The Official Pellet Grill Smoker thread.

[rwalters]

I just said I looked at the Rec-Tec, I'm definitely not considering it! And only in part because of those damn horns! :roll:

Can you tag people on this? I saw previously that WestX has an Assassin... I'd love to get some feedback! I'm on Assassin's Facebook user page, but those guys can be trusted to give me a negative review about Assassin about as much as you guys can be trusted to give me a negative review about Mak! :heh:

It’s probably easiest to private message a Brethren as they’ll get an email notification that ya want to chat.

 

[JWFokker]

Partly true, I’ll differ with you on the won’t make better food, but last forever I’m right there with you. At the 18 month mark our GMG was going to need some attention to get some more time out of it before we replaced it. The MAK will just be getting broke in in 18 months. We looked at it as a buy once cry once sort of thing.

It's an oven that makes smoke. Barring hotspots or temp swings, there's no difference in end product. Pellet Pro has a good controller.

 

[GrantAshton]

A number of years back I was considering the Rec Tec. Biggest thing holding me back was the bullhorns. I actually called asking if there were different handle options. They almost seemed offended that someone didn’t care for the look... lol. Needless to say, the answer was no.

I almost pulled the trigger on a RecTec but I couldn’t get past the horns. I’m so glad that I kept researching and that I was here for the MAK group buy.

I know the RecTec can put out good barbecue but the horns whisper, “All hat, no cattle” to me. Just my humble opinion. No offense intended.

 

[JWFokker]

I almost pulled the trigger on a RecTec but I couldn’t get past the horns. I’m so glad that I kept researching and that I was here for the MAK group buy.

I know the RecTec can put out good barbecue but the horns whisper, “All hat, no cattle” to me. Just my humble opinion. No offense intended.

I know they're well made cookers, but they're not a Texas or Kansas based company. The horns are too much. How many head of cattle are in Georgia? Pretty sure Georgia is hog country.

 

[pjtexas1]

It's an oven that makes smoke. Barring hotspots or temp swings, there's no difference in end product. Pellet Pro has a good controller.

Not trying to argue, just offering myobservations. I own both. Just watching both in action you can hardly see my Pellet Pro put out any smoke. The Mak pumps out clouds in comparison. I never had a bad piece of meat come out of the Pellet Pro though. I still think the Pellet Pro is the best bang for the buck. The Mak is a notch up but it comes at a premium.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Knute]

I almost pulled the trigger on a RecTec but I couldn’t get past the horns. I’m so glad that I kept researching and that I was here for the MAK group buy.

I know the RecTec can put out good barbecue but the horns whisper, “All hat, no cattle” to me. Just my humble opinion. No offense intended.

Go ahead and rub it in some more! I missed it by a couple of days... I would have gone ahead with the Mak purchase and been done with it!

 

[Knute]

Not trying to argue, just offering myobservations. I own both. Just watching both in action you can hardly see my Pellet Pro put out any smoke. The Mak pumps out clouds in comparison. I never had a bad piece of meat come out of the Pellet Pro though. I still think the Pellet Pro is the best bang for the buck. The Mak is a notch up but it comes at a premium.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

THIS! This is what I need! Direct comparison!

So the Pellet Pro puts out good meat... but the Mak puts out more smoke... Can you taste a difference in the amount of smoke between the two if all other things are equal (same pellets, same cook temp, same hunk of meat, etc.)? Is it a noticable difference? Is it a $2k difference?

 

[chingador]

Just a personal preference. Apparently lots of people like them, or at least accept them, as Rec-Tec has grown into a pellet grill giant

Totally. I bought Rec Tec because it is a quality grill for the money. But aesthetics do count and if you don’t like the way something looks that matters. Everybody swears by the Grilla OG but I hate the looks of it. In the end it has to not offend your personal taste.

 

[rwalters]

Totally. I bought Rec Tec because it is a quality grill for the money. But aesthetics do count and if you don’t like the way something looks that matters. Everybody swears by the Grilla OG but I hate the looks of it. In the end it has to not offend your personal taste.

Truth! At the end of the day, we’re all BBQ Brethren... most all of us love to cook for family/friends... and most of us happen to be pretty nice guys. So whether ya lift the lid with bullhorns or a less exciting handle... the fact remains that we’re all about spreading BBQ love

 

[pjtexas1]

THIS! This is what I need! Direct comparison!



So the Pellet Pro puts out good meat... but the Mak puts out more smoke... Can you taste a difference in the amount of smoke between the two if all other things are equal (same pellets, same cook temp, same hunk of meat, etc.)? Is it a noticable difference? Is it a $2k difference?

I hate these questions because what I can taste may not be what you can taste. The Mak puts more smoke on the food but it's not a night and day difference. Is it 3x the $$$ difference? No. What makes it worth the money is features and longevity. You can do more things with the Mak controller, add more options and the materials used is 2nd to none. It's almost like my Shirley...a well built piece of equipment that borders on being too nice to get dirty. You can't go wrong with either. You really have to ask yourself what's gonna bother you more...

1. Spending the extra $$$ and wondering if you overspent.
2. Saving a lot of $$$ and wondering what could have been.

A brethren is coming Sunday to take the Pellet Pro off my hands. It's going to a good home and he'll use it way more than I ever did. Selling for half what I paid. I don't have any regrets. Would you? Best of luck. I know these decisions are way more difficult than they should be.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Knute]

I'm gonna throw a wrench in... What about Memphis grills? There's a dealer near me that is having a sale on the Advantage and the Pro models.

That's a lot of coin! Are they worth it?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Baychilla]

I'm gonna throw a wrench in... What about Memphis grills? There's a dealer near me that is having a sale on the Advantage and the Pro models.

That's a lot of coin! Are they worth it?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I've heard they're great for searing but the rear mounted pellet hopper can be a pain depending on how the thing is situated. I think their maintenance video was an interesting watch.

 

[rwalters]

I'm gonna throw a wrench in... What about Memphis grills? There's a dealer near me that is having a sale on the Advantage and the Pro models.

That's a lot of coin! Are they worth it?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

The Memphis are really nice!!! The 2 things that kept me from considering the Pro when I was shopping a number of years back was the lighter smoke profile and the # of complaints I kept seeing about grease fires on the Pro. I think the fires are much more common on the Pro’s than the other Memphis models. Had I gone Memphis, it would have been the Elite. Today, the fact they have moved manufacturing to China would rule them out completely for me. Just my thoughts/opinions.

 

[Fishwater2002]

All this pellet talk had me thinking about lifting the less exciting handle tonight so I decided on some strips with Oakridge Santa Maria. Low smoke until 120 internal then seared on the searbox, the Camp Chef strikes again!

 

[rwalters]

All this pellet talk had me thinking about lifting the less exciting handle tonight so I decided on some strips with Oakridge Santa Maria. Low smoke until 120 internal then seared on the searbox, the Camp Chef strikes again!

SHOW-OFF!!! ;-)

Seriously those steaks look killer!!!! Camp Chef put together a nice setup for these types of cooks, and it appears you’ve learned to make it dance

 

[Fishwater2002]

SHOW-OFF!!! ;-)

Seriously those steaks look killer!!!! Camp Chef put together a nice setup for these types of cooks, and it appears you’ve learned to make it dance

I’m just trying to keep up with the crowd, you guys post some killer cooks so I just wanted to participate :clap2:

 

[gtsum]

I'm gonna throw a wrench in... What about Memphis grills? There's a dealer near me that is having a sale on the Advantage and the Pro models.

That's a lot of coin! Are they worth it?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I had an elite and sold it recently. They are a quality piece of equipment and well built. Extremely high temps (much higher than Mak). I also had a yoder 640 prior to the Memphis elite and if it wasn’t for the rusting issues I had, I’d say I might of liked the yoder a little better...I liked the cooking layout better and there might of been a bit more smoke flavor with the yoder. Build quality though, the Memphis elite is more like a switch watch...everything is manufactured very well. For smoking, I doubt you can do better than a Mak.

Oh, the elite is the only one I’d of bought but that being said they are all made in China now, so I doubt I’d want to spend 4k on a China made elite


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Knute]

Excellent points. That's a VERY hefty price tag for an imported product.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[4ever3]

It's an oven that makes smoke. Barring hotspots or temp swings, there's no difference in end product. Pellet Pro has a good controller.

I hear ya, but again, I’ll choose to disagree...

All this pellet talk had me thinking about lifting the less exciting handle tonight so I decided on some strips with Oakridge Santa Maria. Low smoke until 120 internal then seared on the searbox, the Camp Chef strikes again!

Good GAWD man that’s beautiful!

 

[Knute]

Smoked a corned beef brisket on my Kamado Joe today.... so good! Can't wait to try it on a pellet!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk