I have decided I want a high quality pellet. My little GMG Davy Crockett, which I bought for camping is just OK, has lots of issues and just too small for everyday cooking. I have been looking at Yoder, Memphis, Rectec, etc. If I'm willing to shell out the $3000 for the MAK 2 Star, is there anything else I should consider? I don't care about searing, doubt I will ever use for that. Ease of cleaning is one my important features, but other than the Camp Chef, no one seems to have the quick clean out for the fire pot.
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I like my Memphis Pro a lot but there are several others that you mentioned that you would like too. It gets cold here so the insulated grill on mine sold me. Blaz'n Grills appear to have a nice fire pot clean out. Maybe someone will comment on that. -
Blaz’n Grill Works has some awesome cleaning features including an easily removed ashpot, Grates to fit in dishwasher, Grates also roll for easier cleaning.Comment
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Will check blazin out... Nothing better than a nice clean grill to cook on...nothin worse than having to clean it! Ease of cleaning is important to me and the older I get, the more lazy I get.Comment
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Howdy! I live just down 80 from you, in Lincoln. I have a MAK 2 Star and love it! Easy to clean? It’s actually not to bad once you figure it out and it becomes second nature to you. I have a couple of cleaners that make cleaning the exterior stainless a cinch. As far as the interior, I find it not to be to bad either. MAK’s do have the removable fire pot, along with the lil trap door allowing you to sweep ash into the grease pan. I don’t spend to much time cleaning the interior, and I’d consider the interior of my MAK to be pretty tidy.
With all all of this said, I do think that the Blazn Grills look pretty slick too. The slide out fire pot looks easy peasy!
For what it’s worth, if you are after a pellet grill and want it for smoking/roasting and not grilling... i’d seriously suggest you consider the MAK 1 Star. I used to cook on one and it’s a smoking machine and the black powder coated exterior is super easy to keep clean as is the interior.Last edited by rwalters; August 21, 2018, 08:08 AM.Comment
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You say you don't need to sear but I can attest that the MAK II Star can sear. It is designed for direct and indirect grilling and does nicely in both areas. MAK is what I selected when faced with your current decision. The Yoder and Memphis where high on my list but the MAK won out for several reasons but a couple in particular is the made in America and built locally to where I resided at the time.Comment
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Thanks guys.
rwalters it isn’t clear to me the differences between the 1 Star and 2?. Is it just the powder coated material Vs SS?Comment
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What made you choose MAK over the other brands you listed?Originally posted by SierraBBQGuy View PostComment
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Great question! There are a number of differences...Originally posted by SierraBBQGuy View Post
- The exterior of the MAK 1 is aluminized steel with a 1200 degree high temp powder coated finish. The cool thing about aluminized steel... if/when you scratch or chip the powder coating you will not experience rust. And yes, on the 2 Star the entire cooking chamber is 304 SS.
- The 2 Star comes pretty loaded with the "extras". On a 1 Star you will have to buy the "extras". With that said, if all you are after is a top notch smoking/roasting pellet cooker, then you will not have to spend a fortune on the "extras".
- If you do decide that you want to "grill".... that'll be a $400 upgrade on the 1 Star vs already having it on the 2 Star. This is one of the "extras" mentioned above.
- As far as cooking space, they are the same. Although this never affected me... the only negative I'd give the 1 Star when it comes to interior space is the 45 degree angle of the lid vs the rounded lid on the 2 Star. If you want to LOAD the top shelf with LOTS of big meat, that 45 degree angle may limit you just a bit.
- The 2 Star has a cold smoking chamber, the 1 Star does not.
- You can enclose the bottom of the 2 Star with a front door, you cannot do that on a 1 Star.
Bottomline, there are lots of guys that I have seen... that have gone with the 1 Star and have been extremely happy with it's performance and the end results that come from it. 1 Star or 2... you can't really lose.
Hope this helps a bit. Any other questions, just ask
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I was also just lookin at the Memphis wood burning grill. from all I have seen it seems higher quality that the others you listed. Check out Malcom Reed's you tube channel. he has a great channel, is a well known competition bbq guy and he has both the Yoder and the Memphis. He also has a ole hickory pit, BGE , and so on. I have a question about these pellet cookers and weather, can they be used in the rain or snow?Comment
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I have used my MAK's in the rain many times. The only time I'd discourage it is when the rain is coming down sideways... but than again, I'd really discourage any type of outdoor cooking with sideways rain... lol.Originally posted by Jon Liebers View PostComment
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Waterproof as in you can submerge the hopper into a pool of water... no. Waterproof as in rain cannot enter in... I'd say 99.9% yes. It goes back to my statement of sideways rain. Really the only way that I can see water entering is if the wind were to blow open the hopper lid. You could always lay a towel/brick on the hopper if needed I suppose. -
The first time I left my MAK out in the rain during a cook I was NERVOUS!! After that first cook, I realized there's really no reason to be nervous. MAK's are manufactured in Oregon. They get lots of rain in Oregon. The MAK owner/employees cook year-round in ALL types of weather. MAK's can handle it
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I believe it is not recommended to store pellets in any coolers hopper outside. Over time the humidity can fuse the the pellets and jam the auger.
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Both MAK and Blazin are worth considering. I have a custom grill and the biggest thing I wish I had was a burn pot dump. I only get two short cooks or one long cook before I have to dismantle everything and vacuum it out. Really not a big deal but would be way more convenient.
As to weather, most manufacturers hopper lids can be sealed. Mine has a rubber gasket, I’ve also added a lock down latch. No way rain can touch the pellets. Been caught in a driving rain storm and dust flew out afterwards when I opened it !!
Good luck on your choice !!Comment
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Originally posted by Kori View Post
Well... never heard anything negative about MAK, except the high price. From what I can tell they have really good customer service. Their igniter has a lifetime warranty. If you go over to Pelletheads, it has a huge following. I’ve spoken to a few dealers who sell MAK as well as some other lines, they all recommended MAK over all else, of course they could be making more money on it...🤔
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rwalters thanks for the detailed reply. I is very hard to get these differences from their website.Comment
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I am a big fan of Malcom Reed, one of the reasons I took a good look at Yoder. As I’ve heard explained, Yoder is a heavy duty smoking chamber with a pellet burner attached, rather than a wood burning box. The MAK is a ground up designed pellet smoker. The Yoder, is massive (weight).Originally posted by Jon Liebers View Post
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