Where are the M Grill owners?

[au4stree]

Stand up and be counted...

My MCS is kicking in, I’m interested in owner’s thoughts about the M1 or B2. Give me the good, bad and ugly.

I’ve read Max’s review, he gives it a Platinum rating which says a lot, but wanted to know from those who’ve run it through its paces.

[Spinaker]

I do not own one, but if I was going to get a grill like this, this is probably what I would get too. I would love to hear some first had experience too. Similar to a Hasty-Bake

[smarks112]

There’s a handful of us on here. I absolutely love my M1 and give it the highest endorsement. Stick burning on this is it’s super power, but I also love that it can charcoal grill, charcoal smoke. The adjustable grate position is great, cooking capacity is high (get the extended top rack), and it also works well with a fan on the charcoal box. Built like a tank.

- Chicken smoked in the 300s with sticks is so good and so easy on this.
- Temp control from the firebox is extremely easy
- Makes an unbelievable brisket. I usually go sticks the first 5-6h, then wrap, load up the charcoal box and fan and let it go on autopilot the rest of the way.
- Charcoal grilling nice added flexibility. Searing particularly awesome with the adjustable grates. I mostly prefer going out of the firebox to 2-zone on this with the exception of reverse searing (steak, tri tip, large pork chop) which can be done from either location

[au4stree]

According to their website, it weighs in at 400lbs. That is a tank. The stick burning is one of the things that drew me to it. I’m curious, how is fire management? Meaning, I’ll be on a wooden deck, is there lots of embers to and fro?

[smarks112]

I have notice very few if any embers kicking out of the firebox. I haven’t paid close attention to this because I’m on a concrete patio. I think you’d be fine if you got a nice sized grill mat - I’d prob get one that extended a couple feet on the same side of firebox to be safe

[smarks112]

A few pictures from some cooks over the past year or so

[gcdmd]

Beautiful! Man, you are seriously serious about this. I feel like the kid looking through the hole in the fence.

[au4stree]

Wow! That’s some good looking cooks.

[FireMan]

Oh wow man, I just OD’d!

[70monte]

I have the M1 and it's a cooking machine and built like a tank. I've not used all wood yet so I can't comment on that but I've used charcoal and B&B comp logs with great success for smoking. Awesome temp control and very responsive to vent changes.

[Anthonydrasssa]

I am planning to try it. At the moment I am using Weber and it's too good but I have a plan to check it out. Any recommendation will be really helpful.

[Walt Dockery]

I've had an M1 stainless for a little over a year. It's great, probably best all around cooker I've ever owned. I use wood for most low and slow cooks, I also do a lot of standard reverse sear stuff using just the upper fire box. I'm glad I got the stainless for rust though it looks like they have improved the standard model w/ a gloss finish. It does not kick out a lot of embers however on a wood deck I'd probably get a mat. To manage temps using wood, I cut the wood into smaller pieces to maintain a smaller fire.

Negatives, these are fairly nitpicky as it's a great all around cooker..
- The wheels could be better I think. I prefer the type with the brake in front vs on the sides I feel like I always have to fish around with my foot to get the brake on or off. Like the wheels you see on lone star grillz for example.
- The side tables should fold down. The beauty of this cooker is it's so space efficient for what it is, folding side tables would make it even more so.

If I were doing it all over again I would buy an M1 Stainless again today, no question.

[70monte]

Nice update. I'm thinking of upgrading to the SS M1 at some point. My black M1 is already rusting in several places and it's even stored under cover.

[Walt Dockery]

70Monte, before the M1 I had a Yoder YS640 and the rust drove me nuts. I knew it's replacement needed to be highly rust resistant.

[70monte]

Rust drives me nuts too and both my Good One Open Range and GO Marshall both need to be stripped down and repainted due to a lot of rust buildup. I just need to get up the motivation to do it.

[johnjohn]

I'm intending to attempt it. Right now I am utilizing Weber and it's excessively acceptable however I have an arrangement to look at it. Any proposal will be truly useful. Thanks

[Polarbear777]

What’s the max length of time in autopilot mode, say at 225-250F ?

[smarks112]

7-8 hours from what I have found.

[smarks112]

My favorite style to cook on this for long cooks is a hybrid… first few hours with log splits and then once the initial smoke sets in, switch to charcoal and wood chunks and set it and let it ride

[Gaylord Focker]

I just literally uncrated my brand new (surprisingly shiny...thought it would be matte) black M36!! My Dad who is 90 and has lived with me for, well, he came over for Christmas in 2011 and has never left, wanted to know when the marshmellows would be done?!

[FireMan]

Let’s see it! Congrats!

[barelfly]

PICS!!!!!! Come on! Yes, M36 is the big daddy, right?

[tbob4]

First post! Hello from Chico

[Redwng]

I don't have an M Grills cooker nor have I cooked on one but when I was down to deciding between a M Grills or an LSG, I sent emailed questions to both and never got an answer from M Grills on any questions (two) but I got an answer from LSG every time (five). Even tried phone calls, left messages and still nothing. I sent one emailed question to Gator Pits and Rich called me me weekly for three months until I told him I had made a decision. He did send me an email three weeks ago asking to give Gator Pits another look if I need/want another cooker.

I know this may not seem like a big deal to some but it was a big deal to me. I was looking to spend over $4k and they couldn't answer questions.....seriously??? That really turned me off on M Grills even though I really wanted to like their product. Eventually I order from LSG and it arrived yesterday (pics tomorrow). I get it that all the pit makers are busy but M Grills not getting back with me didn't give me warm fuzzies.

There are a lot of satisfied M Grills owners but I decided to go in another direction. Good luck if you go in that direction.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

I am impressed with Gator pits. That is some great service.

[efincoop]

I looked really hard at M Grills and was seriously considering their M36. In the end I decided to go in different direction (look for a post in near future) based on a few things. Value was probably the biggest deciding factor. Value is a personal decision for each person. As I said I was looking at the M36. I really like the stainless version, but at $7K, I couldn't justify the price. The standard finish was a more manageable $3,800, but I wold be settling and I still have to ship it (true for most of the cookers I was looking at) which is not cheap these days. The second determining factor was space. It can hold a decent amount of food, but it still limited compared to most backyard sized stick burners in the same (or lower) price range. Finally I was a little leary about their disclaimers/warnings about high heat (500 degrees) cooks affecting the finish of that standard finish grill. That meant it would not likely replace my Weber kettle. Also the stack seems smallish and the damper seems a little finicky. Hard to say for sure having never cooked on one. Anyway in the end each one of the things I mentioned subtracted from the initial value I saw in the grill and I decided to go with a dedicated stick burner (delivered for the same price as the standard finish M36) and keep my Weber kettle for grilling and smaller cooks. Again, this is just my thought process and by no means a knock on M Grills. I hope it gives you a few things to consider and I wish you the best in whatever decision you make.

[BBQPhil]

I bought an M16 after having quite a few exchanges with Travis, the owner. He was generally responsive, but I sensed was very busy. When it arrived I had some shipping damage and I called and got him right away and got it quickly resolved. The M16 is very well made and a good buy, and has become my go to grill along with my Yoder. Built like a tank and very well design.