Torn between the EX6, MB 1050 & Chargriller 980


 
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CarlB

TVWBB Member
Hello all, I need to replace my Performer, after many years of good use it's time to send it to pasture. I love my kettles & wouldn't mind a 26" Performer but Weber refuses to make one for some reason & I don't have the time or ambition to make one myself. I'm looking for something to grill on mostly, I have another pellet smoker that see's main smoking duty when necessary but truthfully my family & I prefer grilling to smoking. I'm looking for something that can sear as well as a kettle but has room for tin foil potato packets, grilled veggies or any other side I can think of while I grill my protein of choice for dinner.

Out of the two gravity units the MB seems to be the better griller BUT the Chargriller is constructed much better (all things considered) I lusted over the Smokefire prior to release & felt this will be the cooker for me until all the negatives started pouring in, time to wait & see what Weber will do about it. They reacted with Gen 2, I was excited to hop back into the pool but now I am seeing rust issues. I'm also slightly concerned about the pellet hopper design not being steep enough & the supposed pickieness of pellets if you're not using Weber pellets. My current pellet smoker (Camp Chef) is ROCK solid, over five years old, never a single hiccup or issue, just flat out works so replacing it with a Smokefire is an additional worry. I live in New England, my cookers sit outside under cover 24/7, 365 days a year, snow, ice, you name it we have it. So for anyone who has a SF or MB or CG please let me know your thoughts. Is the rust a real issue? Will it be worse since I'll mostly use it for high heat with the occasional low & slow cook mixed in?
 
I'll just throw a wrench into your choices; Weber Kamado E6. I love mine and my gasser (Weber Summit 6xx series) is now jealous. I grill, sear, smoke and make pizzas on my Kamado E6. I had a local metal shop make me a 3/8" steel plate (A36 steel) 14.5" x 16" for pizzas and my life is complete now. I can die happy and cook everything I want/need on this new grill.

I bought the E6 to replace my WSM 18" and I was really seeking a coal grill/smoker and am very happy with this purchase. Ribs, steaks, chicken, fish, shellfish briskets, hamburgers, hot dogs; this grill does it all and I cold smoke salmon (lox) too using a cold smoke generator I bought on Amazon.

Sorry if I am taking you off track here. Just wanted to add this in if you haven't already looked at the E6.
 
I appreciate the suggestion & I’ve looked at it but I still don’t feel that there’s enough room to cook for my family of five if I have two run two zones.
 
CarlB said:
I appreciate the suggestion & I’ve looked at it but I still don’t feel that there’s enough room to cook for my family of five if I have two run two zones.
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i've cooked for 8 adults on it a few times already (some food on direct and chickens on indirect) and had no issues with size/space.

question, you stated "Will it be worse since I'll mostly use it for high heat with the occasional low & slow cook mixed in?" this, to me says you're cooking steaks or a hot and fast brisket, and/or ribs/chickens.

with the deflector plate you can cook hot and indirect. or you can cook with your coals below the cooking grate and sear and spin the cooking grate for direct/indirect in intervals.

how much food do you cook for 5 that "more space" is "needed"? just curious. you're coming off a Performer and speak of a 26" kettle. this sounds like the Kamado E6 could fit.

just trying to offer up some perspective. not seeking to create any arguments.
 
Thank you, I appreciate the perspective. A typical meal for us is steaks or chicken, the kids want potato’s, the wife wants grilled vegetables so it would be great to have protein cooking with a tinfoil pack of potatoes & some vegetables on the grill. With a kettle I always have a SnS so it’s effectively half the 22” grate that doesn’t get used until it’s time to sear. Explain using the deflector plate, I’m intrigued for sure.
 
CarlB said:
Thank you, I appreciate the perspective. A typical meal for us is steaks or chicken, the kids want potato’s, the wife wants grilled vegetables so it would be great to have protein cooking with a tinfoil pack of potatoes & some vegetables on the grill. With a kettle I always have a SnS so it’s effectively half the 22” grate that doesn’t get used until it’s time to sear. Explain using the deflector plate, I’m intrigued for sure.
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For what your looking to do, I would go with a 26” and get a table to set next to it. I got some real nice metal tables under $50. And they provide all the room you need to set stuff on.If you like you SNS set up, a 26” w a SNS seems exactly what your looking for. That being said I wish the 26” SNS was like the deluxe version, pulling the water pan is a great feature.
 
CarlB said:
Thank you, I appreciate the perspective. A typical meal for us is steaks or chicken, the kids want potato’s, the wife wants grilled vegetables so it would be great to have protein cooking with a tinfoil pack of potatoes & some vegetables on the grill. With a kettle I always have a SnS so it’s effectively half the 22” grate that doesn’t get used until it’s time to sear. Explain using the deflector plate, I’m intrigued for sure.
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i put the potatoes on 30 mins before the tri-tip as they take 60 mins to cook, usually. added the tri-tip and sprouts at the same time. the tri-tip gets turned every 5 mins, cooked through to 125 degrees and then rested. the sprouts take 20-30 mins depending on size. we like the outsides a little crispy and the insides tender.

the deflector plate is used to do smoking and true indirect heat. you place your coals on the lowest portion of the E6 and then place the deflector plate on top of the coals. you can run low and slow (225 for ribs/4 hours cook) and never burn your protein. or you can go full open on vents and run hot and fast (think 18# brisket) and still never burn your meat all the while getting great smoke (add wood chunks).

or you can run lump or briquettes for mild wood/coal flavor. your choice.

lmk if you have any other questions. i am amazed at what the Kamado E6 can do.
 

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I was going to suggest the E6 Kamado as well, as that is what I would get if I ever replace my Performer.

In your choices though, the Smokefire EX6 would be and is my choice, although I have not owned the MB or CG gravity feeds. I can give you my feedback of the Smokefire, and it is very positive. I have now cooked around 70 cooks on it in a little over 3 months, and it has worked almost flawlessly. I say almost, because I did have one issue on the 53rd cook that turned out to be a minor ground problem on the glowplug, very simply fixed and back up and running, and no issues since. I could have just rebent the grounding tab in a bit, but I went and did a modification to ensure a better ground contact in the future. Not needed, but I like to tinker. I clean out mine every once in a while with a plastic scraper, Maybe every 10 to 15 cooks, takes me about 10 minutes total. I've not had the drain holes clog up at all, and I don't keep it showroom clean inside.

I mostly like the room inside of the cooking area, to do exactly what you are talking about, larger meals and a variety of food. There is a temperature variance inside left to right, but it is not a big deal and can actually be handy in having two slightly different zones for varying degrees of doneness. Drip pans, (as I would use in any cooker to help with cleanup), work great on low and slow, and the sear capabilities are amazing. As far as pellet brands, it has run every brand that I have thrown at it just fine, including Weber, Cablela's, Pit Boss, Sam's Club, & Bear Mountain. No feed issues at all, but I've not needed to let it run over 8 hours. Not sure on the rust issues, mine doesn't appear to have any corrosion, though there is a slight discoloration on the bottom edge of the heat deflector that I want to look at a bit closer. I'm not too concerned over the issues, as I'm sure that if corrosion is to become an issue, Weber, or someone, will create stainless replacement parts for them.

I am intrigued by the gravity feeds, but I will wait until a company with a little better quality comes out with one. I hope you find this information helpful for your decision, please feel free to ask if you have any more questions.

Charlie
 
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E6 follow up

Now that I have about 5 cooks on the E6 under my belt, and currently smoking a shoulder I would just like to express how I feel about it. While I forgot what I went through when my kettle was new I was a little upset at first when trying to operate the E6 when it was new.....and air leaky. (...
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The 24 inches of E6 when you get over top of it seems like a giant compared to the 22....
I have made dinner ( meat only ) for 10 once on an 18” jumbo Joe before.
2 picanhas indirect with the SNS basket on the other side which is almost 50% of the bbq.
 
+1 for the E6

I know it wasn't one of your choices, but since getting mine everything else seems to sit unused. 27" cooking grate is plenty of real estate. I modified the SnS to fit and use the Weber Charcoal Baskets if I need a bigger seer area.

Just sharing my $0.02
 
Wow, thanks for all the reply's & fantastic information! The negative is that now my decision is even harder, the positive is that I'm going to end up with a great cooker once I make my mind up!
 
Ok, you guys are terrible! I have the 1050 & it’s really nice, can sear for real, smoke & is totally hands off like an EZ bake oven when necessary BUT something inside me was telling me that I still need a Weber in my life. There’s no possible way that the MB will last like a Weber & every time I sear on it I feel like I’m taking its longevity away sooooooooo $1049 later I’ll have a new cooker parked next to the 1050 real soon.
 
CarlB said:
Ok, you guys are terrible! I have the 1050 & it’s really nice, can sear for real, smoke & is totally hands off like an EZ bake oven when necessary BUT something inside me was telling me that I still need a Weber in my life. There’s no possible way that the MB will last like a Weber & every time I sear on it I feel like I’m taking its longevity away sooooooooo $1049 later I’ll have a new cooker parked next to the 1050 real soon.
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NIce!!!
 
Out of the 3 you picked only the MB is setup for a rotisserie if that is at all important to you. Also the MB 800 comes with a very nice griddle setup. Just sayin.
 
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CarlB said:
Ok, you guys are terrible! I have the 1050 & it’s really nice, can sear for real, smoke & is totally hands off like an EZ bake oven when necessary BUT something inside me was telling me that I still need a Weber in my life. There’s no possible way that the MB will last like a Weber & every time I sear on it I feel like I’m taking its longevity away sooooooooo $1049 later I’ll have a new cooker parked next to the 1050 real soon.
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Early congrats on the new baby. Hopefully we’ll get pics soon. 🔥♨️
 
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