Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

I'm crazy, wish me luck

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    I'm crazy, wish me luck

    I was really debating on a MAK 1 Star and I think the wife had a little steam starting to come out of her ears. She was like that little cheap Camp Chef you had cooked just fine. After realizing that I'd have close to $3000 in one with the accessories I'd want over time, it made it easier to re-investigate other grills.

    So, after researching the 175 models Camp Chef has put out in the past 3 years, I finally decided on a Woodwind WiFi 24. I was thinking about getting another more basic model with a non-PID controller for more smoke and found info that the new WiFi controller actually has an adjustable smoke setting with the disclaimer that it allows more temperature variation the higher you set it...that actually sounds perfect. Looks like it has quite a bit more room inside, a relocated probe port, pellet dump, a big upper grate, and much nicer cart and bottom shelf than Foster had. All things that I was fine with on a temporary grill but would have been less pleased with over a longer term.

    If it does Low N Slow as well as the cheaper one did, I'll be happy for a while. We'll see if this and the Ocho cross paths or if I the Silverton back to Costco before it arrives.

    I've already got a couple name possibilities, Nine Numb (since I'm going numb looking for the perfect pellet grill), or Drew Brees since it's a 'breezy' model and he wears number 9. I just hope I don't meet Cam Diez anytime soon.

    #2
    Luck wouldn't be enough for me, I'd be outside sleeping with the grills.

    Comment


      #3
      My co-worker has last years woodwind model, it cranks out decent food but for cooks above 225 he does need a smoke tube. It grills fairly decent (I think it's one of the slide and grill models but I've lost track, like you said they've gone overboard on product lines lately), but he has the propane add on and it's perfect for a small family of 4 or less.

      Comment


        #4
        Knowing nothing about poopers I assumed (and laughed) your were joking when you said 175 models.
        Dan Deter You can sleep on my new Primo table next to me in the garage.

        Comment


        • glitchy
          glitchy commented
          Editing a comment
          I might have exaggerated a bit, but they have a 17 models on their site right now and a few I know they don't list that were current not that long ago.

        #5
        glitchy Is this now 3 cookers in two weeks? I’m both impressed and starting to worry about you at the same time!

        Comment


        • glitchy
          glitchy commented
          Editing a comment
          Yes, I know sad...I'm not expecting miracles out of the Woodwind and honestly wasn't from the Traeger either, just more flavor than my oven. The Woodwind has the slide and grill, but I actually would have preferred without it. It's just the SG models have more headroom and upper grate options.

        • pknj
          pknj commented
          Editing a comment
          It’s not sad - I just spend 35 minutes looking at a review for a travel bag on YouTube. That is sad. I travel for work (150 to 250k miles a year), so I am always looking for the perfect bag that will somehow not wrinkle my suits, find room for my gym shoes, and make me look smarter. I get the obsession - at least you are going nuts over something fun!

        #6
        Man, I can see being in the dog house too, especially since you have a Weber Summit Charcoal that I know set you back a pretty penny. With the Fireboard, I am surprised you just don't do all your smoking on the Summit.

        Comment


          #7
          I would still go with the MAK. It will last longer and you won't have to replace it. Invest in quality and it will pay dividends. Just my 2 cents.

          ****Disclaimer: I am not married****

          Comment


          • ofelles
            ofelles commented
            Editing a comment
            I'm with Spinaker on this and I am married (the the moment away)

          • ItsAllGoneToTheDogs
            ItsAllGoneToTheDogs commented
            Editing a comment
            My MAK purchase almost rendered me not married lol. But it cranks out enough good food that the other half no longer complains about it or makes snide remarks about the price (unless I try to talk her out of a purchase she wants, of course)

          #8
          Spinaker, LOL on the married part. If I had let it rest a few days, I probably could have talked her into it, her first reaction was just sticker shock. Especially if I stuck to just getting a grill and a cover at first and adding the other things (WiFi, shelves, grilling setup) over a couple years after demonstrating I'm happy with the purchase. But I started thinking myself what will I want to do if SmokeFire 2.0 comes out in 6 months and addresses most of the current concerns?

          jfmorris The Summit Charcoal to me is kinda like a nice stick burner might be to a lot of others. You love it, but you usually only fire it up when you have a wide open weekend probably. It's my best grill and the one I'm going to turn to when I really want to make something special and have a good amount of time. I know it's not that complicated, but I'm still pretty new to fire management and it usually takes me a good hour to get it settled into where I want it running to put food on. That's not a complaint, I just do not have a lot of practice at it yet. I'm getting a little better each time, unless I forget to watch it and let it overshoot and that's just a bad habit from pellet cookers and not having to watch. Other than a little tinkering with the SnS on my kettle, it's really my first human managed smoker. I've had gas, electric, and pellets until now.

          If the Woodwind is a flop -- which I have absolutely no reason to believe will be with my past Camp Chef and the Woodwind reviews by Max and others -- I probably move the gasser back to the main patio with the Summit and just run those two for a while and watch the SmokeFire developments or save up for the MAK.

          Comment


          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            Yeah, good point. But I would still take a MAK over any Weber product. MAKs are tanks.

          • Driverdan
            Driverdan commented
            Editing a comment
            I wasn’t even considering adding a pooper to my arsenal UNTIL the Smokefire reviews and posts started appearing.
            Then I started delving into many other pellet grills, MANY other grills! (A son has a ZGrill and loves it, but only has gasser experience.)
            Then I discovered the Camp Chef Woodwind WiFi models!! I WANT ONE!!
            Can’t decide which size though?!?!?
            Still going to keep an eye out for the Weber SF 2.0

            Thanks Glitchy!

          • glitchy
            glitchy commented
            Editing a comment
            Driverdan Max has a good review of the Woodwind classic. I’ll post a little after I get mine. My SmokePro did fine as a cooker. The new SG grills seem to have a lot more cooking space, we’ll see soon.

          #9
          This is why my wife gets suspicious when she sees me looking at posts instead of just recipes. I read these posts, and go look honey, Glitchy tried out the Weber, ordered a Treager and is thinking about trying out a Camp Chef. Her response is something like "go live with Glitchy"

          Of course, she knows my problem is that I am kind of irresponsible. I would end up with all 3, saying stuff like "honey, I can fix that little problem.No need to return any of them"

          Comment


          • Sweaty Paul
            Sweaty Paul commented
            Editing a comment
            I’ll join klflowers with beverage management while @ glitchy and Huskee cook.

          • Sweaty Paul
            Sweaty Paul commented
            Editing a comment
            glitchy where are you in Iowa. I’m originally from Shenandoah and went to Coe in Cedar Rapids.

          • glitchy
            glitchy commented
            Editing a comment
            Sweaty Paul I'm just south of Des Moines. Shenandoah is one of the places in Iowa I may have never been. Haven't spent much time in Southwest, been to most of rest of state though.

          #10
          Originally posted by glitchy View Post
          jfmorris The Summit Charcoal to me is kinda like a nice stick burner might be to a lot of others. You love it, but you usually only fire it up when you have a wide open weekend probably. It's my best grill and the one I'm going to turn to when I really want to make something special and have a good amount of time. I know it's not that complicated, but I'm still pretty new to fire management and it usually takes me a good hour to get it settled into where I want it running to put food on. That's not a complaint, I just do not have a lot of practice at it yet. I'm getting a little better each time, unless I forget to watch it and let it overshoot and that's just a bad habit from pellet cookers and not having to watch. Other than a little tinkering with the SnS on my kettle, it's really my first human managed smoker. I've had gas, electric, and pellets until now.
          You've got a little bit of a point. While I don't have a Summit, I do have a Performer (with SNS) and an offset. For quick weeknight cooks, I turn to my Genesis gas grill as it does take at least 30 minutes for me to get the charcoal going, versus just preheating the Genesis for 10-15 minutes while I prep the food. My experience with the Performer+SnS+PartyQ is that I light the initial coals, close it up, and it is probably 45 minutes before food is on.

          However... you are talking about a smoker here with the Camp Chef - not a grill. So I assume we are talking about longer cooks of several hours or more, so in that sense, 30-60 minutes to have the Summit going is not a huge deal, but then again, it certainly would be nice to just press a power button, set a temperature, and be ready to cook in 15 minutes, just like on my gasser...

          Comment


          • glitchy
            glitchy commented
            Editing a comment
            Sometimes it’s lack of motivation too. Seems the last cook I did on the Summit is always 180 from what I want to do next, so have to clean up, rearrange, etc. That’s when I pour the bag and flip the switch.

          #11
          My BIL and his son my nephew each have a CC pellet and they love them. I've observed them running and they sound louder than my Grilla is the only comparison I can make personally. Got nice & hot and the food has been great. That sums up nearly all of them though, but that also means I think you've made a great choice. If your lovely lady had permitted the MAK, I'd say the same thing, since Ive never heard of a MAK enemy everyone loves them too.

          Comment


          • jfmorris
            jfmorris commented
            Editing a comment
            So Huskee, how often do you find yourself using that Silverbac versus your other cookers? How are you liking the "smoke profile" compared to your kettles and Yoder and such?

          • Huskee
            Huskee commented
            Editing a comment
            jfmorris I use it a lot more than I thought I would. It is not my first choice for a brisket or ribs, but has become a first choice for burgers and steak. When the weather's frightful or I'm just not in the mood to stand in the cold- literally push one button and walk away. If the Yoder (wood) or kettles (charcoal + wood) are 10/10 smoke intensity, this is a 4-6. Sounds like a bad thing, but for certain foods like steak, burgers, nachos, etc it works very well IMO. It is a valuable tool!

          #12
          Not in the market for a pellet cooker, but loving this thread....

          Comment


            #13
            It looks like I might get lucky and get the Woodwind on Friday so I can fire it up this weekend. Hopefully then it's back to where I was in the few months before the SmokeFire came out, more worried about what to cook and which grill to put it on rather than if a grill would even work right. Now I just have to get that dumb impulse regret back to Costco. There's just something about grills with no smoke stacks and storage cabinets that makes me think I need them. I had concerns when looking at the floor model with the 1/4-1/2" gap between the walls the the drip pan about circulation and hot spots. I should have listened to that voice more.

            Comment


            • Huskee
              Huskee commented
              Editing a comment
              Just so I'm up to speed, the Traeger had a noticeable lack of smoke flavor for you on a low n slow? Noticeably worse than other cookers you've used? How did it function and hold temp and such?

            • glitchy
              glitchy commented
              Editing a comment
              Huskee It had about the same smoke profile as an easy bake oven, never had that complete lack of smoke flavor from a pellet grill before. Back left was 50 degrees hotter than rest. Was built well and seemed to hold temps OK, but the design really seemed to shrink usable grate space. I measured between sides and drip tray, was 3/8” front and back. Returned it this evening.

            • divisionbell77
              divisionbell77 commented
              Editing a comment
              glitchy let me know how you like the Woodwind. With the SmokeFire needing a redesign, right now my top two picks are the Woodwind and a Rec-Tec. Really interested in your opinion of the build quality, if the materials are of good quality, and of course, how good does it hold it's temp.

            #14
            Originally posted by glitchy View Post
            I was really debating on a MAK 1 Star and I think the wife had a little steam starting to come out of her ears. She was like that little cheap Camp Chef you had cooked just fine. After realizing that I'd have close to $3000 in one with the accessories I'd want over time, it made it easier to re-investigate other grills.

            So, after researching the 175 models Camp Chef has put out in the past 3 years, I finally decided on a Woodwind WiFi 24. I was thinking about getting another more basic model with a non-PID controller for more smoke and found info that the new WiFi controller actually has an adjustable smoke setting with the disclaimer that it allows more temperature variation the higher you set it...that actually sounds perfect. Looks like it has quite a bit more room inside, a relocated probe port, pellet dump, a big upper grate, and much nicer cart and bottom shelf than Foster had. All things that I was fine with on a temporary grill but would have been less pleased with over a longer term.

            If it does Low N Slow as well as the cheaper one did, I'll be happy for a while. We'll see if this and the Ocho cross paths or if I the Silverton back to Costco before it arrives.

            I've already got a couple name possibilities, Nine Numb (since I'm going numb looking for the perfect pellet grill), or Drew Brees since it's a 'breezy' model and he wears number 9. I just hope I don't meet Cam Diez anytime soon.
            All of this makes complete sense. Just coming across this, so unaware of later developments (but, I hope it's going well). I completely understand the thought process on the 1 Star. All in, I'm at $2,700. For me, I know I will not want anything else for quite a long time. I've been nickel and dimed to death the past few years. So far, I've found the reliability of the temp control with the 1 Star to be my favorite attribute. Good luck.

            Pic of the MAK at 5:30 this morning after the brisket was added.
            Attached Files
            Last edited by Goldenbear; March 5, 2020, 07:24 PM.

            Comment

            Announcement

            Collapse
            No announcement yet.
            Working...
            X
            false
            0
            Guest
            Guest
            500
            ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
            false
            false
            {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
            Yes
            ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
            /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here