What's the Difference? - Premium Charcoal Grills with Raisable Fires -BBQ Buyer's Guide - El Patron

Are you interested in premium grills with raisable fire grates built in America? Explore the differences between the Lone Star Grillz El Patron and grills from Hasty Bake Grills and M Grills.
Chapter Times
00:00 Opening
00:26 Basics of Raisable Fire Grills
00:57 Not Included
01:46 Price
02:43 Where the Fire Goes
04:32 Square Inches & $/in2
07:00 Dampers
08:08 Unique Features
08:49 Metal Thickness
09:24 Weight
09:42 Upgrades/Additions
11:58 Equalization
13:27 My Thoughts
Grills Featured in this Episode
Lone Star Grillz El Patron
Hasty Bake Legacy
The Suburban- Model 414 - Black Powder-Coated Finish
The Gourmet PRO - Model 258 - Dual Finish
M1 Charcoal Grill, Smoker and Stick Burner - American Made
Hastybake Grills

[@gabebolling4548]

I'm absolutely having a blast with my El Patron. You can't go wrong with LSG.

[@gosman949]

Finally, you reviewed my beloved Legacy Hasty Bake that I have had for 40 years! Still cranking away doing good. Still learning how to use after all these years. Now I can do a long smoke with lump charcoal and wood chunks without having to tend to it for hours at a time. Stick a Meater probe in the protein and let is smoke all day!

[@Moondoggy1941]

I got a Christmas gift I purchased my Hasty Bake Dixie Bell 100% SS off Craigslist, I asked the young man where he got it he stated his father, I then asked him is he an Okie and he said yes, he said his wife wanted him to get rid of that old yucky thing on the patio and for him to purchase a new grill from the big box store. I love cooking Tri Tip on it. Congrats on your purchase, all my family are Okies except me. Hence Tri Tip/Ca.

[@Isovapor]

El Patron for the win! Cheers!

[@pitmasterwannabe8575]

I think the El Patron is the way to go with its versatility. One question I have for those who own it is when used as a smoker how does it compare in flavor to an offset?

[@SinDog3]

great video along with your others. I would love to see a review the Assassin 48 grill smoker as versatile backyard option

[@tommyknockers_8608]

Your last video with direct heat cookers was good and so is this one. I like that you included HB and the M1 as those were also units I've been looking at along with the chudbox etc.. Going into this I was leaning towards the El Patron but now after both of these videos I'm confident... I'm now not just leaning towards LSG but I'm sure I'm going with LSG. Might be a little more spendy with all the extras (you missed the Plancha) which fits between the grates just like the pizza stone so it doesn't slide around on top of the grates when smashing a burger. I also think there is something special in the LSG with the 1/2 inch carbon steel or stainless steel grates. It more like cooking in a cast iron pan but lets the smoke and fire up inside it than just 1/8 inch round bar with larger spacing to grill on like you get on a Weber. The effect is more like grillgrates where you get the grill marks and they would hold the heat a lot better if you are moving food around the grill. But I love your breakdown and data sets on all the grills together.

[@SmokeMasterD]

Thanks. I hope you really enjoy your LSG 😊

[@charlesbirchfield5066]

I ordered the El Patron. Only other grill/smoker I considered was LSG charcoal grill. Always heard great things about Hastybake but it’s just not what I was wanting!

[@Mr2004MCSS]

Nice review. I own both the Legacy 131 and the M1 and between those two, there is no comparison. The M1 IMO, is a better grill. It's also a lot more expensive. The flap vents of the HB are pretty worthless. They are either all the way open or closed. The position of the vents just change the direction that the air comes in and exits depending on where you have the vents set. They probably slow the air flow down but that is about it. The vents on the left side are the exhaust vents and do sit up higher than the door vents. It is also a very leaky grill and you have to control the temps by the size of your fire. I added gasket material around three sides of the door on my Legacy for better temp control. The Legacy you show does come with a front shelf but it doesn't fold. The HB does have a lot more travel of the fire basket at around 14" vs the 8" or so inches of the M1. My Legacy also started rusting pretty early on even though I used the HB cover on it. I recommend stainless steel for any HB if you can afford it. The M1 is a beast with 10 gauge steel. It also has way better temp control that is easy to dial in because of the gaskets on the lid and door and because of the vent system. It also holds temp very well. It can also be used as an all wood smoker using small splits in the lower charcoal basket. I mostly use lump or briquettes in mine. Those side shelves are nice but they can get very hot. You can also get a griddle with the M1 but its twice the price of the HB one and not as well built as the HB one. I also own the HB 357 Pro which is fancier model of the Gourmet and quite a bit more expensive. It is double walled and has slider vents vs flap vents of the other HB models. It also has gaskets on the door and hood. It is very fuel efficient and is easy to set temps and easy to maintain temps. It's probably my favorite HB and tied with the HB Roughneck which is an awesome smoker.

[@SmokeMasterD]

Thank you, sir. Your experience with these grills is well worth the read.

[@Mr2004MCSS]

@@SmokeMasterDThank you. I did forget to mention that the M1 does come with those two small charcoal rakes or whatever you want to call them.

[@joshtaylor1553]

With your HB 357 Pro can you place smaller wood splits in the basket similar to the M1?

[@Mr2004MCSS]

@@joshtaylor1553 You could but I never have.

[@ants8632]

Where is my credit card..... I need to quickly order a M1 before my wife gets home.

[@calpromoguy]

Great review / analysis of the 3 products. WRT: El Patron - have you any thoughts or are aware of issues with the standard grates (likely cold rolled carbon steel) - corroding / rusting? Will conventional "seasoning" of the metal inhibit corrosion or not?

[@SmokeMasterD]

When you apply enough heat, seasoning burns off. There’s always a chance of a little rust when you have carbon steel grates, but if you take care of them and re-season them regularly, they will last a good long time (especially with the thickness of the lsg grates).

[@ekill1395]

I know the video is a few months old, so I don’t know if you still respond to comments. I’ve been looking at buying a new grill, and I’ve been going back and forth on what sacrifices I want to make and what I really want. One grill I’m considering is the El Patron, but I have a few questions about it. I don’t know whether you could answer them or not, but if so, that would help! First, the fire basket they sell, the $99.95 one, not the $35 charcoal basket, looks like the fire baskets they sell for their offsets. Would it be possible to stick that on the firebricks, throw the water pan in the adjustable grate, and use the El Patron as a stick burner? My other question is about the pizza oven. It seems like the lid is a bit high to really give any radiant heat to the top of the pizza. I’m wondering whether by the time the cheese gets at all browned the crust would be burnt. Do you have any insight on that? Obviously if you don’t have the El Patron, you might not be able to answer those questions. No worries either way, those are just two things that might sway me either way.

[@SmokeMasterD]

I don't own the El Patron. The pizzas Chris, the owner, makes on his youtube video seem to have come out well. I also think that you can totally do what you are talking about with the water pan. Good luck 👍

[@mefobills279]

LSG El Patron elevator uses wire rope, something like a Santa Maria. Please correct me if I am wrong. The wire rope will exceed design temp especially in Pizza mode. Santa Maria rope is not subjected to this level of heat.

[@SmokeMasterD]

I really have no idea, but I would think it would have to be able to withstand the temps. I'm sure Chris from Lone Star could give an exact answer.

[@mefobills279]

@SmokeMasterD Chris probably just thought it would be OK. The rope will need to be periodically replaced. The four bar linkage design of the Hasty Bake is superior for a hot box but has less vertical travel.

[@thooper4380]

I think you'd struggle to get the rope hot enough for it to matter. All grades of stainless can handle at least peak temperatures of 900ºF+. I think your charcoal/wood would struggle to get to those temperatures and anything seasoned (it looks like the El Patron is seasoned inside like their pellet smokers, but that's just me assuming) within the grill is going to lose its seasoning. I think I'd be aiming for 700ºF and everything should be alright.

[@mefobills279]

@thooper4380 It's probably ok. 1/16, 7 strand can handle 90 lbs. It is internally lubricated so that will burn off. It can be considered a wear item.

[@Taosravenfan]

Do you consider the M1 the best combination of smoker/grill?

[@SmokeMasterD]

I don't know. I suppose it must be a contender, and off the top of my head I can't really think of one better.

[@PoliticallyIncorrect90]

M Grills redesigned their lineup about 5 years ago. While their smokers might function better after that, they added all sorts of silver fasteners (don't call them rivets) and screws. Very unattractive and it didn't lower the price at all.

[@fatboy0817]

Why buy a knock-off of a Hasty Bake when you can just buy a Hasty Bake? Hasty Bake is a local business here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They're all made right here in town at 13th & Lewis.

[@ekill1395]

Well, for one the other two are made of steel that’s over 3 times as thick, so they’re going to last longer and hold heat better. Also, the other two have better/more features. The Hasty Bakes have them beat on price, but on value, I think the LSG takes it.

[@ivanibarra6574]

I think the Lonestar AGS should be in this video.

[@SmokeMasterD]

Maybe

[@dyoutoob]

Really appreciate the video and I admit I'm a Hasty Bake fanboi but this video doesn't do it justice! One of the nicest features it has IMO is the large side door opening with slide out fire basket and ash pan which allows: * easy access to pour your charcoal to arrange and start a fire * easy access to dump a chimney of lit coals * easy access for adding charcoal during a cook * access to UNDERNEATH the firebox so you can sear the TOP of things (e.g. if you need to cook the top of your pizza more) * huge ash pan (basically the same size as the grilling area) making ash cleanup a breeze I watched a video of the El Patron kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGScgZavoNGdp6s and by comparison it looks extremely uncomfortable to use. The fire box access is more limited, does not slide out, the grill grates are cumbersome to remove, there's a design flaw where a screw on the firebox door sticks out too far so the firebox gets stuck and can't move up/down freely. If you're in the market for a new charcoal grill with raisable fire grates I highly recommend considering the usability of the grill over the cooking area and metal thickness.

[@SmokeMasterD]

Thanks for your input!

[@lowdownone]

These patron upgrades are hilariously expensive. What happened to the good ol days when covers were included? $400? Nah, I’ll see what Walmart has. $500 for rotisserie? Whoa. They could lose the pizza oven aspect, it is expensive overkill and won’t be nearly as effective as a $200 pizza oven.

[@petershum1266]

Really appreciate your video. I am interested in the Bull Bison grill but can't find any objective reviews on it or other similar ones. Do you think they are not capable of long smoke without tending fire often?

[@SmokeMasterD]

For a long smoke you would definitely need to add more fuel occasionally - how occasionally, I can only speculate.

[@davemiller6121]

What about the M36

[@SmokeMasterD]

I saw the M 36, of course - a larger version of the M 1. It's possible I could include it in a future episode. What do you think about it?

[@gosman949]

I still say they all copy the Hasty Bake that came long before the rest!