Anyone use foil on the newer style Flamezone drip tray?

Hello All,

New MAK 2 star owner here (2018 model on sale from Big Poppa). Just assembled it over the weekend, very impressed with build quality. I noticed there aren't any youtube videos on the newer version of this grill, for unboxing and assembly, so I plan on posting something on youtube in the next few weeks. Anyway, the stainless cooking chamber looks so good in all stainless steel I hate to dirty it up (my Kamado and Weber gasser both have years of gunk. Adds flavor, right?). What's the wisdom of this group on using foil on the latest Flamezone drip pan/diffuser plate? Unlike the older style Flamezone, with vents on the sides of the outer grease tray, the new funnel flame zone looks like it has vents in the sides of the drip pan/diffuser itself. Looks tricky to foil and keep that area free for airflow. Thoughts? Should I even bother with foil?

BTW, this grill gets *much* hotter than I expected at the grates when set to the highest temp. I can see why everyone says you can sear steaks with this!

Thanks - Dave

Welcome to PelletSmoking, Dave... and congrats on your new MAK 2 Star!

I can absolutely relate to the agony of not wanting to dirty a shiny.brand.spanking.new.304MarineGradeStainlessSteel.TopOfTheLine pellet grill... lol. Trust me though, once you dirty (eh, I mean season) it, there's no turning back... and you won't want to! I will admit, I am picky about keeping my stuff clean and in fantastic working order. That said, the MAK is a grill/smoker and it's gonna get nice and black on the inside after just a few cooks.

Regarding foil vs no foil on the Flame Zone pan... that's really a personal decision as some guys/gals prefer foil and some prefer to cook naked ;-)

Here's how I tend to set my MAK up prior to cooking:
- If grilling, I never use foil. The Flame Zone pan is so hot that the drippings quickly carbonize making it super simple to hold the FZ pan over a garbage can after a grilling session and basically knock/sweep the crusties away... takes all of a minute.
- When cooking low n slow, if I can fit what I am cooking (which I usually can) on the full upper grate, I will typically place an aluminum pan on the main grate to catch the drippings, making for easy cleanup. Sometimes, instead of placing a pan under the meat, I will take a piece of heavy duty foil and turn up the ends all the way around it... making for a cheap "redneck" drip pan
- If I am cooking low n slow and need both top and bottom cooking grates, then yes, I will place a piece of foil directly on the FZ pan, being very careful not to block any air vents.

Again, this is definitely an "each to his own" decision, but what I just described works well for me

Sooooo, what's the first cook gonna be? I see you also have a kamado? Whatcha got? I used to have 3 Kamado Joe's sitting in my backyard. I will just say, I did not expect the MAK to cause me to completely lose interest in my Joe's, but it did...

Welcome to the MAK Grills Family Dave and thank you for buying American Made!

Hey Dave—congrats on the new MAK! Just wanted to let you know that we are working to expand/improve our video repertoire. We'd love to see your video, so if you wouldn't mind posting a link here when you get it up we'd appreciate it! Thanks!

Welcome aboard fellow Hoosier! Ahh...you're going to absolutely love your MAK. Foiling as said above is more of a personal preference. I currently don't. Go PURDUE!

I only foil if it's something that I know will be extra greasy or sticky from a marinade. Otherwise I do not. I clean very similar to how Robb (rwalters) described.

And I NEVER foil for grilling. Why? Because foil absolutely WILL change the cooking dynamics of your grill. Yes, foil is a metal, HOWEVER what people forget is that aluminum foil (especially when it's shiny) reflects infrared heat/light, so there is less radiant heat coming from directly underneath, which is where you want the heat when grilling.

Now you can also take advantage of this fact by foiling the drip pan when cooking large items on the bottom and you don't want the bottom of your food to brown too quickly. But again, I usually don't because rarely has this been an issue.