Ash Everywhere

[nileriver]

I have had my Mak 2 Star for one week now. I have cooked on it a total of three times (pizza, salmon, and chicken). Each of the cooks were less than 2 hours and set at temperatures in the range of 400-425. This morning when I turned it on, it had trouble igniting the pellets. The fire pot was filled with pellets, but nothing was happening. I noticed there was ash everywhere (all over the bottom of the grill and even up to the part you set the grease pan on). I vacuumed out the grill (including the fire pot) and then it had no problem igniting. I have only used one kind of pellet so far which is Pacific Pellet's Gourmet Blend. Also, I had done no cleaning up until this point. So, is this a potential issue with these pellets, or is there something I can do to prevent this happening in the future?

I also want to say that I am very satisfied with the Mak. I look forward to anytime I am able to use it.

 

[scooter]

I clean out the firepot every 2 or 3 cooks to avoid that situation.

 

[nileriver]

I clean out the firepot every 2 or 3 cooks to avoid that situation.

Thanks for the response. I will make sure to do the same. I just wasn't sure if that was "normal" or not.

 

[Big Poppa]

I believe that these are high ash content pellets....I am not saying that from experience just hearsay
but like scooter says every two to three cooks clean it out

 

[sptucker]

I vacuum my firepot and surrounding area at least every other cook, unless they are short grilling sessions. I have a dedicated Shop Vac Bucket Max for this, and it works extremely well. Also, I have a cheap Pacific Pellets source near my house and so I have used them. I don't believe they are any more or less ash-prone than others I have tried, but I will pay attention next time and report back...

 

[KyNola]

What is the base wood of the Pacific pellets? If it is a softer wood such as alder they are going to produce more ash than a pellet that has a base wood of a harder wood like oak such as BBQer's Delight.

 

[mcschlotz]

Learned from experience and now the process for each and EVERY smoke is to first use the dedicated Ash shop vac. It only takes one minute, entire area including the fire pot. MAK 2 Star fires up perfectly, no concern for ash on the food or a flame out. Do it and never worry again

 

[jimsbarbecue]

Change to BBQ delight as see if you find a difference and to compare. For us they work the best

 

[MAK DADDY]

All pellets are a little different (sometimes even the same brand but a different batch run), we suggest cleaning more often in the beginning so you can get a feel for what works best for you and the pellets you are using. There is supposed to be fly ash in the bottom area of the grill as the fan blows it out of the pot while burning, it doesn't need removing nearly as often as the fire pot. You can sweep that out of the ash cleanout if you like or use a shop vac.

Glad you are enjoying your MAK

 

[nileriver]

Change to BBQ delight as see if you find a difference and to compare. For us they work the best

I will probably get them once I run out of my current pellets.