getting a 2 star for Christmas, some questions!

B

Bithlord

New member
So, the wife is getting me a 2 star for Christmas, and we(I) have a few questions:

First: for the temperature probes, can any standard temp probe work, or do we need to use the make branded ones? I currently have two probes from my old smoker, so I want to know if they need replacing.

Second: does it come assembled, or do I need to assembling it myself when it arrives?

Third: my primary use will be for smoking BBQ. What accessories do you recommend I get with it?

Fourth: is there anything else I should know? I've been running a stick burner for about 3 years now, but this is my first foray into pellets.

Thanks, and merry Christmas!
 
S

So Cal Smoker

New member
Welcome to the forum Bithlord. Congratulations, you're about to start a beautiful quest that never ends. The MAK is one of the top three smoker/grills you can buy and it's made in the USA. I've had #210 for over three years and every time I've hit the on button the MAK has worked flawlessly. You're going to love the MAK.
Q1 You must use the MAK probes
Q2 You must assemble the legs, casters, & top. You will need help setting the MAK upright after putting the legs and casters on. This beast is heavy.
Q3 There is one accessory that I use every time I cook and that's the front shelf. When it comes to the other accessories, I would wait and give myself a little time to familiarize myself with my new best friend before buying accessories.
Q4 Don't fuss don't fret with your cooks. It's all about having fun and enjoying the ride. There is a learning curve but with your stick burner experience it should be a short one.
I wish you the best of luck and good smoking. Happy Holidays

Bill
 
scooter

scooter

Moderator
Get two half upper shelves. This gives you the option of using both for a full upper shelf or just one for a half upper shelf. I cook everything on the upper shelf. This gets the meat as far away from the heat source as possible and up more in area where the smoke lingers.
Also get a cover. Some of the other accessories like the griddle is cool if you like to cook that way. MAKs rib rack is the best one out there as far as I'm concerned.
 
NorCal Smoker

NorCal Smoker

Member
Get the half shelves. I use my full upper shelf to cook most things, but i would get two half shelves for ultimate flexibility. That is all I would get to start, then add on as you see the need. Have fun and enjoy!
 
KyNola

KyNola

Member
These guys have you covered and congrats on getting a MAK. Your stick burner will make a nice planter once you get to know your MAK. :)
 
B

Bithlord

New member
My plan (as it stands now) is to get the smoker and cover, and a single half upper shelf. Use it a few times, and then figure out what I want (need) to increase my effectiveness.

That will leave just north of $400 in my budget for upgrades and accessories.

Eventually I want to get the wifi controller, but that'll probably be later in hte year.
 
B

Bithlord

New member
It has arrived!

So, it has arrived and is sitting in my garage now. The next question is important: What brand of pellets is recommended and/or does it matter? Alos, where do poeple purchase their pellets? I can buy some at the local grocery store during summer, but it is not currently summer.

All my previous smoking has been done on pure Cherry logs, and I'd like to keep that smoke profile as close as I can at least initially... Is there a way I cna tell for sure if the pellets are pure cherry wood, or cherry wood added to a base wood for flavor?

Thanks!

--Bith
 
MAK DADDY

MAK DADDY

Moderator
Congrats on the new MAK, you will love it!
We do not recommend using 100% flavor pellets because they are extremely hard and can cause auger jams as well as a lot of ash build up in the firepot. Not to say you can't use them if you pay attention and can live with the issues, some customers blend them with other pellets as well.

BBQ Delight is a great Pellet that is Oak Base (sold here by BPS).
MAK, Bear Mountain & Pacific Pellet are great Alder based pellets.
There are other brands out there that work well too just have to experiment.
 
scooter

scooter

Moderator
BBQrs Delight because there's no alder in them! BPS store has them.
And welcome to the MAK family! Now take some pics of your cooks and post them! :)

MD, MAK pellets have alder? I thought they didn't.
 
C

Carter13

New member
scooter said:
BBQrs Delight because there's no alder in them! BPS store has them.
And welcome to the MAK family! Now take some pics of your cooks and post them! :)

MD, MAK pellets have alder? I thought they didn't.
Click to expand...

Scooter,

They do have alder combined with other wood. I have burned a few bags and it is fantastic. :cool:
MAK GRILLS, manufacturer of superior wood pellet BBQ grills/smokers – American made pellet grills and pellet smokers for the backyard BBQ and competition BBQ teams looking for ultimate control in a pellet cooker.
 
B

Bithlord

New member
The local dealer I bought the 2-star from threw in a 20 lb bag of pellets, so I'll do my first cook (first few cooks) using that to get the hang of it before I go out and by pellets for any flavors :). It is sitting, assembled, in my garage right now (had to park in the driveway to make room).

This evening I will shovel the snow off the space for it, and put it out back so I can use it tomorrow. Making a pork shoulder for pulled pork. Unfortunately I spilled all my rub on the floor last time I was making something so I need to either make a small batch of rub, or use a store bought rub, but then its off to the races.

Any advice, other than 1) make sure I season it first and 2) foil the drip pan for easier cleaning?

How bad will the 10-15 degree weather be for running it? My assumption is it will run ok, just eat a lot more fuel.
 
hank858SD

hank858SD

New member
With weather like that I would recommend a remote thermometer something similar to the Maverick et-733 to stay warm during the cooks. Then for cleaning ease wrap the flame zone and cover plates in heavy duty aluminum foil. Another product for grill cleanup I went with a recommendation from Scooter, it's a cleaner called Greased Lightning SuperStrength. I found at the local Home Improvement Store.
 
B

Bithlord

New member
So I ran it, like I said, and some things I noticed:

So, I cooked a pork shoulder and there were a couple things I noticed:

1) despite running at a low temperature there was very little smoke flavor penetration. The food still tasted good, of course, jsut lower smoke that I owuld like.

2) I had a significant amount of ash buildup below the cooking chamber. None of it made it up past the flame guard sheets, but there was a *lot* more ash than I expected.

3) My cooking temp was running about 10 degrees below set point for the entire cook.

I'm guessing most, if not all, of these issues can be chalked up to it being about 0 degrees during the cook. I would guess the pellets had to burn hotter in order to keep the cooking chamber up to temp (or try to), and as a result there was less smoke. Seems like that would be contradictory with the ash buildup though.

Reference pictures:
IMG_20140126_171800.jpg

This is the ash buildup *after* I had blown on it to try and remove it (should have taken a before picture. The inside had a nice layer of ash coating it).

IMG_20140125_160116.jpg

For temperature reference. The grease froze and formed a "greasesicle" before it could reach the greasebucket. Yes, it was that cold out.

The important pictures:
IMG_20140125_181748.jpg

As I was taking it off.

IMG_20140125_184950.jpg

Dinner! Wife and I loved it. Three year old and one year old were less enthusiastic. They tend to prefer ribs, because heaven forbid they like food that isn't messy :).
 
Darwin00537

Darwin00537

New member
My Mak is currently getting processed by BPS, but I'm gonna weigh in here and agree the low temps may have caused a higher burn temp in the firepot and thus a lower amount of smoke. You make need an Amazen Smoke Tube for slow cooks during the winter.

When you say you cooked at a low temp, how low was it? I don't have real world experience yet but have read you need to keep it at 225 or lower for the best smoke results. Looking at the finished meat pic I'm gonna guess you had it in the 225 to 250 range.

The Greasicle shot by the way is MONEY:cool:
 
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