pushing air in if that fan is stronger it's pushing it back to the firebox, let's hrat
I got a fans speed controller, and I also reversed the fan blades. I did actually get a more consistent temperature across the grate, but the over all temp was about 15F below setpoint
Oops... Now we have a fail I'm learning what NOT to do with my Smoker. Thanks for sharing.. I am a retired fireman and was the Chef in the Fire department. Bob Cooney Salt Lake City Utah
Live and learn I guess, but I’m determined to get it working as a solution and not a problem. Thanks for your service in the community Bob. We need more people like you in this world.
Was thinking about buying one of these grills but decided to wait until they are properly built straight from the factory! Its just a charcoal grill shouldn't need any expensive modifications on top of the original price tag. Factory should also come up with an easy method to clean entire grill, bet most wont get cleaned much after the first 2 or 3 times, except the cooking grates of coarse they should be cleaned every time spray on oven cleaner rinse with hose do this 3 times they are ready to go.
Given this was done by a self labeled engineer... I cannot believe it was this poorly thought out. The actual concept of what was trying to be achieved is not even remotely viable without voltage limiting inline resistors. "I got more grey stuff"... ya... brah... doesn't mean better... this was a fail across the board 🤣even the placement was a complete fail of concept
Yeah bruh, I bought a smoker convection fan and the results sucked bruh. So I bought a fan speed controller and ran about 15 different tests on my own time and off camera and not a single position/speed/direction ever made a legit difference. Sincerely Bruh.
I appreciate the willingness to accept failure on camera. I like to modify and optimize things as well.
dropped you a subscription. Love your videos. I'm an offset guy, filming youtube videos here in the UK...but recently bought a 560 for convenience, and your videos have been great. cheers man!
Hey thanks for the support! I’ll be sure to check out your channel as well!
Always a plus when someone admits that something didn't work. Thanks, got you a sub.
All honesty here Bill! I’m here to share my experiences... good and bad! Thanks for watching and thanks for the support!
Thanks for taking one for the team!
Yup... that I did 🤣
Nice try bro, but maybe add a variable resistor to lower your fan speed. Even then you are still introducing "cold air" to your grill and ultimately working against what the grill was engineered for in the first place.(DOH!) Kinda saw that one coming. Remember-the factory fan is behind the heat source to begin with! Reversing your blade to pull air toward that side may create an even more lopsided temp as that side is already the hot spot. A for effort!
Well there were a lot of unknowns going into this experiment. The fan had no speed control, but I also was unaware of the amount of airflow this would produce. After the test was concluded I reversed the fan blade but have been unable to re run any tests. Being an electrical engineer I have no issue wiring in a pot, but I decided against altering the fan because I could end up selling it if it in fact doesn’t do the grill any good... so I ordered a fan controller which is basically a plug and play solution. In regards to your comment on the hotspot the bottom far left tested 74F less than the center of the grill. So maybe pulling the heat in that direction will help. Tonight I’ll be toying around with it on camera again to see if I can mitigate the problem.
For sure bro! I appreciate you blazing the trail for all us "Masterbuilters" in your journey to potentially make this already awesome machine even better! Good luck to you!👍👍
Excellent video! It seems a little extreme to install a convection fan to get uniform temps. Meat drippings will destroy it anyways. Something nobody talks about, is using the damper (slider plate that you remove on light up) to control the temp fluctuations. I have the Gravity Fed 980. To stabilize temps, I partially insert it to control temp runaways (windy conditions) as well as some even-ing out of temps on the cooker. Small adjustments (sliding in or out) will work wonders. Might work on the Masterbuilts, just make sure you use the one on the cook chamber...not the fan.
I’ll have to mess around with those slides
Awesome Video man. Im glad you did the video. Now we will know that the extra fan wont work. I dont know if you did a video after all the LSS mods but how do you think they work for you? Have you had them on long? Im very curious about the rear vent mod. Mainly because I dont have protection from the elements so keeping rain or snow out while cooking might be a problem. Not sure if the need for adjusting the air flow is necessary but keeping out elements might be. Let me know what you think.
I think the mods help the grill out. The firebox insert will help with the longevity of the grill. I like the water pan too! The damper is nice but it’s not designed to keep the elements out... it may help with it but I’ve see other actually fabricate a vent hood to keep water out. I’ve noticed more smoke using the damper so I know that it makes a difference.
Well I like the idea Andrew and I tell ya I bet there still will be a purpose for that fan someday!!! Fun to see you messing around with the MODS brother!! My guess you are not done with that fan yet!!! hahah Have a great week bro!!
I think so too! I’ll get it figured out soon! Thanks for watching Ricer!
Hey buddy, another excellent video. Just curious do you ever use different charcoal other than Kingsford on the Masterbuilt?
Yeah I have used lump coal as well. KingsFord double packs were on sale so I had a bunch of it.
Do you have a preference and can you taste the difference? I was using Royal Oak and then I tried B & B. B & B is good, burns for a long time and not as much ash.
I think lump with some hardwood chunks added is the way to go. I have a tendency to load up on too much stuff so I’ve just been trying to get rid of the Kingsford
@@bytorrush3593 Yessir! I am with you. B&B and a few wood chunks has been great for me!
I am very interested in seeing what you do next. My 1050 has a full 50 degree difference from the temp on their probe and an ambient probe right next to it. I think its just the controller. My next step is to try the Firebrand but if the heat shield works that would be better.
I haven’t yet figured it out. I added a convection fan hoping that it would even out the temp which it did but it dropped the temp down to where it couldn’t reach set point. I still have some playing around to do and I plan on filming an update at some point soon. Thanks for watching Nate
I’m here because I’ve got the same problem. My brisket is taking forever, just realised why. Really shouldn’t have to mod your grill to make it work to spec
Awesome video mate! I love tinkering with stuff and making it work better. Have you had a play with a PID controller for a pellet grill?
Thanks man! If you mean adding one, no I haven’t messed with anything besides the stock controllers. Are you thinking about doing it?
@@AndersonsSmokeShow Nah I'll be leaving it standard but I think it would really help with temp swings too.
I was wondering if the convection fan was set to pill the hot air from the manifold or blow back at the hot air coming from the manifold?
On a different note. Have you had a problem with the griddle where the temperature sensor would say it is at 350 but the door thermometer says 250? My thoughts are that the temperature sensor is getting hotter as there is a gap for the hot air to go straight to the sensor. I am going to try to mount a temp sensor in the back above the griddle and see if that works
I actually tried it both ways.... I spent a lot of time after this video messing around with the fan trying to make it perfect. I even added a variable speed controller to try and dial it in, but no matter what I couldn't get it quite perfect. If i remember correctly I got it to even out REALLY well, but it was sitting at like 15F below setpoint which causes the fan to run constantly and burn more fuel
Never thought of doing that mod, not a bad idea in concept. You might try to turn your fan blade around, pull the heat into the wall and allow it to "bounce" back. Can you put a pot on the to try to slow it down as well? Just so thoughts.
I did think about the flipping the fan blade around, but not until afterwards. I was going to wire in a potentiometer, but found a fan control module which is basically a plug and play pot. I actually think that done right it will actually work to help mitigate the problem... but in this video in its current configuration...not so much. Thanks for watching Cliff
@@AndersonsSmokeShow Now I'm thinking about what your doing, it would take some S.S and some welding. The mod you put on top of your heat plenum, I would basically duct the fan lifting the mod and making a second plenum above it, with you speed controller you would be able to blow air over top the heat plenum, and more evenly circulate the air. I see it in my mind, but not sure its coming out in words. Might draw the up on cad and send you a dwg. I believe the goal is to remove hot spots and even heating through the convection process which I believe this would do. I have two sheets of 316l s.s that I am building the fire box mod with and have plenty extra to try this idea out. I'm thinking make the new plenum I deceived above and bring out above the heat plenum support bracket and mount a 120x120x85 mm digital fan and control it. Then again, might be over thinking this whole damn thing lol.
At least you tried. Every other mod people do alway;'s seems to work out .but after how many tries?
Yeah I want to revisit this and get it perfect. I have a speed controller for the fan which helped but still wasn’t right.
@@AndersonsSmokeShow cool! You did test it. Then the fan is in the wrong location. And or what is going on with the heat flow? Heat flow is everything.
This is a bummer, but at least there's a lesson to be learned and you can move on from this one.
Yeah I’ll probably tinker with it now that I’ve got it.... but a bummer it was.
Well that sucks! Looking forward to seeing if you come up with a mod to remedy it.
I’ve got a few ideas that I plan on working with later this week. Crossing my fingers 🤞🏻
In the US it can only void the warranty of the part you modified. Just like how shucking a HDD voids the warranty of the USB case but the drive within is still under warranty.
Strange how that works
@@AndersonsSmokeShow Yea basically companies will try to claim that you will void the entire warranty for example those warranty void if removed stickers. US case law has made it clear that you can only void the warranty of the individual part you break and only the part. So for example even that part he drilled into could still be covered under a warranty for a paint defect if a part of the same piece had covered damage that is unrelated to the owners modification. Or for example if his PID controller now breaks that is covered under warranty as he did not do anything to the PID controller. They would need to argue and prove in a court of law that the modification caused the breaking of the PID controller for example in order to deny warranty coverage.
Remember, in the US you have the legal rights to modify and repair your property without voiding the warranty.In so far as your repair / modification does not directly cause the failure that you are making a warranty claim for.
No it's not a fail. You found a way that doesn't work yet. Thanks for the effort.
Is it possible to turn the fan blades backwards to pull the heat across your cooking surface?
That’s actually something I’m going to try. I also bought a fan controller so I can slow it down. Thanks for watching Michael!
LOL no I'm definitely telling my wife on you! HAHAHA
Shhhhhhh 🤫
Thanks for the heads up
Thanks for watching Robert!
I think maybe try a way to dial down the speed of the fan. Could just be blowing to much air
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I bought a plug and play fan control module (basically just a potentiometer) to see if slowing it down will help.
@@AndersonsSmokeShow Aaaannndddd what happened?
I did a couple tests with the fan speeds and found that it does make a difference but not in the ways that I expected. There will be another video on it here soon.
What did they change?
Ya what has changed
Good effort. But these grills are really half baked design wise. Particularly the burning stack...should all be stainless steel.
I agree, but keep in mind the price point of this grill.... that’s something that I have to keep reminding myself. I’m determined to get the fan working to where it will be a solution and not a problem. I’ve ordered a fan controller so that I can slow it down and I’m also going to try reversing the fan blade.
Yea I really like the idea of these things but for something this amazing I would be willing to spend extra to have something of higher quality from the start. Hopefully such options are on the way from the factory in 2021!
@@AndersonsSmokeShow your problem is the back vent. Close it up. Where is the heat going? Think about this for a sec. Unless you are shoving heat out a vent by creating positive pressure the fan should literally just be stirring up the hot air. Mixing it and making it uniform. The stack and venting on all grills is the biggest factor at controlling heat flow.
Great vid. I honestly think if that Smoke Daddy Pellet Smoker convection fan had variable control knob with 5 to 10 fan settings from very low to high, you would have not had that issue. If that fan could've spun at a 8th or 10th of that speed; especially in that small space, it would have circulated that air perfectly without pushing out all that heat. You might have seen around a 5 to 7 degree drop at max. Nice concept though. I wonder if they fixed that issue?
I did try a fan controller which actually got it pretty even, but the controller wouldn’t hit setpoint and would often run like 10-15F below which means that it continuously tried to heat up… thus burning more fuel
@@AndersonsSmokeShow So in the end using a fan is probably not worth it at all.
I feel like maybe with proper placement it could make a difference… but to pay the money to void your warranty is probably a no go haha
@@AndersonsSmokeShow unless of course, you purchased it from Costco. THEN you could bring it back. In the last six years I have returned to triggers and three Louisiana grill pellet grill smokers. Costco recently had the Masterbuild 800 for sale for $500 and I grabbed one. I have to say that this is truly one of the best REAL BBQ smokers out there! But if something happens where it fails in the next three or five years, I will definitely be bringing it back and getting whatever else at Costco has available. I just hope there will be another Masterbuilt BBQ available for purchase at that time. That is the benefit of having a Costco membership, that not too many people know of. Except for the ones that are reading this comment.
I was thinking you need to put the fan in the middle and back or under. Anytime you are changing the designed features you need to engineer what you are attempting to accomplish. Add a rheostat to that fan and dial it down. Way down. You just may have the perfect solution. I would have dropped a smoked tube in and light and tried to video the airflow.
You can try turning the blades around
I am going to try that along with a fan controller to see if reducing the speed helps too
Maybe you should try a heat powered stove fan?
I actually thought about that!
As someone whos looking to buy a new grill/smoker for my home to learn to smoke meats and be able to make nice steaks, would you recomend this grill or something else, thanks for any advice
It depends who you ask. I have personally had a pretty good experience so far with this Masterbuilt 560. Is it built with top notch quality? No. But I’m able to look past the flaws and use it to make some awesome food! There’s one thing to remember when it comes to any product.... there’s a market for everything and everyone. This MB560 runs about $500, but I’ve seen it a bit lower now that we are coming up on the end of summer. It’s a great grill for that price range. But with that price range you can’t expect perfection. You can’t compare it to a $1200 or $2000 smoker.. it’s not even fair lol. I’ve learned that there are some temperature inconsistencies and I learned to work with them rather than against them. With that being said I think it’s a great grill for someone looking to get into smoking and still be able to have a hot grill when you need it. I will say that pellet grills are a little easier and cleaner to operate, but it’s really not much more work.
I hope that my long winded answer gives you some guidance. Let me know if you have any questions! And thanks for watching!
@@AndersonsSmokeShow thanks for the fast response, watched all the videos you have on the masterbuilt over the last two days, food looked great. Do you get a good smoke flavor on it when you add in the wood chunks
Yeah it produces a pretty good amount of smoke, and I’ve been happy with the smoke flavor that i get from it. Not sure if you are on Facebook or Instagram, but I have pages there and posted a picture of some beef ribs that I smoked yesterday and you can see the results yourself.
@@AndersonsSmokeShow will check it out thank you
Well at least you found out that the fan seems to keep the temp the same almost. When the fan was turned off it was a good 20 degree difference. So yea you either got to make a shield so the air flow goes up or at an angle, maybe, or find another place to mount it.
I will agree! I’m going to try to slow the fan down.. already ordered the parts. I’m also going to try reversing the fan blade.
@@AndersonsSmokeShow where did you order the speed pot from?
I ordered it from Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015SLCJ2W?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Not only did you void your warranty, you screwed up a perfectly good grill too, that Masterbuilt will never be the same.... lmao
Yeah... being an engineer can be a curse and a blessing. Just me out there trying to make my grill run more efficiently
Sorry it did not work out! I think the two fans are competing with each other! I would buy a Cheap Drum Smoker kit "You put it together" and see if that fan could give you the ability to cook low and slow! Most drums want to run 300% F Plus!
Yeah I think this fan is too strong. I bought a fan control module to see if slowing it down will help.
@@AndersonsSmokeShow This guy has done many Mods to bring about even temp! I thing he is running a controller on a modded fan for even temps! ua-cam.com/video/k-YBq87Ivis/v-deo.html
I think you missed a data set that this mod makes for a more uniform temp throughout the unit, despite the probe temp vs set temp. Having a uniform temp in the whole cooking space is a valuable effect of such a mod. My theory is that a slower fan mod would be a good mod if you can match the set temp to the whole cooking space!
I put a fan speed controller on there and could never get it dialed in to where it was useable. It did even out the temperature, but because the temp reading was below the set point the controller just kept pushing. Eventually it would’ve errored out, or fuel consumption would’ve been through the roof.
I missed where you picked up power for your new fan
It had its own plug, so I have it plugged into the extension cord with my grill
@@AndersonsSmokeShow thanks
Is it possible to add a veriable convection fan something like Lo Mid High?
I added a fan controller and was able to get it to even out quite a bit, but the temp was about 15F below set point
There is a fine line bn circulation and cooling. My immediate thought was the fan is too large.
I tried a variable speed controller but couldn’t ever get worth results even with slow speeds
@@AndersonsSmokeShow It was a good experiment. Thanks for trying it and sharing the results, esp. since it was a fail. As an engineer, I know you’re still contemplating possible solutions.
What about the biscuits man? J/K, appreciate the info. Just got my 1050.
Experiment might not have given the results that I expected, but the biscuits were glorious! Hahah
How about trying a heat powered stove fan? Uses no electricity, just the heat from the smoker.
That’s actually not a bad idea Clay. I’ll have to look around to see if I could get one that would fit inside and would take up too much room
Anderson’s SmokeShow I just purchased one from Amazon.
You should be okay if you don’t go over 8” high
Where do you plan on placing it in the grill?
Anderson’s SmokeShow I would like to place it on top of the bracket that supports the heat diffuser. Based on the dimensions I took, it should easily fit.
Let me know how it fits. I might be looking to get one of those too lol
I think it could work at about 1/8th that speed
Your fan was blowing against the inlet from the coal burning area. You were basically fighting the grill. A much smaller fan mounted to the back bottom would be a much better location.
I tried for a solid week to make a difference by adding the fan. Changed the direction, speed, etc…. Nothing made a real difference
Aw man...didn't get a pop from the biscuit can...lol...oh yeah, sorry is didn't work
Hahaha I was ready for it this time 🤣
Years ago, a co-worker of mine (Vietnam Vet) could not be in the fire house kitchen when we opened a canister of Pillsbury biscuits. He said the "pop" reminded him of a sound that he would hear just before some sort of explosion would occur. We would give him a heads-up and he would exit the room.
What were the temperature inconsistencies?
The grill said it was one temperature but my wireless probes said another. I have a whole video on it.
My stock mb 560 shows a different temp than "meater" ambient probe temp regardless of where in box, probe is... I consider that a "whatever"... control holds steady temp.. I can work with that.. how does fan affect "eveness" of biscuit test?? Not convinced your mod is a fail... merely that master built control temp is based on stock fan speed. If the hot spots are eliminated then the extra fan is successful and you only proved what a "control" test would have proved .. controller temp isn't 100% accurate. Did anybody ever trust a lid mounted thermometer? Why would you trust a digital controller?? Aside from showing fluctuation?
How do you change out the display on a gravity series 800
I’ll have to take a look tomorrow… never had to do it
where the on/off switch on the fan i'd ad a potentiometer..
I added a plug and play potentiometer and it didn’t seem to “fix” the issue but I did get some interesting results m... so this will probably end up being an additional video
@@AndersonsSmokeShow I thought about using a ecofan from a wood stove on mine .
Someone who commented on this video early on ordered one and was going to try it. I’m waiting to hear back from them on the results
Probably pushing air against the original fan motor, original fan motor pushing air in if that fan is stronger it's pushing it back to the firebox, let's hrat
I got a fans speed controller, and I also reversed the fan blades. I did actually get a more consistent temperature across the grate, but the over all temp was about 15F below setpoint
@@AndersonsSmokeShow thats called an offset adjustment to the temp probe then. Sounds like what you did is a win? 👍👍
Why does Masterbuilt smokers always need modifications?
The modifications aren’t necessary, but a lot of people look to improve their performance. Thanks for watching James!
How do we request a video?
Just ask! I have a few queued up already but I will try and include or work something in if it’s worthwhile.
Oops...
Now we have a fail
I'm learning what NOT to do with my Smoker. Thanks for sharing..
I am a retired fireman and was the Chef in the Fire department.
Bob Cooney
Salt Lake City Utah
Live and learn I guess, but I’m determined to get it working as a solution and not a problem.
Thanks for your service in the community Bob. We need more people like you in this world.
Was thinking about buying one of these grills but decided to wait until they are properly built straight from the factory! Its just a charcoal grill shouldn't need any expensive modifications on top of the original price tag. Factory should also come up with an easy method to clean entire grill, bet most wont get cleaned much after the first 2 or 3 times, except the cooking grates of coarse they should be cleaned every time spray on oven cleaner rinse with hose do this 3 times they are ready to go.
Turn the blades around
Tried it... also tried changing the speed. I eventually found a combination that evened things out but still about 15F off
This grill needs too many modifications ...not worth the bother..
Not all of them are essential, but they make for a better cooking experience.
Given this was done by a self labeled engineer... I cannot believe it was this poorly thought out. The actual concept of what was trying to be achieved is not even remotely viable without voltage limiting inline resistors.
"I got more grey stuff"... ya... brah... doesn't mean better... this was a fail across the board 🤣even the placement was a complete fail of concept
Yeah bruh, I bought a smoker convection fan and the results sucked bruh. So I bought a fan speed controller and ran about 15 different tests on my own time and off camera and not a single position/speed/direction ever made a legit difference. Sincerely Bruh.