BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
Hope you have a good recovery. Just don’t spread it lol.
MAK Grills talk/pics/thoughts/reviews and appreciation thread
- Thread starter rwalters
- Start date
Hope you have a good recovery. Just don’t spread it lol.
KevinJ
somebody shut me the fark up.
No but Big Poppa Smokers who is the only MAK authorized dealer usually runs a sale Memorial Day weekend, that's how I purchased my grill 2 years ago.
SMetroHawkeye
Full Fledged Farker
Was raining last night, but that didn’t stop us from MAKing some grilled chicken for dinner. Was also able to try another new rub that I recently picked up. FOGO The Rub. This stuff is different if ya haven’t already seen it. One of the ingredients is activated charcoal powder, which causes the rub to be black in color. It’s different in that the meat you cook/serve will be black in color... looking like ya burnt it. That is not the case though. Good stuff
Made half the chicken with the FOGO rub and the other half with Oakridge Santa Maria. Oh yeah, my 10 year old daughter insisted on making a peach cobbler. And of course that required me running to the store to grab some vanilla gelato to top it with. Who am I to argue with a 10 year old... lol.
That’s a killer b looking cook, Robb! Funky approach on the FOGO The Rub using activated charcoal powder... I think it would be interesting doing the same chicken on a gas grill - to see what augmented flavors you get with the absence of wood/charcoal. Betting the flavor profile grabs that charcoal flavor. Cool!
GrantAshton
Full Fledged Farker
Take care of yourself and yours.
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Yes brother, take care and get better quick. Will be praying for you!
Sorry to hear this, get well soon!
pjtexas1
somebody shut me the fark up.
Damn! Did you get tested or are you just being cautious for your family? Praying for y'all.
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rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I actually stumbled upon a used MAK 1 Star that my buddy was selling back in 2016. Had a backyard full of cookers at the time and just figured I’d add the MAK for those days when I didn’t want to mess with charcoal and/or splits. Never in a million years did I expect the MAK to become my favorite grill and smoker of all time... but that is exactly what happened. Fast forward to 2017 and I ended up selling off my entire cooking arsenal due to us moving and my new cooking area being quite a bit smaller than what I had previously had. As a result of the move I sold 4 Kamado Joe’s, a Weber Genesis, an M1 Grill/stick burner along with my MAK 1 Star. With a pocket full of cash, I could’ve bought pretty much any new cooker or two I wanted to replace the 7 I had just sold. I researched the heck out of the market. Based on my previous MAK 1 Star experience and my newfound love of pellet cooking, I began to dig fairly deep into the pellet grill market. I came to discover that there are a few very nice units out there other than MAK. As I began to dig though, I created a pros/cons list of each cooker I was looking at. No matter how I sliced and diced it, the MAK 2 Star would surface as the winner every single time for me and the way I cook. What was it about the MAK 2 Star that pushed it over the top (and past the Yoder lineup)?
1) The MAK’s were built from the ground up to be a pellet grill. Many of the US competitors more or less slap a pellet hopper onto a stick burner body. 10 & 7 gauge (2 of the brands I looked at) steel IMO is completely unnecessary for a pellet grill. Thick steel does not have insulating properties as it is a conductor of heat not an insulator. Yes, it can provide temp stability in the world of stick burners, but really does nothing for a properly constructed pellet grill with a solid controller.
2) The 2 Star is constructed of 304 Marine Grade SS which will require zero paint and rust maintenance for the life of the grill.
3) Virtually every pellet grill on the market that offers some type of direct flame exposure is isolated to a small portion of the main cooking grates surface. That just doesn’t work well for a family when you simply want to load down the grate and grill up a nice meal. The MAK is the only pellet grill on the market that has the Funnel Flame Zone (basically a reversed funnel) that provides very intense heat front/back and side/side. Being able to grill on a pellet cooker was very important to me!
4) As I dug, and spoke with owners and company reps, I began to learn why MAK’s seem to smoke soooo much more than the competition. Smoke production from day 1 has been one of the main goals of MAK Grills and the cookers have been designed and are VERY dialed in when it comes to producing tons of smoke. From the controller algorithms, to the variable speed fan, to the newer Funnel Flame Zone to the stackless hood... the MAK’s not only produce tons of smoke but they do not allow it to quickly billow away from a large smoke stack on the lid.
5) MAK’s have a fantastic internal grease management system. You’ll rarely find a drop of grease is the belly of the cooking chamber as the grease runs down channels that surround the Flame Zone drip pan and are directed to an internal grease bucket. Makes for easy peasy cleanup... not to mention the removable firepot (no more shop-vac needed).
6) The Pellet Boss controller. Best in the biz IMO. Highly programmable. The only controller to accept industrial k-style probes. You can buy your probes from places like Thermoworks now. Highly accurate and extremely durable.
Please do not take this as me knocking other top-tier pellet cookers, because that is not at all my intent. I am just trying to share what it was that took MAK to the top of the list and pushed it over as the winner for me.
Absolutely LOVE my 2 Star!!!!
Baychilla
is one Smokin' Farker
I'm sorry to hear that. I wish you a speedy recovery.
Sooner21
is one Smokin' Farker
Thanks for all the well wishes guys - terrified how my son (almost 4) will handle it when it spreads to him and my wife. This thing is so contagious it's nuts. Been working from home 90% and following all protocols and still got it. Hospital I was at today is building a makeshift outdoor triage that's opening tomorrow. It's bad in NY State - bad, and I'm not anywhere close to NYC. I've had some gruesome injuries/surgeries and this pain is right up there with the worst. Nothing’s touching the fever - been sitting @ 103 since 0100. It varies in symptoms, so guessing I have one of the bad symptom cases. Gotta freeze all the meat that was supposed to go in the MAK this morning and continue all day. I'll make up for lost cooks in about 14 days and give you guys some pron.
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GrantAshton
Full Fledged Farker
Sending healing vibes your way.
gtsum
Babbling Farker
Yikes. Get better man. Thinking of you and your family
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Josh@MAK
Knows what a fatty is.
So sorry to hear about your circumstances, Sooner. Stay strong and get better.
GrantAshton
Full Fledged Farker
What's the best way to clean the sear grates without damaging the finish?
I had a heck of a time getting everything off after I grilled pork tenderloins with a fair amount of sugar in the marinade.
For instance, can I safely use a metal putty knife?
I had a heck of a time getting everything off after I grilled pork tenderloins with a fair amount of sugar in the marinade.
For instance, can I safely use a metal putty knife?
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I let the MAK continue to run for about 10 mins after pulling the food off as the crazy hot aluminum carbonizes the gunk and makes for easier removal. As far as tools, I use a couple of items.
I run this back and forth at an angle and knock off the crusties between the individual grates.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071FJ1R32/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YyLGEb70TTH5K
And then follow up with a brush like this for giving a quick scrub down. Quite easy if you don’t expect like new shiny.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYC1C2D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vCLGEbGJQAXYG
A putty knife works well to for the super stubborn bits.
GrantAshton
Full Fledged Farker
Thanks, Robb. So that brush doesn’t scratch the finish? Could one use steel wool?
(I don’t have much experience cleaning hard anodized aluminum.)
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I pretty much treat them just like I did my GrillGrates (hard anodized aluminum) and how they suggest. Have never had an issue.
https://youtu.be/TclyjBDTJYs
Baychilla
is one Smokin' Farker
I picked up a 6.6lb rack of spares. I had to remove about 1/4 of them as they were attached to a bone (brisket? chine?). I fired the MAK to 250. While waiting for the grill to reach temp I removed the membrane from the remaining ribs and carpet bombed them with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Hard anodizing is nearly indestructible... A wire brush will not hurt it.
To remove hard anodizing you have to take a high speed grinding wheel to it.
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I picked up a 6.6lb rack of spares. I had to remove about 1/4 of them as they were attached to a bone (brisket? chine?). I fired the MAK to 250. While waiting for the grill to reach temp I removed the membrane from the remaining ribs and carpet bombed them with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
That’s gonna be some gooood eatin’ right there buddy
