Thread: I've Got the Itch to Get a MAK...

Congrats Sam! You are in for some good eats

Super excited for you! Don’t forget the pics… :-)

Woo hoo, its going to be a long day lol.

Well?!?! It’s a new day... is the Primo gone?

Originally Posted by rzrbrewer

Alright I'm going to pro/con the MAK 1 vs MAK 2 and hopefully with all of your help, I can make the right decision!

MAK 2:
Originally the pros for me for getting the MAK 2 were twofold...1) the Super Smoker Box upgrade option & 2) Flame Zone is included. Now I'm second guessing the Super Smoker Box simply because it might be overkill for my needs. I'm thinking this because in my kitchen, I have 2 ovens and a warming drawer. My thoughts on the SSB were primarily for holding foods when occasionally cooking large quantities for a party. But considering I own an actual warming drawer and 2 ovens that can easily be used to hold foods, this is probably not necessary. My secondary reason for the SSB was to have a cold smoking option. But honestly this could be achieved in the primary box with the use of an amazen tube smoker, which I currently own. The last pro is the dang thing sure is pretty!

The con for me going with the MAK 2 is I would be relegated to the base model for quite some time due to the price tag. I wouldn't be able to get the WIFI option or really any add-ons in my initial purchase.

MAK 1:
The biggest pro is the price. I could pull the trigger on the grill plus add-ons such as the extra racks, WIFI, and even the Flame Zone. Which I'm not sure if the Flame Zone is necessary, since I'm fine with owning a kettle for grilling purposes.

The biggest con is I forego the SSB option. But given my kitchen setup, I don't really see this as a huge downside.

What I'm not clear on in the MAK 1 vs MAK 2 discussion is are there other small differences b/w the two, such as ease of clean up, etc. that I'm not considering? Is the head height the same in the two (inside the box)? Can I truly fit the same quantities of meat on both? Do they both smoke equally as well? Etc, etc. Any additional thoughts are appreciated!

I have owned and cooked on both a 1 Star and 2 Star. I currently have the 2 Star. You mentioned that you are good with grilling on a kettle... that is my setup most of the time and find the MAK/Kettle to be a fantastic team!

Are you going to be using your MAK only for low n slow/roasting/baking... or do you want to be able to grill on it?

As far as interior room, the 2 Star is roomier inside. That does not mean that the 1 Star can not hold a LOT of food, because it can. You will have more headroom on the 2 Star because of the rounded shape of the lid vs the 1 Stars 45-degree angle in the front. That 45-degree angle cuts into the headroom a bit... but again, you can fit a lot of food on the 1 Star. I never found the 1 Star to be to small for my low n slow cooks, and I have a large family and we love to entertain.

As far as WiFi, I bought it when I got my 2 Star, gave it a try and ended up returning it. Just wasn't for me. I find the Pellet Boss alone to do everything I could ever want in a cook... and I like the fact that I am cutting out any potential WiFi related issues with my cooks.

As far as the SSB... like you, we have 2 full size ovens in our kitchen. I use them all the time to hold things when they come off the MAK. And as far as cold smoking, I do not do enough cold smoking to justify the purchase. If you are gonna do a ton a cold smoking than perhaps it would be worth the $$$ to you.

Ease of cleaning... I would say that the 1 Star in it's stock configuration (no Flame Zone) is the easiest to clean. The standard drip pan can easily be covered with foil making clean up a snap. You can cover the Flame Zone pan if you want (I don't)... but to be honest, I have found scraping with a stiff metal scraper to be pretty painless. If you go with the 1 Star, the exterior is easier to keep clean than the stainless exterior of the 2 Star... but than again, if you have the right cleaners the 2 Star is pretty easy. Let me know if you are interested, and I will share the 2 cleaners that I have found to be by far the best for keeping the exterior stainless on my 2 Star clean (I tried lots of cleaners before settling on what I use).

Any other questions, just fire away... I love "MAK talk"

By the way... if you end up going with a 2 Star, really the only two things in my opinion that are "needs" is a cover and upper (3/4 or full) grate. The 2 Star has pretty much everything you need to hit the ground running no matter what you're wanting to cook (low n slow to grilling).