Wifi on MAK 1

Chefgaotr

New member
Hello everyone. I purchased a GMG Davey Crockett about a week ago and was amazed at the ease of use and the wifi monitoring . After three cooks I wanted more space. I ordered a MAK 1 yesterday from Big Poppas without the wifi and this morning I find myself wishing I would of added it. Upon further reading it seems some people have had some issues with the safety feature going to smoke after disconnecting.........not sure what to do. Regardless I'm pumped for the MAK. I have two questions.

Thoughts and experiences with the wifi?

Ory

Is the flamezone a better investment? I'm more into smoking and have a separate konro grill. Not sure if pellet usuage is that much better and will pay for itself through the years.


Thanks
 

rwalters

New member
Howdy! I cook on a 2017 2 Star which comes with the new Funnel Flame Zone. It works as advertised. With that said, if you will not be using your MAK as a grill, than I wouldn’t waste the money. The 1 Star is a FANTASTIC smoker!!! Regarding the WiFi... I bought it, installed it, tried it out and sent it back for a refund. I had nothing but problems with it, and the frequent disconnects that would throw my set temp down to smoke were unacceptable to me. But to be honest, even if the WiFi had worked well, I doubt I would’ve used it much. The Pellet Boss alone does everything I need, and it’s super reliable! Sometimes simple is better :)
 

Chefgaotr

New member
Howdy! I cook on a 2017 2 Star which comes with the new Funnel Flame Zone. It works as advertised. With that said, if you will not be using your MAK as a grill, than I wouldn’t waste the money. The 1 Star is a FANTASTIC smoker!!! Regarding the WiFi... I bought it, installed it, tried it out and sent it back for a refund. I had nothing but problems with it, and the frequent disconnects that would throw my set temp down to smoke were unacceptable to me. But to be honest, even if the WiFi had worked well, I doubt I would’ve used it much. The Pellet Boss alone does everything I need, and it’s super reliable! Sometimes simple is better :)

Thank you sir. I feel better about no getting it. Is there a specific monitoring thermometer you use? I have a Bluetooth igrill, but the way my building is the reception isn’t the best.
 

rwalters

New member
Regarding a "monitoring thermometer"... IMO, anything from Thermoworks is worth the money. If in your shoes, I'd take a serious look at their Smoke thermometer:

Smoke 2-Channel Alarm Thermometer | ThermoWork

You can also add their new gateway device and have it setup with WiFi:

Smoke Gateway | ThermoWork

As cool as this setup is, I still prefer it simpler. If I am going to monitor internal meat temp over a long cook, I typically use my MAK probe and just let the Pellet Boss controller manage the cook.

There is only one thermometer that I could not live without, and that is (I use it on 100% of my cooks):

Thermapen® Mk4 Thermometer from ThermoWork

I discovered the Thermapen quite a few years ago, and it has made a night/day difference in my results.
 

Chefgaotr

New member
Regarding a "monitoring thermometer"... IMO, anything from Thermoworks is worth the money. If in your shoes, I'd take a serious look at their Smoke thermometer:

Smoke 2-Channel Alarm Thermometer | ThermoWork

You can also add their new gateway device and have it setup with WiFi:

Smoke Gateway | ThermoWork

As cool as this setup is, I still prefer it simpler. If I am going to monitor internal meat temp over a long cook, I typically use my MAK probe and just let the Pellet Boss controller manage the cook.

There is only one thermometer that I could not live without, and that is (I use it on 100% of my cooks):

Thermapen® Mk4 Thermometer from ThermoWork

I discovered the Thermapen quite a few years ago, and it has made a night/day difference in my results.



Thermapen looks like a winner!!! Thanks!
 

MAK DADDY

Moderator
Hello everyone. I purchased a GMG Davey Crockett about a week ago and was amazed at the ease of use and the wifi monitoring . After three cooks I wanted more space. I ordered a MAK 1 yesterday from Big Poppas without the wifi and this morning I find myself wishing I would of added it. Upon further reading it seems some people have had some issues with the safety feature going to smoke after disconnecting.........not sure what to do. Regardless I'm pumped for the MAK. I have two questions.

Thoughts and experiences with the wifi?

Ory

Is the flamezone a better investment? I'm more into smoking and have a separate konro grill. Not sure if pellet usuage is that much better and will pay for itself through the years.
Thanks

The Wi-Fi is our best selling accessory by far so there are a lot of very happy Wi-Fi users. Personally I didn't think I would use it much but I test out all new features at home and found I use it all the time. I am just in the habit now of turning on the grill then going back in the house and logging in with my phone to set the temp I want. Then start prepping dinner and I get a text when the grill is ready. Toss one the food, plug in a meat probe and set an alert for the IT temp I want, when food reaches temp I get another text stating its ready. Especially helpful in the winter when its cold outside :) There are many other cool features of the Wi-Fi as well like the recipe book, cooking graphs that can be saved, dedicated probe alarms, cooking programs etc.

As far as the new 2017 Flame Zone kit it has multiple advantages. Less heat and smoke being distributed into the belly of the pit instead forces it to the cooking chamber where the food is. It also reduces pellet consumption like you stated but at the same time increases the smoke output even up to higher temperatures (like 300) compared to the older system. The temperature from grate level is also maintained much closer to the thermocouple position and Pellet boss readout. You can add a blank grease pan (no flame zone holes) too if you don't need the direct heat for grilling.

Hope that helps, either way you will enjoy the 1 Star it is a great smoker!
Thank you for Buying American Made MAK Grills, we really appreciate it :)
 

Chefgaotr

New member
Thanks Mak Addy for the information. Definitely helps. The flame zone seams like a no brainer and the wifi down the road possibly. I can't wait until the smoker arrives. Might have to take some vacation time and some out the neighborhood.
 
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