I guess it's time for another "best pellet smoker" thread.

[rwalters]

Has anybody scientifically compared the smoke profiles of various pellet cookers? It wouldn't be hard.

Line up leading contenders, smoke meat, feed judges . . .

This forum should sponsor something like that and make honest marketers of all the pellet cooker companies.

That would be awesome!!! Challenging to pull off, but awesome!

Regarding MAK Grills smoke production, here are a few examples I can share that come to mind...

1) I sold a 2017 2 Star a couple years ago to a fellow Brethren, also a Traeger Timberline owner at the time. He told me after a few cooks on the MAK that he was looking for ways to dial back the smoke on certain foods, primarily by cooking at higher temps. He sold his Timberline after 3 cooks on the MAK and declared the difference night/day.

2) A fellow Brethren bought a 1 Star during last years Group Buy deal. He had 2 other pellet grills at the time. During one of the first cooks on his new MAK, he found himself running outside thinking the grill was on fire. Nope, it was just a MAK doing was it was created to do... lol.

3) I had a US made Traeger back around 2004. Cooked many meals on it til I sold it in 2006. The difference in smoke profile between that T and my M’s is very noticeable.

The MAK’s with their proprietary controller, variable speed fan and Funnel Flame Zone setup were built from the ground up to smoke like locomotive’s... and that’s kind of what they do

Am I saying that there are not other excellent choices in the pellet grill world? Heck no! But I am saying that I think it is very hard to beat a MAK on numerous levels. Just my honest opinion.

 

[rwalters]

Where can we find out more info on a potential group buy? I should have pulled the trigger last year, but didn’t.


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I'm guessing that rwalters will start a thread about it. From a couple things I've heard and a post Robb made yesterday, it sounds like it's very likely going to happen again. I'm guessing Robb or whoever else might be working with MAK on it will get a thread started specific to it. I'd say keep watching for it any day here.

Coming soon gents! Word on the street is March. Pushing the guys at MAK for sooner rather than later in the month

 

[ttkt57]

That would be awesome!!! Challenging to pull off, but awesome!

Regarding MAK Grills smoke production, here are a few examples I can share that come to mind...

1) I sold a 2017 2 Star a couple years ago to a fellow Brethren, also a Traeger Timberline owner at the time. He told me after a few cooks on the MAK that he was looking for ways to dial back the smoke on certain foods, primarily by cooking at higher temps. He sold his Timberline after 3 cooks on the MAK and declared the difference night/day.

2) A fellow Brethren bought a 1 Star during last years Group Buy deal. He had 2 other pellet grills at the time. During one of the first cooks on his new MAK, he found himself running outside thinking the grill was on fire. Nope, it was just a MAK doing was it was created to do... lol.

3) I had a US made Traeger back around 2004. Cooked many meals on it til I sold it in 2006. The difference in smoke profile between that T and my M’s is very noticeable.

The MAK’s with their proprietary controller, variable speed fan and Funnel Flame Zone setup were built from the ground up to smoke like locomotive’s... and that’s kind of what they do

Am I saying that there are not other excellent choices in the pellet grill world? Heck no! But I am saying that I think it is very hard to beat a MAK on numerous levels. Just my honest opinion.

If several pellet smoker companies were asked to sponsor a comparison cook-off, I'm pretty sure the responses would be an eye-opener. Small made-in-USA companies with limited resources would step up; big import brands with deep pockets would shy away.

The companies I would like to see in a scientific comparison are MAK, Yoder, Outlaw, Pitts & Spitts, and Cookshack.

 

[rwalters]

If several pellet smoker companies were asked to sponsor a comparison cook-off, I'm pretty sure the responses would be an eye-opener. Small made-in-USA companies with limited resources would step up; Big import brands with deep pockets would shy away.

The companies I would like to see in a scientific comparison are MAK, Yoder, Outlaw, Pitts & Spitts, and Cookshack.

That would be a lot of fun!!!

 

[Gore]

I just want to make a comment about the MAK smoke capabilities that Robb has alluded to. This is something that my wife and I both noticed right away. I use my MAK 2* for grilling quite a bit. The smoke is something that has stood out, more so than, for example, my Oval. Last night I cooked some strip steaks, 450*, roughly 4 minutes per side. My wife took a bite told me that I used oak pellets and that she prefers the pecan because the oak are a bit too strong. So, yes, the smoke is most definitely there and not so subtle that you cannot differentiate it, even on a hot and fast cook. While I do find that the smoke seems stronger on my MAK than my Oval for the hot/fast cooks, I find it less pronounced on the slow cooks, especially if I am cold smoking. I don't have a lot of experience with pellet smokers but when I hear that they don't produce enough smoke, either they have no sense of smell, or the MAK is just different.

 

[Chester]

Has anybody scientifically compared the smoke profiles of various pellet cookers? It wouldn't be hard.

Line up leading contenders, smoke meat, feed judges . . .

This forum should sponsor something like that and make honest marketers of all the pellet cooker companies.

You should send a request to Jeremy Yoder the Mad Scientist. He did the blind taste test comparing a Yoder to a Komado to a large standard flow smoker to a large reverse flow smoker. You can find the video on YouTube, its good watch.

Maybe he would be up to something like this.. He has been posting on the Aaron Franklin Beef Tallow tread and had a bunch of stuff on youtube (a bunch on Pitts and Spitts smokers also).

 

[Bob C Cue]

You should send a request to Jeremy Yoder the Mad Scientist. He did the blind taste test comparing a Yoder to a Komado to a large standard flow smoker to a large reverse flow smoker. You can find the video on YouTube, its good watch.

Maybe he would be up to something like this.. He has been posting on the Aaron Franklin Beef Tallow tread and had a bunch of stuff on youtube (a bunch on Pitts and Spitts smokers also).

Thanks for posting. That was a great and informative video!

 

[Marquez]

This is great information! Thank you. For some reason I thought the upper grates were only available on the 2 Star General. Knowing I can get it on the 1 Star helps my decision a little more. Which pellets do you use? I came across a few people having issues with certain pellete on their Maks and I guess a certain amount of bad units is too be expected, but I'm curious what you've had success with.

Hi Russ,

Sorry for my delayed response.

I've used CookinPellets, Lumberjack, Bear Mountain, and BBQr's Delight.

All produce variable amount of ash, which I think is related to the species and not the brand.

I *did* recently had an flameout using CookinPellets Perfect Mix, however it also seems to burn hotter.

Of note is that the overnight cook was when the outside temps was in the low teens and the burn pot was nearly empty despite a full pellet bin.

I contacted MAK support and they sent me a firmware update device. Since then no problems on subsequent low temp overnight smokes.

Support is a strong reason for me that MAK is a good fit. FANTASTIC service when I called and they even called me after the firmware update to check if things are better.

Of course the flavor of the cooks too makes it a winner as well.

Hope this helps

 

[Shiz-Nit]

Has anyone know how the Myron Mixon pellet smokers are?

I have seen a couple at KCBS comps but have not really talked to those teams about them.
They look solid

 

[rwalters]

I know a guy that has a Myron Mixon and seems to really like it. That about all I got though

 

[ttkt57]

Has anyone know how the Myron Mixon pellet smokers are?

I have seen a couple at KCBS comps but have not really talked to those teams about them.
They look solid

I prefer short auger systems like those in Yoder, Outlaw, and Louisiana to the long auger Traeger-style systems.

Still, it's nice to see another USA-made (Connecticut?) pellet smoker on the market. The more the merrier I say: anything to help American boys turn off their video games and learn to grind, drill, turn, weld, mill, paint, shear . . .

 

[bucko]

Check out z grills it's a really good grill with accurate temps and a bargain for a little over 400 dollars

 

[BlueHaze]

I know I am bias here. Pitts and Spitts makes a great pellet smoker. America made.

 

[ttkt57]

I know I am bias here. Pitts and Spitts makes a great pellet smoker. America made.

I would have bought a P&S if I still lived in Texas. Up here in Idaho it was easy to choose Outlaw since I could drive twenty minutes and tour Nelson's shop.

 

[Crueman]

Coming soon gents! Word on the street is March. Pushing the guys at MAK for sooner rather than later in the month

Fingers crossed!

 

[jkief]

MAK. I have the 1 Star with flame zone (before it was standard) and the full upper shelf. Wouldn’t ever own another pellet pooper. Although I’m sure there are other fine ones out there, I’ll never stray from this one. MAK is a winner for me.