BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
Hopefully smoke ninja pops in to answer your question. You could try messaging him if he doesn’t.
The Official Pellet Grill Smoker thread.
- Thread starter Rib Rub
- Start date
Hopefully smoke ninja pops in to answer your question. You could try messaging him if he doesn’t.
Hey folks. New here and not sure if this is the best place to ask...
I’m basically coming from a large BGE and I’ve been “experimenting” at home successfully for about 6 years. I tried to read through some posts and threads but couldn’t find much of an answer.
I hear the pellet grills have very clean smoke. I’m not sure how that compares to a lump burn with a kamado style cooker, but from the outside looking in it seems like I will probably be able to taste more of the wood flavor in the smoke?? I have really tried to get clean burning smoke in the BGE but know that I probably don’t always get the cleanest blue smoke, have definitely tasted harsher dirty smoke flavor, and probably put my wood chunks in the wrong spot. I find it hard to distinguish the different woods chunk flavor that I have used even though the meat has been cooked fine. Is there a noticeable flavor difference between a clean pellet smoke session and a lump charcoal burn with some wood chunks?
I’ve been looking at the newer pellet grills and have pretty much narrowed my decision to the Mak 2 Star. I want something that hopefully is a big improvement from the BGE with flavor, and less juggling meat and grates around during the cook. The cooking space has just been too small for us and beef plate ribs for Christmas finally opened my eyes. If anyone has thoughts, I would appreciate it.
I’m basically coming from a large BGE and I’ve been “experimenting” at home successfully for about 6 years. I tried to read through some posts and threads but couldn’t find much of an answer.
I hear the pellet grills have very clean smoke. I’m not sure how that compares to a lump burn with a kamado style cooker, but from the outside looking in it seems like I will probably be able to taste more of the wood flavor in the smoke?? I have really tried to get clean burning smoke in the BGE but know that I probably don’t always get the cleanest blue smoke, have definitely tasted harsher dirty smoke flavor, and probably put my wood chunks in the wrong spot. I find it hard to distinguish the different woods chunk flavor that I have used even though the meat has been cooked fine. Is there a noticeable flavor difference between a clean pellet smoke session and a lump charcoal burn with some wood chunks?
I’ve been looking at the newer pellet grills and have pretty much narrowed my decision to the Mak 2 Star. I want something that hopefully is a big improvement from the BGE with flavor, and less juggling meat and grates around during the cook. The cooking space has just been too small for us and beef plate ribs for Christmas finally opened my eyes. If anyone has thoughts, I would appreciate it.
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gtsum
Babbling Farker
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2003
- Location
- Richmond...
Welcome!
I cooked on a Primo oval xl for 8 years and changed to a pellet cooker. There is a definite difference between the two.
At first I thought the pellet smoke was too light, but after getting used to the cooker, I began to taste more of the rubs and the meat, with the smoke as a seasoning on it vs being overpowering. They are much more convenient for quick cooks also...push a button at lunch time for a burger or fish etc is just too easy
Memphis Elite
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Thanks for the insight. I’ve seen some posts about pellets being too light and thought it was always just compared to a big stick burner. The convenience is definite super nice and a must with 3 small girls running around. I guess it’s safe to say you’re happy with the change! Part of me is just curious how much more I will get out of the pellet vs a kamado. The Mak ain’t cheap but I definitely have the smoking meat itch.
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- Joined
- Jan 3, 2014
- Location
- Detroit...
I have the pit boss classic. I believe it's one size smaller than the Austin, both are part of their Walmart exclusive line. I belong to an owners group for pit boss on FB. claims are all over, some have nothing but problems and others love them and swear by their performance. it seems to be helpful to follow the specific startup and shutdown procedures.
the controller doesn't have a brain it. it works based on a cycle on/off. if it settles in out of temp you adjust the pause delay as needed. reports vary but in my experience it's not uncommon to see a +/- of 25° at times during the cook. it will usually be alot closer to the set temp but there are occasional swings. even with large swings the overall average will be close to the set temp.
if the swings and unreliability of the stock controller bother you upgrades are available. the Savannah stoker is the Cadillac of controllers. on the interest page alot of guys are buying the rec tec pid with wifi for $100
tom b
somebody shut me the fark up.
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2015
- Location
- Temecula...
a stuffed tenderloin
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
I’ve gotten a lot more compliments with my Mak 1 star from my wife than the kamado. On my joe I would get a bitter smoke flavor on my meat. The Mak performs much better as a smoker and produces a better flavor imo.
tom b
somebody shut me the fark up.
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2015
- Location
- Temecula...
I thought it should be recognized we hit page 100
pjtexas1
somebody shut me the fark up.
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I cooked on Kamado Joes for years. Had a backyard full of them. When I switched over to pellet cooking, it did not take long for me to lose interest in kamados. The biggest reason... the superior difference in flavor profile. I was surprised to realize how dirty the smoke profile is from kamados because of the stagnant airflow. There’s just not enough airflow during a low n slow cook to allow for a clean burning fire and smoke. I have a MAK 2 Star and have come to love the flavor profile. I realize that everyone’s tastes are different, and me saying that the flavor profile is superior is purely subjective... BUT, I have also had way more compliments on the food that has come off my MAK than I ever did with the food from my KJ’s. I think pellet smoked food is more widely accepted and enjoyed because of its clean and light tasting smoke. More of a smoke seasoning vs just being smoked.
Thanks. I’ve only been looking at pellet grills for a short time so most of the technical aspects are new to me. At first I found them a little interesting, then as I started to dive deeper they’re even more fascinating to me. I have a little hesitation but I’m sure it will be better than what I have now. Hopefully I can pull the trigger soon...just waiting on a budget and fed paycheck news :wink:
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
After trying a few charcoal smokers, electric smokers, gas smokers and grills, and offsets I’ve come to the conclusion that best flavor comes from a wood fuel source. So that leaves charcoal smokers, pellet smokers, and stickburners.
For even better flavor I believe there needs to be a standing flame. The standing flame will only occur with sufficient airflow and serves to burn off the impurities so only good flavors will make it to the meat. So that leaves pellet cookers and stickburners. I’m partial to these two for flavor. I chose pellet because I’m terminally exhausted from work and don’t feel like tending a fire even on days off lol. Also stacking and splitting wood sucks and you have to keep the splits dry that you plan on using soon. They are cooler though and I always gawk at them as I drive by bbq restraunts lol. Now I have only cooked on a GMG and Mak but the Mak definitely puts out A LOT more wood flavor on the meat. I can’t comment on the other pellet manufacturers though
Just my opinion obviously.
Why do you suppose that some pellet cookers put out more smoke than others? I’ve only ever had pellet cooked food from my MAK. If I tried a GMG, would the smoke profile be less? Is it a different algorithm?
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rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I think you have a couple of things going on here that determine why some pellet cookers put out a smokier end product than others.
1) The controller. Each manufacturer has to have the controller “tuned” to the specific pit that they design and sell. Almost all manufacturers use off the shelf controllers and have them tuned the best they can to the pit they are manufacturing and selling. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s not the best. I say that because you will see companies like Pitts and Spitts. They are using an off the shelf controller and if you watch those pellet grills cook away, they have almost constant light blue smoke. It’s pretty impressive how dialed in they were able to get that controller. On the other hand, I think that many manufacturers did the best they could with what they had to work with and the end result is not as good as it probably could’ve been. In other words, the tuning of the controller to the particular cooker that they are selling just doesn’t seem as good as it could be from a smoke standpoint. I think of the GMG Jim Bowie for example... I hear nothing but complaints about an absolute lack of smoke flavor. On the other hand, you take their Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett models and people seem to love the amount of smoke they put out. Same company, same controller, different cooker models... you see, there are three different cookers in this scenario all using the same controller. GMG had that one controller tuned the best they could for the various sizes of cookers they are selling.
Then enter a company like MAK. Their controller is made by them and for them. In other words they were able to manufacture a pellet grill and controller that was 100% meant to be married together. From the ground up, MAK had full control and oversight of every single aspect of their lineup of grills. MAK was able to build a controller perfectly suited to the cooker and a cooker perfectly suited to the controller. It’s very dialed in. BUT, as already mentioned, so is the Pitts and Spitts. Yes, these statements about MAK do not mean that MAK is the king of pellet smokers, no, my point is that MAK is dialed in because of how it came into existence, other pellet grill companies may have a product that puts out beautiful smoke, but in my opinion they are fortunate that it all worked out and came together, because looking at the current lineup of pellet grills on the market that is clearly not always the case.
2) I think another major benefit that MAK has is that they do not use a smoke stack. The only way the smoke can escape is by seeping out the sides/top of the lid, or by exiting through the lower vents that are at or below the cooking grate. MAK is not the only player on the market that is designed like this. For those companies that produce pellet grills without a smoke stack, if it is done right, I think it definitely makes a difference in the products end result. I used to have an old school US made Traeger. It actually produced quite a bit of smoke. Comparing the food from that Traeger to what comes off of my MAK is like night and day, IMO. Although the old T smoked like a locomotive, the smoke rose and quickly escaped through the stack. It was not forced to sit around for a minute and slowly seep out through the small side venting of the lid and/or lower vents.
So as to the question of why does MAK out-smoke much of the competition... these comments were nothing more than my thoughts and opinions. There are lots of other pellet grills that do a fine job and put out a fantastic end result. I just feel that there are just certain things that can be done that truly do set one product a step ahead of the competition. MAK is not the only one, but it definitely is one company that has done a few things right. Have I had issues with my MAK that I’ve had to work through? Yup! There is no PERFECT pellet cooker on the market... at least not that I know of... and if you happen to find it... please let me know. I’ll make you a good deal on my MAK... lol.
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Bacchus2b
is Blowin Smoke!
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2014
- Location
- North Texas
I agree with the above, and you can't lump all pellet cookers into one segment by making statements like "all pellet cookers produce light smoke". You also can't compare a $300 Pit Boss to a $5,000 Cookshack FEC-100. Two completely different levels of quality and engineering at opposite ends of the spectrum. In the stickburner world no one expects a $300 Old Country Pit to work as well as a $5,000 Shirley, so why do so many people buy a cheap pellet smoker expecting perfect results, and then complain that their pellet cookers controller's don't work, have light smoke, won't hold temperature, etc.?
Smoking Cajun
Full Fledged Farker
One think that I like about my Yoder YS640 is that the firepot is off to the side. It has a great smoke profile. I also had a camp chef smoke pro. I did an "ok" job smoking, but I did have to run it in the "high smoke" mode to get some decent smoke flavor. I think that some of the cheaper ones put more priority on pellet effiecency and less on smoke out put.
pjtexas1
somebody shut me the fark up.
BKING!
is Blowin Smoke!
It’s all priorities and I can agree with your sentiment. I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on anything other than a pellet grill now. I think what he is trying to say is if you buy cheap anything don’t let your experience of that cheap product define that style of grill/smoker.
We bought a “cheap” PG to stick our toes in the water.
The smoke is there but it’s far cleaner (I guess you would say) than the Weber Summit, that’s the only way I know to describe it. We burned Weber charcoal from the day it hit the stores and it is far and away superior to any other charcoal on the market. In comes the GMG Daniel Boone the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Since then we’ve been through about 60 lbs of pellets, we’ve cooked a ton of food on it and not once since it’s arival has a Weber grill been fired up, not once. Reasons being, ease of start up, ease of reaching cooking temps, ease of maintaining cooking temperature, and cleaner smoke flavor. After tasting the food from the PG even the Weber charcoal has a chemical taste.
Cooked some food on it that went to parties where “foodies” were and was told multiple times they had never had ribs, or pulled pork like it. Now, were they just being nice? I don’t really think so because I had served these folks food off of Waylon several times.
That being said, did I have the guts to tell them I just pushed a couple of buttons and let it ride till it was time to pull the food off? Nope! I just said “Thank you!”
All this being said, if the cooking trend continues around here, I have no doubts there’ll be a Mak here at some point. I saw no reason to spend an arm and a leg to figure out “this SUCKS” but honestly, a PG is like cheating on the final exam...
The smoke is there but it’s far cleaner (I guess you would say) than the Weber Summit, that’s the only way I know to describe it. We burned Weber charcoal from the day it hit the stores and it is far and away superior to any other charcoal on the market. In comes the GMG Daniel Boone the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Since then we’ve been through about 60 lbs of pellets, we’ve cooked a ton of food on it and not once since it’s arival has a Weber grill been fired up, not once. Reasons being, ease of start up, ease of reaching cooking temps, ease of maintaining cooking temperature, and cleaner smoke flavor. After tasting the food from the PG even the Weber charcoal has a chemical taste.
Cooked some food on it that went to parties where “foodies” were and was told multiple times they had never had ribs, or pulled pork like it. Now, were they just being nice? I don’t really think so because I had served these folks food off of Waylon several times.
That being said, did I have the guts to tell them I just pushed a couple of buttons and let it ride till it was time to pull the food off? Nope! I just said “Thank you!”
All this being said, if the cooking trend continues around here, I have no doubts there’ll be a Mak here at some point. I saw no reason to spend an arm and a leg to figure out “this SUCKS” but honestly, a PG is like cheating on the final exam...
Not true in all cases, some are leary and just tiptoe into the waters.
