As far as grilling and barbecuing go, nothing beats cooking on a charcoal grill. Firstly, unlike cooking food on an oven or a stovetop, grills use high heat to cook food, which allows your food to cook significantly faster. That high heat also helps to seal in all the delicious juices so your food stays tender and moist inside and crispy on the outside (especially meat), all without needing to add butter, high-calorie oil or other sauces. Another advantage of cooking on a grill is the fact that they come equipped with grates, which help a lot of the excess fat to melt and drip off instead of being reabsorbed into the meat. Plus, unlike gas grills, cooking with a charcoal grill delivers a really high heat that sears your food and promotes browning and caramelization, producing a savoury crust while also providing an intense smoky flavor to your food. For those looking for a rugged charcoal grill that’s built to withstand the test of time, the newly released Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT is a lifetime investment you won’t regret making.
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT is a heavy-duty digital charcoal grill and smoker which comes equipped with rugged locking caster wheels, premium stainless steel cooking grates and three stainless steel full body smoking racks which together offer 1,260 sq.in. (8.129 cm²) of cooking space, an innovative FuelSaver body design that effectively retains heat, smoke and moisture while also optimizing charcoal usage, a GravityFed charcoal hopper which holds up to 12 lbs. of lump charcoal and 18 lbs. of briquettes for up to 24 hours of use, and a DigitalFan which precisely maintains grilling or smoking temperatures from 180°F to 700°F (82°C to 371°C). It also features a U-shaped dual manifold design which delivers an enhanced heat distribution and efficient grease evacuation, along with an integrated shutdown slide lever that provides a seamless shutdown process. The grill also comes equipped with a folding stainless steel front shelf for prepping food, a folding stainless steel side shelf which provides extra food prep space and is equipped with a storage drawer, paper tower holder and utility hooks, plus a full body grease tray that provides an easy cleanup and a large ash container integrated at the bottom of its hopper that collects all ash.
It also integrates an advanced digital control panel through which you can effortlessly set your target cooking temperatures and also view both temperature and meat probe graphing, and also features compatibility with up to 4 meat probes, coming with 2 probes already included. It also features Wi-Fi connectivity for controlling its operation from anywhere via the Masterbuilt App, through which you can set and monitor its cooking temperature, view session graphing, check the temperature of any meat probes connected to it, and also have access to delicious recipes.
Engineered for barbecue lovers who require a grill built both with rugged durability and unparalleled performance in mind, this heavy-duty digital charcoal grill and smoker is guaranteed to take charcoal cooking to the highest level possible.
Below you can find our comprehensive hands-on review of the Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT, where we discuss the many awesome features that it has to offer you.
DESIGN & SPECS
Starting with the grill’s size, this charcoal grill and smoker has a sleek and compact form factor, measuring exactly 60.3 inches long by 33.2 inches wide by 52.2 inches tall (153.16 x 84.32 x 132.58 cm), meaning it just takes up a bit of space when setting it up.
On top of its small footprint, this grill also comes equipped with a set of four (x4) rugged hard-plastic caster wheels integrated with locking latches that facilitate its transportation and also ensure its stability once locked in place.
The Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT also sports a stylish and modern vintage design that looks absolutely astonishing. Its cart frame comes in a Dark Grey color, and its cover lid and charcoal hopper come in a Black metallic color, while also sporting Light Grey accents for its folding stainless steel shelves and lid’s handle.
Moreover, this heavy-duty digital charcoal grill and smoker also packs an extra-tough construction for unmatched durability, as its cart frame, cover lid and charcoal hopper are all built of heavy-duty powder-coated carbon steel. Furthermore, the grill also has protective coating finishes that further extend its lifespan.
Moving on to the grill’s different components. For its cooking area, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT comes equipped with a set of premium stainless steel cooking grates along with three (x3) stainless steel full body smoking racks that can be set at different levels, which in total offer you a wide 1,260 sq.in. (8.129 cm²) cooking area, providing you with plenty cooking space to cook up enough food for a small feast.
While the grill’s cooking grates provide the ideal cooking surface for achieving crisp sear marks on food such as meat, fish and veggies, its smoking racks are best suited for respectively smoking, roasting, toasting similar foods respectively like ham, veggies like brocolli and cherri tomatoes, or ultimately just for warming your food.
Furthermore, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT also comes equipped with a folding stainless steel front shelf that provides you with a decent amount of space for preparing food.
Not only that, but the grill also integrates a folding stainless steel side shelf on its left side, giving you additional food prepping space.
The grill’s side shelf is also equipped with a storage drawer hidden below it that can be used for storing small kitchen items like cutlery and napkins, a paper tower holder integrated directly under its drawer, and it also features three (x3) built-in utility hooks where you can conveniently hang your cooking utensils.
Integrated directly below the grill’s cooking chamber, there’s a full body grease tray that provides an easy cleanup, along with a bottom shelf installed at its base which provides extra storage space for storing large items such as your charcoal bag(s).
In addition, the grill also comes equipped with a large ash container integrated at the bottom of its charcoal hopper that collects all ash, allowing for an easy disposal of it.
Regarding its cooking method, know that this heavy-duty digital charcoal grill and smoker utilizes a DigitalFan which makes it capable of precisely maintaining cooking temperatures for slow cooking, smoking, or even grilling within a range of 180°F to 700°F (82°C to 371°C).
The grill’s digitally controlled fan works by efficiently moving air flow from its charcoal hopper to its cooking chamber, making it possible to easily maintain a desired cooking temperature. Its DigitalFan allows the grill to reach 225°F in just 7 minutes for low heat cooking or slow smoking, as well as to reach 700°F (371°C) in just 11 minutes for grilling, searing or roasting in a high heat cooking temperature.
What’s more is that the grill’s cooking chamber also features an innovative FuelSaver body design with a fiberglass mesh gasket, dual-wall insulation and porcelain-coated interior that effectively retains heat, smoke and moisture while also optimizing charcoal usage.
On top of that, its cooking chamber also features a U-shaped dual manifold design which delivers an enhanced heat distribution and efficient grease evacuation.
As for its fuel source, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT comes equipped with a GravityFed charcoal hopper (installed at the right-side of its cooking chamber) which can hold up to 12 lbs. of lump charcoal, or alternatively up to 18 lbs. of briquettes (depending on your preferred choice of charcoal bits), allowing for up to 24 hours of use.
Located at the bottom-left of its charcoal hopper’ top compartment, there’s also an integrated shutdown slide lever that provides users with a seamless shutdown process.
INTERFACE / CONTROL PANEL
For controlling its operation, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT integrates an advanced digital control panel installed at the center of its GravityFed charcoal hopper which features a simple and user-friendly interface that makes it intuitive to use.
Starting at the left side of its control panel, we have a set of button controls consisting of a Screen Cycle button (for cycling between and visualizing its current cooking temperature and meat probe graphing), a Set Temperature button (for setting your desired cooking temperature), a Set Time button (for configuring countdown timers or count up timers), and a Wi-Fi pairing button.
Integrated at the center of its control panel, there’s an LED screen which displays either its cooking temperature, the temperature detected by a selected meat probe, or the remaining time from its countdown or count-up timer (if set).
Then there’s also a control knob integrated at the right of its LED screen which is used for accurately adjusting your target cooking temperature or for setting the time for a countdown or count-up timer, and directly below it, there’s its dedicated Power On/Off button for starting its fire starter.
At the right-end of its control panel, the grill also integrates a set of four (x4) meat probe jacks to which you can connect up to 4 meat probes (comes with 2 probes already included).
CONNECTIVITY
For establishing a wireless connection with its mobile App, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT utilizes Wi-Fi connectivity.
THE SMARTPHONE COMPANION APP – The Masterbuilt App
As an alternative to controlling the grill’s different functionalities via its digital control panel, users can install the Masterbuilt App on their smartphone (available to download for free for iOS and Android devices), allowing them to control its operation from anywhere.
Via the Masterbuilt App, users can set and monitor the grill’s cooking temperature, view session graphing, check the temperature of any meat probes connected to its meat probe slots, and have access to delicious recipes which they can easily prepare by following the detailed cooking steps that are provided.
FINAL THOUGHTS
When accounting for all of its features, it’s safe to say that the Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT makes for an excellent charcoal grill for outdoor cooking, whatever your BBQ needs are. It has a remarkably heavy-duty construction, offers ample cooking space, is capable of many different cooking methods, and even allows for the convenient of controlling it remotely through its mobile App.
If you’re interested in purchasing it, know that each unit is currently priced at $1,499, and each purchase also comes accompanied by a 3-Year Warranty. You can order it online, either directly from Masterbuilt’s official shopping page, or alternatively, from selected US retailers such as Home Depot.
