Masterbuilt 1150 Review: Is the Gravity Series 1150 Right for You?

Still sitting on the fence about the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1150? This Masterbuilt 1150 review is here to get you off it. We've filmed it, cooked on it and pushed a pork shoulder through it, so you'll get the good bits, the one real trade-off and a straight answer on who it's built for.

In short, it's a fan-assisted, gravity-fed charcoal smoker. It runs on charcoal and timber, holds its own temperature and handles everything from a low and slow brisket to a hot steak cook. It's big, it's clever, and it's a bit thirsty.

The Short Answer

The 1150 suits you if you cook big, cook often and want real charcoal and wood flavour without babysitting a fire all day. It's a harder sell if most of your cooks are two steaks on a Tuesday night, because it heats its whole cooking chamber every time you fire it up, and it burns fuel to match.

How the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1150 Works

You load charcoal and hardwood chunks into the tall hopper on the side, light it, and set your temperature. A digital fan feeds air to the fire and holds that temperature for you. As the coals at the bottom burn down, fresh fuel drops into place. That's the "gravity" part, and it's why you're not topping up the firebox every hour.

The temperature range runs from 107°C (225°F) up to 371°C (700°F). Masterbuilt quotes about 9 minutes to reach 107°C and around 15 minutes to reach 371°C, so it's genuinely quick to get going.

You can set the temperature on the digital control panel on the unit, or from your phone. The controller links to your phone over Bluetooth, so you can keep an eye on the pit and up to four meat probes from the couch. If you've never run one before, our guide on how to fire up and run a Masterbuilt gravity fed smoker walks you through the first light-up.

Cooking Space: What 1,150 Square Inches Actually Holds

The 1150 gets its name from its cooking area: 1,150 square inches, or roughly three-quarters of a square metre. That's spread across two porcelain-coated upper racks and a pair of cast iron grates down low. The cast iron grates flip over, with one side for smoking and one for searing.

In practice, a brisket or pork shoulder sits on the lower grates, ribs or wings go on the racks above, and you still have room to hold finished food warm while the rest cooks. For a big family lunch or a street party, it has capacity to burn. As we said in the video, it'll let you cook for the entire street if you really want to.

What's Changed In This Generation

The 1150 isn't just a bigger box. Masterbuilt has fixed several of the small annoyances that owners of earlier Gravity models used to grumble about.

A Brick-Lined Hopper

The hopper is now lined with solid brick and holds about 5.4kg of hardwood chunks. Take that figure with a grain of salt, because it depends on the size of your chunks. Masterbuilt rates it at 12 lb (5.4kg) of lump charcoal or 18 lb (8.2kg) of briquettes, which is good for up to 15 hours of cooking. Expect less at high heat, since a hotter fire burns through fuel faster.

Magnetic Switches

The older, almost mechanical micro switches are gone, replaced with magnetic ones. It's a small change, but a welcome one on a unit that lives outside through every season.

A Bigger, Better Front Shelf

This sounds trivial until you've cooked on one of these a few times. On a long cook, you're constantly hunting for somewhere to put your brisket down to check it and wrap it. The 1150's bigger front shelf gives you that space right where you need it.

An Enclosed Storage Cabinet

Underneath is a fully enclosed cabinet, so bags of charcoal, wood chunks, probes and tools all live with the smoker. A lot of owners find it handier than they expected.

Easier Clean-Up

A removable ash bucket and a front-access grease cup mean the post-cook clean-up is quick, rather than something that makes you avoid firing it up next time.

Real Cook: Pulled Pork on the 1150

Specs only tell you so much, so here's what a real cook looks like. We took a 1.8kg pork shoulder, used yellow mustard as a binder, and coated it in Porkinator rub.

Before lighting up, we fitted a stainless manifold cover and water pan brackets to protect the unit from dripping pork fat, and set a tray of water directly under the meat. The smoker was set to 150°C (300°F) and held there steadily for the whole cook.

The pork went on the centre rack for 3 hours uncovered. It then went into a tray with a cup of chicken stock, a cup of orange juice plus the rind, and half a cup of water. The tray was covered tightly with foil and returned for another 2.5 to 3 hours, until the probe slid in with little resistance. That's about 6 hours all up.

After a 20 to 30 minute rest, we shredded the pork through the juices, then gave it one to two minutes back in the smoker to crisp the edges.

Why 150°C rather than the classic 107°C? A shoulder this size doesn't need a 12-hour cook, and 150°C balances time against tenderness. The full method, plus the fresh salsa we served it with, is in our 1.8kg pork shoulder cook on the Masterbuilt.

The Honest Trade-Off: Fuel Use

Here's the thing most reviews gloss over. The 1150 chews through more fuel than a smaller smoker, and it's not only because the firebox is big.

It doesn't matter how much of the grill space you're using. Whether the chamber is packed with a brisket and three racks of ribs or holds two chicken breasts, you're heating the whole thing. A small cook costs you nearly as much charcoal as a big one.

The way to make that work in your favour is to cook like you own a big smoker:

• Fill it when you fire it. Add a second protein, sausages for the kids or a tray of vegetables to use the heat you're already paying for.
• Cook for leftovers. Pulled pork, brisket and smoked chicken all freeze well and turn into easy midweek meals.
• Keep the lid shut. Every peek lets heat out, and the fan burns more fuel to get it back.

Is a Gravity Fed Charcoal Smoker Like the 1150 Right for You?

The 1150 is a great fit if you:

• Entertain regularly or feed a big family
• Want real charcoal and wood flavour with set-and-forget temperature control
• Love a low and slow cook, but you're equally obsessed with steaks and pizzas
• Like watching the cook from your phone instead of standing over a firebox

It's probably not for you if you:

• Mostly cook small meals for one or two people
• Want a smoker for camping or off-grid use, since the fan and controller need power
• Are working with a small balcony, because this is a big, heavy unit
• Enjoy managing the fire by hand. Some BBQ purists want to feel every vent adjustment.

If you like the idea but the 1150 feels like overkill, our Gravity Series 800 review covers a smaller option in the same family.

Masterbuilt 1150 vs XT: The Quick Version

If you're weighing the 1150 against the Gravity Series XT, the XT gives you 1,260 square inches of cooking space and WiFi app control. It also has a FuelSaver body with a fibreglass mesh gasket, designed to seal in heat and smoke and get more out of your charcoal. If fuel use is the thing holding you back, it's worth a look. You can compare both in the full Masterbuilt gravity smoker range.

Masterbuilt Gravity 1150 Review FAQs

How long does a full hopper last on the Masterbuilt 1150?

Masterbuilt rates it at up to 15 hours on a full hopper. That figure is for low and slow temperatures; hotter cooks burn through fuel faster.

Can I use wood chunks in the Masterbuilt 1150?

Yes. It runs on charcoal and hardwood chunks, and mixing the two is where the smoke flavour comes from.

Does the Masterbuilt 1150 need power?

Yes. The digital fan and controller need electricity, so it's a backyard smoker rather than a campsite one.

Can the Masterbuilt 1150 sear a steak?

Yes. It reaches 371°C (700°F), and the reversible cast iron grates have a dedicated sear side.

What accessories work with the 1150?

Masterbuilt's pizza oven, rotisserie and flat-top griddle all fit (sold separately). A manifold cover and water pan brackets are worth adding for long, fatty cooks.

What temperature should I smoke pulled pork at on the 1150?

For a smaller shoulder of around 1.8kg, 150°C (300°F) gets you to fall-apart tender in about 6 hours. Larger cuts suit a lower, longer cook.

The Verdict

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1150 does just about everything: low and slow smoking, hot searing, roasting and pizza, all from one charcoal fire that looks after itself. The upgrades on this generation, particularly the brick-lined hopper, bigger front shelf and storage cabinet, make it nicer to live with than the models before it.

It asks one thing in return: cook big. Fill it up, and it's hard to beat. Fire it up for two chops, and you'll feel it in the charcoal bill.

If that sounds like your backyard, check out the 1150's full specs and inclusions, or drop into our Seaford showroom to see one in person.

Masterbuilt Gravity 1150 Review FAQs

Is the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1150 worth it?

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1150 is worth considering if you regularly cook for a family or crowd and want real charcoal flavour without constantly managing the fire. It combines a gravity-fed charcoal hopper with digital temperature control, making it suitable for smoking, roasting, grilling and searing.

How long does charcoal last in the Masterbuilt 1150?

Masterbuilt rates the Gravity Series 1150 for up to 15 hours of cooking from a full hopper under suitable low and slow conditions. It holds approximately 5.4kg of lump charcoal or 8.2kg of briquettes, although actual burn time depends on cooking temperature, weather and how often the lid is opened.

Does the Masterbuilt 1150 use a lot of charcoal?

The Masterbuilt 1150 can use more charcoal than a smaller smoker because its large 1,150 square inch cooking chamber needs to be heated even when you're only cooking a small amount of food. It is most efficient when you're making use of the cooking space for larger cooks, multiple proteins or batch cooking.

What temperature range does the Masterbuilt 1150 have?

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1150 has a temperature range of approximately 107°C to 371°C, or 225°F to 700°F. This allows it to handle low and slow smoking, roasting, grilling and high-temperature searing on the same BBQ.

What are the main downsides of the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1150?

The main downside of the Masterbuilt 1150 is fuel consumption when cooking small meals. It is also a large, heavy smoker and requires electricity to run the digital controller and fan, making it better suited to backyard cooking than camping or off-grid use.

by: Sasha Halabi