Maintenance on MAK2

Duke

New member
A question on maintenance on my MAK2.

I clean my grill racks before cooking, however I do nothing to the drip pan below, I just leave it alone. I do clean the drip bucket and that I have put a glass jar in the bucket to make the bucket clean job easier.

So should the drip pan be cleaned?

Thanks in advanced.

Duke
 
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TTNuge

New member
I have a dedicated putty knife that I use to scrape the large chunks off my drip pan when cleaning. I don't try and get it clean down to the metal but just give it a quick scrape.
 

Duke

New member
Yes I did disassembled the MAK2 and cleaned out the fire pot area. It wasn't to bad, I don't know how often this should be done? I would think it would be based on the amount of hours of smoking.

Thanks for the input.

Duke
 

smoker pete

New member
When I first got my MAK 2 I didn't clean the drip pan either ... then it got so gunky that I spent days scraping, cleaning, soaking to get it reasonably clean!!

Now I do the following: I use foil to cover the drip pan, use Frog Mats and clean the grills the day of the cook. Before the next cook, I clean the grills again, replace the foil on the drip pan, empty the fire pot, and vacuum out the inside thoroughly. Check status of drip bucket (lined with foil) or for overnight cooks I use a coffee can.

It may be obsessive but it's a routine I've gotten used to doing. Works for me! Foiling my drip pan to have it clean for each cook IMHO keeps unwanted odors and smoke from previous cooks permeating what I'm cooking. That's my story and I'm sticking to it ... :D:rolleyes::cool:
 

TTNuge

New member
Yep, you tend to get a feel for how often you need to clean out the firepot. Early on you probably do it more often, the last thing you want is a buildup of ash in your firepot so bad that it won't start up because the new pellets don't make contact with the igniter. It depends on the pellet brand/type, high or low temp cooking, etc. I use a little shop vac instead of the trap door on the bottom of the MAK but that's just me.
 

squirtthecat

New member
I clean the firepot after every overnight cook. When the bottom of the pit gets 1/2" or so of ash in it, I'll vacuum it out as well.
 

bflodan

Member
Putty knife works the best.... I do it every time I vac out the firepot...Usually every 2-3 cooks depending on how long they are...
 

FLBentRider

New member
I empty the firepot before each use, vac out ever other. Scrape(putty knife) the pan every few, I used to foil, don't anymore.
 

Chili Head

New member
Every two to three months you'll see black flakes coming off the inside of the lid depending on how often you use your MAK. This is normal! It's just smoke and food vapor sticking to the inside. I find it easier and quicker to just take the lid off and scrape it off. The lid can be taken off and cleaned and put back on in less than 5 minutes.


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Hobbit

Member
I foiled the drip pan after the initial fire. I change the foil when it starts to corrode but before it goes through. I also use a pen and punch out the flame holes and it has worked great when I am using the flame zone under the grill grates and foil the flame zone plate. Otherwise I do everything that is mentioned in previous posts regarding cleaning. Before each cook I take a vinegar and water paper towel and rub the stainless steel as mentioned in the MAK cook book. Since my MAK lives outside it seems to keep the stainless looking great. (The cover helps too.)
 

MAK DADDY

Moderator
You don't want to see my 2 Star, I clean it once a year and I don't use a cover LOL.
My excuse is I have to treat it like the worst grill owner to see what happens to it (that's my story and I am sticking to it) :)
OK, I do clean the fire pot after long cooks and scrape the grease pan every month or so.
 

Radfisher

New member
Upon cleaning my 2 Star MAK the paint inside of the grill pit has flaked and chipped off from all of the scraping off the grease and gunk that has gathered. I kinda want to repaint the inside of the pit so that it won't rust and I can keep it looking nice and make it last longer.
It's to my understanding that MAK powder coats the grills to make the paint last longer, so I'm thinking that I might have to take the grill apart and take it to a special paint shop. Or would it be ok to buy some special BBQ Hi Heat black spray paint? Any thoughts on this are appreciated!
 

MAK DADDY

Moderator
Radfisher, we don't recommend scraping any of the painted surfaces just use a mild degreaser (409 or simple green works) and a rag or sponge. That said, paint will wear and fade over time especially on the inside and around the vents where all the caustic heat and salts are (one of the reasons we switched to Aluminized Steel). You can use a can of high temp paint to touch up stuff or if you want you can strip down your grill and have it powder coated again. You can ship it back to us or find a local shop to do it, just make sure they use a high temp powder coat :) As always, you can email or call us for information.
 

Radfisher

New member
Well what happened with my grill is that I've cooked alot of briskets that were injected and the juices/grease collected inside the grill pit, due probably to the drip pan not placed right. The grease became caked on the sides of the pit leaving me to scrap it off. I'm also having some the paint chip off the outside of the pit too. I'm just wanting to keep my grill looking as pretty as possible. (It's kind of a pride thing and makes the wife happy that I keep it clean, plus when MAK comes out with the 3 and 4 star grill I may want to purchase one and then sell my 2 star to someone else) I'll see about possibly finding a shop near me that could paint it. MAK Daddy I would love to bring to you but shipping would cost me alot beings I'm way up north. Thanks:eek:
 

Radfisher

New member
The temps have been running in the mid 50's with scattered rain showers. Most of the cooking I've been doing has with the temps no warmer than 65 degrees. I've called around to a few places and they don't do powder coating so in a couple of months I might just ship the pit to you and you powder coat paint for me like you mentioned. I still have salmon I gotta smoke. I'll give you a call MAK Daddy probably in Dec. and we can discuss it further.
 
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