Smokey has moved on to a new owner after 2.5 years at Casa Zero.
The MB560 is an outstanding smoker and grill. I'd still recommend it. It made some amazing food. I would say, I have many positive experiences posted here that would demonstrate that so this post is not going to rehash those all over again. Notably, my firebricks and door sensors are in good shape.
I would say I sold it because I learned enough from here and from my experiences with it that I did not need to rely on the pellet grill type control anymore. Owning an Akorn and getting set and forget type smoking and excellent searing benefits without dealing with the MB560’s quibbles helped.
Here are my quibbles:
1. The fire bricks are consumable, and I am too dumb to replace them because one single screw is practically welded in.
2. The app finally stopped working for me, and I can no longer figure it out.
3. The Akorn doesn't need to be cleaned for 15- 20 minutes after every cook, nor does it need electric cords dragged all the way to the end of the driveway. This is rough in winter, especially.
4. The biggest issue is the constant flare ups. One destroyed my $100 brisket the other day. At 275, flare-up, over 500 flare-up. My trust in the easy mode nature of this smoker was taking a hit if my meat is at risk of being ruined constantly.
I assumed that the grease was being burned up each time so each cook a new grease deposit was creating new issues. Cleaning the manifold, drip tray, and juice collector helped but it was effort. My next steps were to essentially wash the entire cooking chamber and/or buy a new drip tray and manifold. I worried honestly if I would be just introducing a ton of rust even if I ran the smoker at 400 to burn the water off. I didn’t really want to invest the time, money, and effort when I had a Akorn that had no such issues. And it didn’t feel like a final solution.
In the end, it was probably more of a me problem than anything but it felt time to pass it along while it could still add value for a new owner.
Why the PK300? It would seem to offer all of the advantages of a kamado without being one so I can play with a new cooker. It would also offer advantages in cold weather cooking, and remove the electrical and flare up annoyances of the MB560 while adding durability. It would also be at a very reasonable price point compared to a newer quality kamado when considering MB560 sale monies. Thus, it would seem well suited to meet my new needs as my learning and experiences have evolved.
Thanks for the good times Smokey. You’ll be remembered fondly.
The MB560 is an outstanding smoker and grill. I'd still recommend it. It made some amazing food. I would say, I have many positive experiences posted here that would demonstrate that so this post is not going to rehash those all over again. Notably, my firebricks and door sensors are in good shape.
I would say I sold it because I learned enough from here and from my experiences with it that I did not need to rely on the pellet grill type control anymore. Owning an Akorn and getting set and forget type smoking and excellent searing benefits without dealing with the MB560’s quibbles helped.
Here are my quibbles:
1. The fire bricks are consumable, and I am too dumb to replace them because one single screw is practically welded in.
2. The app finally stopped working for me, and I can no longer figure it out.
3. The Akorn doesn't need to be cleaned for 15- 20 minutes after every cook, nor does it need electric cords dragged all the way to the end of the driveway. This is rough in winter, especially.
4. The biggest issue is the constant flare ups. One destroyed my $100 brisket the other day. At 275, flare-up, over 500 flare-up. My trust in the easy mode nature of this smoker was taking a hit if my meat is at risk of being ruined constantly.
I assumed that the grease was being burned up each time so each cook a new grease deposit was creating new issues. Cleaning the manifold, drip tray, and juice collector helped but it was effort. My next steps were to essentially wash the entire cooking chamber and/or buy a new drip tray and manifold. I worried honestly if I would be just introducing a ton of rust even if I ran the smoker at 400 to burn the water off. I didn’t really want to invest the time, money, and effort when I had a Akorn that had no such issues. And it didn’t feel like a final solution.
In the end, it was probably more of a me problem than anything but it felt time to pass it along while it could still add value for a new owner.
Why the PK300? It would seem to offer all of the advantages of a kamado without being one so I can play with a new cooker. It would also offer advantages in cold weather cooking, and remove the electrical and flare up annoyances of the MB560 while adding durability. It would also be at a very reasonable price point compared to a newer quality kamado when considering MB560 sale monies. Thus, it would seem well suited to meet my new needs as my learning and experiences have evolved.
Thanks for the good times Smokey. You’ll be remembered fondly.
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