The Official Pellet Grill Smoker thread.

darita said:

I envy you, your cookers. I personally don't think there's any one best type cooker. You have all great pits and have your choice of all those subtle flavor differences. Now you can add pellets to your arsenal, you lucky bugger.:biggrin1:

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pjtexas1 said:

Getsum...
I would assume that a pulsating fan would produce more smoke. A constant fan would lead to less smoke as the fire would have more oxygen to burn cleaner. Unless the constant fan is running at 10% ... just my .02.

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darita said:

Gotta say...I disagree with you on all pellet smokers end product being the same. My GMG never gave me anything but a very, very lite smoke flavor. I'm not saying that's bad, just what it is. On the other hand, my MAK produces tons of smoke flavor, which is my particular preference. You really do have to be aware of what cookers will produce what end product, when you're looking to purchase or you my be disappointed.

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rwalters said:

You've got some nice gear already!

Man, $1800 puts you in a pretty sweet spot... BUT, it also puts you slightly above the mid-grade pellet cookers and slightly under the high end. Now that we know a bit more about what you are after... I am just gonna tell you what I would do if in your shoes. I know there are other solid options, but personally, I think this is the best at the $1800 price point.

https://www.kumastoves.com/Store/ProductDetails/platinumSE

Why the Kuma?

1- Solid company staffed with extremely knowledgeable and EXTREMELY helpful/friendly people. Just call em', you'll see
2- Per your wish list, this grill gives simple access to direct flame when desired.
3- This grill has what appears to be a very high quality powder coat finish.
4- Under the powder coated finish sit aluminized steel. This is the same finish that MAK uses on their 1 Stars (which I am very familiar with). Why is this a big deal? Get a scratch or chip in the powder coat, you will not have to worry about rust. You should really never have to worry about rust on this cooker.
5- In my opinion, any grill that provides 400+ sq" of cooking space makes cooking for 20ish people an easy-peasy task. This grill provides 465 sq" on the main cooking grate, with additional grates available if needed. If I were buying this grill, I would buy 2 additional giving me close to 900 sq".
6- The controller is manufactured by Roanoke, which is a very reputable manufacturer.
7- The entire cooking chamber/lid is double wall insulated with 304 SS.
8- This is the only company that I am aware of that offers a money back guarantee if you are not 100% satisfied with the cooker. You'd have to double check, but I think you have around 45-60 days to give it a test drive.

Perhaps, after looking at this cooker you will decide it is just not the right one for YOU, and that is totally cool. The only other pellet grill that I can think of, that falls into that price range and offers a direct flame option, would be Yoder. Not that you couldn't/wouldn't be super happy with a Yoder, but for the reasons listed above, I would choose the Kuma.

Just my 2 cents

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gtsum said:

I’ve owned a yoder and currently own a Memphis Elite and a GMG DC. I use the GMG in the camper and it works well and produces a lot of smoke (many folks say it is the smokiest of the GMG pellet grills). I have looked at other GMG pellet grills and the construction seems the same across their lineup. Basically, it’s thin metal with ok fit and finish (door seams, etc). GMG has WiFi control with bells and whistles. Produces great food.

The Yoder is well built (except for rust issues and some grease leakage), much higher quality than any GMG, gets hotter and will grill and sear much better (with two piece diffuser and grill grates). Yoder is not a pid controller and you will have temp fluctuations from the controller. It’s how it’s designed but it produces a lot of smoke. It works great and produces great food.

The Memphis is built better than the Yoder, has higher quality fit and finish, a much tighter temp variation window, WiFi (but basic controls), better grease management, and gets quite a bit hotter for searing. Runs like a fine Swiss watch and produces great food. It is not 2 times better than the Yoder...law of diminishing returns applies here imo. It’s like comparing a Wolf range with a GE range...doubtful you could taste a difference in food between the two.

I would put Mak in the same category as Memphis on quality of build. Your price point determines your options imo...at 1800, you would be hard pressed to beat the yoder...or Mak 1 Star...but accessories and shipping will also eat into the budget.

The more I cook on different pellet cookers, the more I’m of the belief that the end product is the same (assuming same pellets used). With the exception of high heat searing......my Memphis sears as well as my kamado over lump charcoal or my lynx gasser I had. If you don’t care about good searing, your options open up a good bit more (only a few pellet grills can actually sear really well). Just depends on what you value in a cooker. Good luck!




Memphis Elite





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tom b said:

I have had a lot of really good food coked on cheap pellet grills, just sayin

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pjtexas1 said:

Getsum...
I would assume that a pulsating fan would produce more smoke. A constant fan would lead to less smoke as the fire would have more oxygen to burn cleaner. Unless the constant fan is running at 10% ... just my .02.

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sleebus.jones said:

So I have both, the GMG that "pants" and my Cookshack that just blows at 100% the whole time. Verdict: Cookshack absolutely kills the GMG in smoke flavor and production. I can cook at 400° and still get good smoke flavor, something I could never do with the GMG.



I've been thinking about what really makes one grill more effective at getting smoke flavor transferred vs another. My GMG DC does really well at getting things smoked at most cooking temps. It's also tiny. My GMG JB does a poor job at getting things smoked at anything over 170°. I'm wondering now if firepot size has something to do with it? The firepot in the JB is huge compared to the DC, maybe it just burns to efficiently? Maybe it's PID control vs. the control used by Cookshack?



I've been toying with the idea of making an arduino controller for my GMG JB that replicates the control method of Cookshack to see if that would make any difference. Might end up with something interesting.

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pjtexas1 said:

I bet the mini-mak is gonna run $999.

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rwalters said:

That’s what I am guessing, maybe even a tad more. It’s gonna sell though!

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NYC ‘Que said:

Is this MAK mini really happening or just a rumor?


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rwalters said:

I have spoken with Bob Tucker (owner of MAK) on more than one occasion about it. From everything he has said, it’s just a matter of time. I know we’ve been hearing the same thing for probably 2 years, but his tune hasn’t changed. One thing I have learned about MAK over the last few years... nothing is rushed.

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