Testing Timberline 1300 - MAK 2 Star General - Ongoing

[tom b]

copying KevinJ post here for easy reference on fan speeds

I suggest you cook them like you like to cook them.

Personally with Ribs I like go smoke for an hour then 245, 245 keeps the fan speed at 60% max rpm which creates a stronger smoke profile. I always cook naked the whole cook, serve dry and nobodies complaining.

Butts it depends what time I want to start cooking, usually put them on at 10-11pm, program the Pellet Boss for smoke for 2hrs then 225 around 8am it's going to be time to wrap (IT usually somewhere in the 160's), then crank it up to 275-300 depending how soon I want it to be done and how long I want it to rest. If I was going in the morning I'd probably go smoke for 2hrs then 275-295 depending on how fast I want the Butt done. 295 keeps the fan speed at 80% max rpm vs 300 which will be 100% again for a little more smoke.

 

[rwalters]

I plan on a butt maybe next week but no further testing is required, my mind is made up. The MAK is a butter cooker in every way sans capacity.

I still need to convince Stephanie, she is concerned about capacity as she loads it up pretty good e few times a year. The one thing that the Mak will need to be able to do is cook a turkey on the lower rack with out scorching the bottom. Not sure yet how the radiant heat is down there at a higher temp. I have done a chicken down there and it worked fine for and hr, but I'm not sure about 2-3 hrs.

Any experience Robb?

What temp do you cook turkeys at? I have seen no adverse effect when cooking at 275° or less on the bottom grate for prolonged periods of time. That said, you could easily place a large baking sheet on the bottom grate with something like a cooling rack placed inside to keep the bird elevated a bit for better smoke circulation and to keep it out of its own juices. I know several MAK owners (along w/ other pellet grill owners) that do this and swear by it... not only because it blocks much of the radiant heat, but because it also makes cleanup a breeze.

 

[KevinJ]

What temp do you cook turkeys at? I have seen no adverse effect when cooking at 275° or less on the bottom grate for prolonged periods of time. That said, you could easily place a large baking sheet on the bottom grate with something like a cooling rack placed inside to keep the bird elevated a bit for better smoke circulation and to keep it out of its own juices. I know several MAK owners (along w/ other pellet grill owners) that do this and swear by it... not only because it blocks much of the radiant heat, but because it also makes cleanup a breeze.

That would work and I'm all about easy cleanup.

I plan on a butt maybe next week but no further testing is required, my mind is made up. The MAK is a butter cooker in every way sans capacity.

I still need to convince Stephanie, she is concerned about capacity as she loads it up pretty good e few times a year. The one thing that the Mak will need to be able to do is cook a turkey on the lower rack with out scorching the bottom. Not sure yet how the radiant heat is down there at a higher temp. I have done a chicken down there and it worked fine for and hr, but I'm not sure about 2-3 hrs.

Any experience Robb?

Tom you could also Spatchcock or halve it and cook on the top grate, been halving whole chickens for quite some time now. Makes it easy to separate the the breast and wing from the quarter then separate the wing from the breast pull the breast plate and ribs from the breast before slicing, dresses it out really nice.

 

[sudsandswine]

copying KevinJ post here for easy reference on fan speeds

I suggest you cook them like you like to cook them.

Personally with Ribs I like go smoke for an hour then 245, 245 keeps the fan speed at 60% max rpm which creates a stronger smoke profile. I always cook naked the whole cook, serve dry and nobodies complaining.

Butts it depends what time I want to start cooking, usually put them on at 10-11pm, program the Pellet Boss for smoke for 2hrs then 225 around 8am it's going to be time to wrap (IT usually somewhere in the 160's), then crank it up to 275-300 depending how soon I want it to be done and how long I want it to rest. If I was going in the morning I'd probably go smoke for 2hrs then 275-295 depending on how fast I want the Butt done. 295 keeps the fan speed at 80% max rpm vs 300 which will be 100% again for a little more smoke.

Maybe a dumb question but can you program "steps" for it to automatically follow or are you manually adjusting temp at each phase? As you can tell I havent RTFM yet :becky:

 

[tom b]

Thanks guys. In the past I cooked the turkey at 335 or so I was the spot on the timberline. I'll have try a couple things but sure I'll work it out.

I didn't mention it but I always Spatchcock. The capacity concern wont be helped by cooking on top cause I wouldn't want to cook any thing under the bird. I think I will first try Robbs rack and pan suggestion.

 

[tom b]

Ya you can program it Suds but I haven't ventured that far yet

 

[pjtexas1]

We’ve been trying to tell you for quite some time now... MAK’s are in a different league! Do you hear us yet? [emoji12] [emoji41]

Well now that Tom b is saying it...:heh: seriously though, the side by side is screaming it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[KevinJ]

Maybe a dumb question but can you program "steps" for it to automatically follow or are you manually adjusting temp at each phase? As you can tell I havent RTFM yet :becky:

Ya you can program it Suds but I haven't ventured that far yet

You can be it by time or internal temp, I do programs for over nighters like Brisket and Butts, you can do up to 5 steps in a program and save 3 different user programs.

 

[sudsandswine]

Well now that Tom b is saying it...:heh: seriously though, the side by side is screaming it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I am pleasantly surprised at the "smokiness" I get from the Mak. I didnt expect much based on my previous experiences with pellet grills but it's there. I even burped several hours after eating a slab of babybacks I cooked on it and was like.....yep, kinda smokey. :clap2:

 

[rwalters]

I plan on a butt maybe next week but no further testing is required, my mind is made up. The MAK is a butter cooker in every way sans capacity.

I still need to convince Stephanie, she is concerned about capacity as she loads it up pretty good e few times a year. The one thing that the Mak will need to be able to do is cook a turkey on the lower rack with out scorching the bottom. Not sure yet how the radiant heat is down there at a higher temp. I have done a chicken down there and it worked fine for and hr, but I'm not sure about 2-3 hrs.

Any experience Robb?

You mentioned that Stephanie is concerned about the difference in size between the MAK and Traeger. Curious... when you say that the Timberline is loaded down a few times/year, what is it typically loaded down with? With the tall domed lid and 2 full grates that are both VERY useable, I have been pleasantly surprised at the volume of food that I can crank out on the 2 Star. Sure there are cookers with more cooking area, but often a good chunk of it isn’t really useable... not so on the MAK’s. Just something to keep in mind. The 2 Star will hold 8 fairly good sized butts or 4 decent sized briskets just to give you an idea. Small footprint, yet good capacity

 

[Joshw]

The solution is simple Tom. Keep them both.:laugh:

 

[tom b]

You mentioned that Stephanie is concerned about the difference in size between the MAK and Traeger. Curious... when you say that the Timberline is loaded down a few times/year, what is it typically loaded down with? With the tall domed lid and 2 full grates that are both VERY useable, I have been pleasantly surprised at the volume of food that I can crank out on the 2 Star. Sure there are cookers with more cooking area, but often a good chunk of it isn’t really useable... not so on the MAK’s. Just something to keep in mind. The 2 Star will hold 8 fairly good sized butts or 4 decent sized briskets just to give you an idea. Small footprint, yet good capacity

usually turkey dinner with sides and such at the holidays we did a run down and looked at some older pics I'm sure it will all fit just fine.

 

[tom b]

The solution is simple Tom. Keep them both.:laugh:

funny Josh but i don't need two

 

[rwalters]

funny Josh but i don't need two

The solution is simple Tom. Keep them both.:laugh:

He already has 11 cookers, Josh... stop pressuring him and leave poor Tom alone, he already has enough issues... [emoji3061][emoji12]

 

[tom b]

timberline to be listed soon...

 

[Joshw]

funny Josh but i don't need two

Define the word need. They are electric, so a backup just makes sense.

 

[tom b]

Not Side by Side Turkey on the MAK

I don't need two farkin turkeys and I know what the timberline can do already. This is a previous cook done on the timberline

Started the cooker set at 310* cookie sheet under elevated bird on lower rack. After a flame out and restart, forgot to clean the burn pot :doh: cooked for about 2.5 hrs. it was perfect.

not really any better than the timberline line, IMO both the cookers are pretty much equal when it comes to poultry

 

[rwalters]

I don't need two farkin turkeys and I know what the timberline can do already. This is a previous cook done on the timberline

Started the cooker set at 310* cookie sheet under elevated bird on lower rack. After a flame out and restart, forgot to clean the burn pot :doh: cooked for about 2.5 hrs. it was perfect.

not really any better than the timberline line, IMO both the cookers are pretty much equal when it comes to poultry

What do you do to prep the birds prior to cooking? That meat looks fantastic!

 

[tom b]

A lot of different chit Robb but the key is Naturiffic Harvest brine 48-72 hrs in plastic rap, usually some sort of herb butter and cracked pepper. This time I cheated and sprayed it with spray butter and hit it with some naturiffic chicken salt and Q-salt

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I don't need two farkin turkeys and I know what the timberline can do already. This is a previous cook done on the timberline

Started the cooker set at 310* cookie sheet under elevated bird on lower rack. After a flame out and restart, forgot to clean the burn pot :doh: cooked for about 2.5 hrs. it was perfect.

not really any better than the timberline line, IMO both the cookers are pretty much equal when it comes to poultry

This has been, and continues to be, a very informative write up.

Thank you for the effort.