M Grills M1 Owners

[ApopkaDave]

I just got an M1 this past week and am seasoning it now. All of the cheapo grills I have owned over the past 40 years only last about 5 years before corrosion takes its toll. The M1 is a fine piece of hardware, so corrosion will not be a problem.

I enjoyed my Pit Barrel Cooker for many years, but it was never designed to be a smoker. Me, I like to smoke my homemade sausage. Also, ribs, and brisket need to be cooked low and slow which the PBC was not great at. The PBC is well designed, affordable, and a fine piece of hardware for what it is designed to do. It holds a steady temperature, but adjusting that temp for different styles of cooking is just not part of the design. So be it. I got good use out of it and it held up well.

St Louis Ribs on the M1 tomorrow over oak and hickory. I will post the results. Maybe we can breathe new life into this thread.

[barelfly]

Congrats on that M1!!! Love those cookers!

[ApopkaDave]

Am cooking a rack of Costco St. Louis ribs today. First time on my new M1. Am using a mix of oak and hickory and attempting (with limited success) to keep the temp between 225 and 250 for 5 or 6 hours. This smoker is extremely responsive and is definitely going to take practice juggling all the variables that go into temp control: adding wood, how that wood was dried, stoking the fire, adjusting firebox grates, and adjusting the chimney. That is what the craft of BBQ is all about, is it not? I do observe the built-in temp gauge runs about 25 degrees hotter than my ThermoWorks Smoke probe. The latter is only an inch or so above the cooking grate, whereas the M1 gauge is several inches higher in the box. Well, heat rises, so there is no mystery to that.

[ApopkaDave]

Btw, I double-checked the calibration of the M1-supplied temp gauge, and it registered 212 spot on in boiling water. There is no calibration problem. The 25 degree difference is real and is not an artifact of a mis-reading thermometer.

[ApopkaDave]

5 hours smoked, bouncing around between 200 and 300 degrees over oak and hickory on the M1. Meathead’s Memphis Dust. Spritz with cider vinegar and some sort of Bing soft drink. These are the best ribs I have ever eaten (and I have eaten a lot). Sides of corn on the cob, Mac and Cheese, and fresh red cherries. YUM.

[HawkerXP]

Nice lookin wibs!

PBC, PBC, Pb........? what?

Congrats on the new cooker!

[jlm5151]

The ribs look awesome! I love my M1, it's an absolute tank and extremely versatile.

[ApopkaDave]

The ribs look awesome! I love my M1, it's an absolute tank and extremely versatile.

Indeed.

And, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the after-cook cleanup was. Dumped the dirty water out of the steam tray I had placed under the ribs during the cook, removed Al foil from the baffle (not much grease there as the steam tray caught most of it), moved the used foil onto the floor in front of the firebox then dumped ashes onto it. Between the lump charcoal and hardwood I used during the cook there was very little ash to deal with. Much better than briquettes in that regard. Dumped foil and ash into the dirty steam tray, crumpled it up, and into the trash.

Now I am looking forward to practicing and perfecting my fire/heat control. The M1 is capable. It is the operator that needs work.

[ApopkaDave]

I believe I have finally nailed temperature control on the M1. $1.99/lb pork spare ribs from Winn Dixie on a weekend sale. I trimmed them to St Louis ribs and had 2 lb 10 oz left over for sausage (vacuum sealed and into the freezer). Great wood from a local sawmill. Yes, a sawmill. They specialize in hardwood lumber for high-end projects. The firewood is first rate.
Cooked two racks for 5 1/2 hours between 225 and 250. The trick seems to be shutting the firebox grates almost all the way once the fire is started. Do not fear choking off the oxygen supply! Then, fine tune using the exhaust vent.

This M1 is wonderful. With some practice you can hold temps reliably. Ribs, Florida corn on the cob and watermelon. Bliss.

[ApopkaDave]

I have had my M1 since Memorial Day and have finally become satisfied with my ability to control temperature. I cannot say enough about this smoker. Temperature control is responsive once you get the hang of it, and cleanup is a breeze. Here is my prime packer brisket smoke: 13 pounds from 44 Farms and a whole lot of fat at the centerline. Trimmed to 7 pounds. Salt and Meathead’s Big Bad Beef Rub, cooked over live oak at 275 degrees for 3 hours until the internal temp went asymptotic at 159 degrees. Wrapped, then placed in kitchen oven at 275 to finish to 203 degrees.
Started at 08:15 to light charcoal, 08:45 to add oak, and place brisket on at 09:15. Added a stick of oak every hour. Pulled and wrapped at 13:00 and removed from oven at 15:20. Slice and serve at 17:30 (accompanied by our daughter’s famous Mac and Cheese). Yum.

[lancefravel]

Very very close to pulling the trigger on a stainless M36!!

Couple things in particular I am wondering:

1 - Any concerns I should be aware of with stainless? (Differences in heat transfer, warping, etc.)?
2 - The firebox is directly below the cooking chamber with only the 10 gauge steel above it - does all of that heat transfer through the floor of the cooking chamber create any issues?
3 - Similar to the above, that characteristic will make it VERY efficient I’m guessing - does that efficiency result in less smoke flavor than a traditional offset?

I’m sure I’ll have more questions lol - thank you!!

[carolts]

Burned a combination of char logs and wood in the firebox, lump for the steak. Mostly post oak for wood. Came out great! Used foil on the top of the heat baffle and that really helped with clean up. Smoke flavor was great. It's a very different experience and flavor than my Stump's Baby charcoal, PK original (very old), and PBC (12-years and nearly rusted thru).

[lancefravel]

Well. carolts I just pulled the trigger. Bought the stainless M36

[carolts]

I don't think you'll ever regret the decision. Congrats lancefravel and let me know how it goes.

[jsetzer]

I am in Florida and picked up an M1. When I open the lid it looks like a decent amount of flaking and some surface rust. Have others repainted the inside of the lid?

[Donw]

It is not recommended to paint the interior surfaces of a cooker as the paints available to normal consumers are not food safe and will off gas vapors you don’t want. Better to use a plastic scraper to remove the flaking and then treat the area with a food grade oil and then build a small fire to season the area.