The Official Pellet Grill Smoker thread.
- Thread starter Rib Rub
- Start date
Bacchus2b
is Blowin Smoke!
Yes! That was what I was trying to say!
qnbiker
is Blowin Smoke!
Lots of talk here lately that expensive poopers produce better Q than less expensive ones. Since I got my GMG Daniel Boone at the Black Friday sale, I have cooked on it 5 days a week and am pleased with the results. I've tasted a lot of food off my neighbor's YS640 and I would gladly compare food from my DB.
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Not sure cost of unit determines quality of Q. Sometimes it may, but often I don’t think that’s the case. Overall design and controller programming are the biggest determining factors IMO. I have heard almost nothing but praise for the food the comes from GMG’s Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone models. I think you have a fantastic cooker that if taken care of will give you many years of fantastic food
SeanBBQ
Full Fledged Farker
Pics...we want PICS!!!
Sorry. I got some pics but cant post to a site to get the URL to post here. Wish it was easier but...
Either way. The ys640 did great. Any mess up was my fault but that comes with a first cook on a totally new cooker and fuel source. Ill fix myself and the Yoder will do the rest.
Great flavor and bite on the ribs. Wished I had went a little more tender but all in all I am impressed. The pork tenderloins came out amazing but how could they not, they were wrapped in bacon. The brisket was good. Bark was best ever but it was a little on the dry side. I should have wrapped but didnt and I think position in cook chamber will need to be adjusted.
I did have my thermoworks smoke hooked up with pit probe all the way to the right. I wanted to check temps throughout the cook chamber. Showed everyone there that when the ys640 reading was 251 so was the thermoworks. As the pit temp adjusted just how it does the thermoworks did also, always keeping spot on same reading or being 1 to 2 degrees away.
This pit hold solid, consistent temps throughout. Was very impressed by that.
Dly4
Knows what a fatty is.
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
Fixing to try the flame zone on some steaks. Just using stainless grates so that will put it to the test lol.
I sense a lil tension here on pellet grills. Let me be the first to say that I love pellet grills in general and would rather cook on any pellet grill than what else is out there. There are a lot of good pellet grills out there and a few great ones. However to go from good to great you would have to pay A LOT more. A Memphis elite retails at $5000 and you can get a killer GMG or pellet pro for a 1/10 of that. Pellet pro has one of the best PIDs on the market and uses very thick steel. Not to mention the warranty. GMG has standard WiFi which will allow you to program the cook from your phone! Also GMG customer service is legendary. I can say similar about many pellet grills. Is the Memphis 10x the cooker of a GMG or pellet pro? No! I just think this needs to be said. There are steep diminishing returns when buying ANYTHING as the price tag goes up.
This is coming from someone that owned a GMG and was really impressed with the product I received. I bought a Mak not because I needed it to cook great food but because I just wanted a Mak. Bbq is my hobby and I wanted a nice grill. If I wasn’t into pellet grills that much I would’ve saved for a nicer stickburner or something. It’s all about priorities.
By the way I found a new home for the Kamado Joe. I’ll be keeping it in the family lol
I sense a lil tension here on pellet grills. Let me be the first to say that I love pellet grills in general and would rather cook on any pellet grill than what else is out there. There are a lot of good pellet grills out there and a few great ones. However to go from good to great you would have to pay A LOT more. A Memphis elite retails at $5000 and you can get a killer GMG or pellet pro for a 1/10 of that. Pellet pro has one of the best PIDs on the market and uses very thick steel. Not to mention the warranty. GMG has standard WiFi which will allow you to program the cook from your phone! Also GMG customer service is legendary. I can say similar about many pellet grills. Is the Memphis 10x the cooker of a GMG or pellet pro? No! I just think this needs to be said. There are steep diminishing returns when buying ANYTHING as the price tag goes up.
This is coming from someone that owned a GMG and was really impressed with the product I received. I bought a Mak not because I needed it to cook great food but because I just wanted a Mak. Bbq is my hobby and I wanted a nice grill. If I wasn’t into pellet grills that much I would’ve saved for a nicer stickburner or something. It’s all about priorities.
By the way I found a new home for the Kamado Joe. I’ll be keeping it in the family lol
Last edited:
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
Ok so this a steak cooked with the my new Mak flame zone. It’s kinda what expected. This definitely can’t sear a steak like a charcoal grill. In terms of searing ability it kinda reminds me of my old gasser. The flavor is awesome though. If you want charcoal searing capabilities on a pellet cooker the. A Yoder, cookshack, or Memphis would be a better option. If you want to direct grilling over a much larger area then this is best.
FYI on time to temps
I was at 400 deg (~500 deg grate temp in 17.5 minutes)
I was at 450 deg ( 575 deg grate temp in 21.5 minutes) this is where I cooked.
I didn’t take it to 500 deg because apparently flare ups are pretty bad at that point but supposedly you get 650 deg grate temp at that setting.
To put it into perspective a Memphis elite can get around 1000 deg direct. A cookshack and Yoder will be closer to 850 to 900 degrees
FYI on time to temps
I was at 400 deg (~500 deg grate temp in 17.5 minutes)
I was at 450 deg ( 575 deg grate temp in 21.5 minutes) this is where I cooked.
I didn’t take it to 500 deg because apparently flare ups are pretty bad at that point but supposedly you get 650 deg grate temp at that setting.
To put it into perspective a Memphis elite can get around 1000 deg direct. A cookshack and Yoder will be closer to 850 to 900 degrees
Last edited:
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
The steaks look great from here! Although I 100% agree with you, the MAK cannot and does not compete with a raging hot bed of lump charcoal! Nowadays, my family and I have found that our preference is to sear first on the Weber kettle and then slowly bring the steaks up to temp on the MAK. Makes for a very easy and relaxed cooking experience, and the results are YUM
Huskres
Full Fledged Farker
Didn’t really get a sear on that steak. Have you tried a small griddle? I flip my grill grates upside down and get awesome sears with my Memphis.
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
The steaks look great from here! Although I 100% agree with you, the MAK cannot and does not compete with a raging hot bed of lump charcoal! Nowadays, my family and I have found that our preference is to sear first on the Weber kettle and then slowly bring the steaks up to temp on the MAK. Makes for a very easy and relaxed cooking experience, and the results are YUM
Something also to remember is that char on food comes from flare ups mainly. These sirloins I cooked were super lean and therefore no char. Contest that with pork and definitely get more char. The pork loin was done with the flame zone.
Last edited:
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
I have some grill grates which I use sometimes. I wanted to put the flame zone to the test with just standard grates
Last edited:
gtsum
Babbling Farker
I agree with laws of diminishing returns on pellet grills...my yoder was great and IMO my Memphis Elite beats it most categories (maybe a little lighter on the smoke??), but it is not 2 1/2 times better than the Yoder. I just wanted to try a Memphis Elite so I gave it a whirl. My little Davy Crockett cost about 1/12 of my Memphis....it still produces some good food...that little sucker does smoke like a freight train though! They all produce good food...just depends on what’s important to a person I suppose
Memphis Elite
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Memphis Elite
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
gtsum
Babbling Farker
Bking- try some grill grates on the Mak next time. I bet you get a lot more char
Memphis Elite
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Memphis Elite
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Oh, please don’t misunderstand me, the MAK has proven to be a fantastic grill for me. It’s only steaks that I am talking about. IMO, steaks need a few mins over extreme heat in order to give them a proper sear. As Gtsum is saying, there are easy ways to accomplish that on pretty much any pellet grill. Cast iron or anodized aluminum. I just do not think that the MAK can properly sear a steak without a 3rd party tool
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
Oh, please don’t misunderstand me, the MAK has proven to be a fantastic grill for me. It’s only steaks that I am talking about. IMO, steaks need a few mins over extreme heat in order to give them a proper sear. As Gtsum is saying, there are easy ways to accomplish that on pretty much any pellet grill. Cast iron or anodized aluminum. I just do not think that the MAK can properly sear a steak without a 3rd party tool
I think I will. I got good results indirect with the grill grates. I bet the higher temps from direct would amplify it. Only problem is I’m out of steaks :sad:
I’ll try burgers direct with grill grates tomorrow. Also I’m not upset with the Mak at all. I was actually happy with the outcome.
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
So after getting the grill grates back out as recommended I thought I’d try something. Turns out with the new flame zone the added depth of the supports allows for the grill grates to rest on the supports just like the stainless grates. This is similar to how Yoder has their grill grates set up instead of just placing them on top of the existing grates. There is a little wiggle but zero chance of them falling through. It’s about to get real tomorrow...
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I bought this a few years ago and it has become one of my favorite tools. It’s big and BAD and extremely versatile. I use it quite often in my MAK, from baking to roasting to stir fry to fajitas to super hot searing. Toss in a lil ghee, get it smoking hot and it’s a searing machine. I’ve even placed it on the main cooking grate with the Flame Zone covers removed and used it as a heat deflector when reverse searing. I simply place the meat on the upper grate right above the skillet. That way it’s already pretty darn hot after the low n slow portion of the cook. I then remove the meat, jack the heat, add some ghee and return the meat to the cast iron skillet when it’s smoking hot for a nice sear. Works GREAT!
Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet with 2 Loop Handles - 17 Inch Ergonomic Frying Pan https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00063RWVG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LEanCb3ZE5QYH
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Nice! The GrillGrates I used to use on my Weber Genesis are 19.25” panels. It to is like a custom fit on the MAK. How many panels will you be using?
“It’s about to get real tomorrow...”
Man, how on earth am I going to sleep tonight with that kind of teaser [emoji3061]
