MAK vs Charcoal

[jkief]

Alright boys and girls....Here we go again. Went to Sams this morning and picked up 3 tri-tips. Injected with my usual beef injection and rubbed down with SPG and Black Ops Brisket rub. One went on the MAK, one on the Masterbuilt, and one on the Assassin. Set temp was 250. They went on at 12:30 and smoked for 3 hours, wrapped for 2 more, and boat until tender. The one on the Masterbuilt came off at 5:45. The other 2 took until 6:10. They got an obligatory 1 hr rest and taste tested. Interesting notes on the cookers. The MAK was running Bear Mountain Hickory pellets and was set at 230. That kept the cooker right at 245-255. The Masterbuilt was running Kingsford with hickory chunks in the hopper. I had to dial the temp to 265 to keep the cooker at 250 on the middle grate. Looks like the Masterbuilt runs low on the middle grate. I didn’t maze the Assassin. Just dumped B&B briquettes in with hickory chunks. Used the pitmaster IQ and it rocked at 250 with no fluctuations at all. Taste test results:
Both boys liked the Masterbuilt best, MAK second, Assassin third
Wife liked Masterbuilt best, Assassin second, MAK third
I liked the Assassin best, Masterbuilt second, MAK third
The Assassin was a bold smoke flavor that complimented the rub, but I will admit it was smoke forward.
The MAK was flavored by the rub, but the smoke was very light on the back end.
The Masterbuilt balanced the smoke and seasoning perfectly. Neither was heavy or forward, just balanced.
Wife said she would like the Assassin better as a chopped beef sandwich or mixed in with something to balance the smoke out more. I’m not so sure. I guess I was just in the mood for a bold smokey beef cut. The Assassin put out a big smoke profile to accommodate. I’m wondering if the smoke will mellow out after a few hours, though. The pork belly off of the Assassin did that last week. It was smoke forward, but really mellowed out perfectly after a few hours. If I had the time, I would have rested longer, but it was getting past our dinner time, so we had to roll with an hour rest. The moisture and texture were all the same, no difference. Wonder if the B&B gave more smoke profile than the Kingsford? Sounds like a charcoal comparison coming soon.

[Bush438]

That’s some good lookin tri tip right there! Thanks for detailed write-up. I’m surprised even with the hickory pellets the smoke flavor wasn’t as pronounced on the MAK.

[Dweverett]

Once again, thanks for the comparison.

Quite a difference on the smoke rings on that last shot. I’ve always found that I getting a more pronounced ring on my Rectec than Kettle but I also tend to cook lower and slower on it than the kettle so not the same apples to apples comparison you did

[jkief]

Once again, thanks for the comparison.

Quite a difference on the smoke rings on that last shot. I’ve always found that I getting a more pronounced ring on my Rectec than Kettle but I also tend to cook lower and slower on it than the kettle so not the same apples to apples comparison you did

Yeah, if I were doing again, I’d rock the MAK at 200-215 and extend the cook.

[rwalters]

No matter how you slice and dice those cooks, that’s some fine looking grub! Fun stuff :)

Having cooked on many cooker types myself, it’s always fun to watch how people respond to end result. Definitely a subjective thing.

[Crispy Bacon]

Great comparison. How are you liking the MB? I have a couple of buddies that have/had them. One really likes his. The other liked it but his didn’t last very long quality wise. The heat response on those is awesome!! I wish they would do a more quality build. Seems like an easy go to cooker with that good of heat control on charcoal!! Thanks for all of the comparisons!!

[jkief]

Great comparison. How are you liking the MB? I have a couple of buddies that have/had them. One really likes his. The other liked it but his didn’t last very long quality wise. The heat response on those is awesome!! I wish they would do a more quality build. Seems like an easy go to cooker with that hood of heat control on charcoal!! Thanks for all of the comparisons!!

The MB is a really good cooker. Only “mod” I did was put a stainless steel hood over the manifold to keep the grease out of the fire. I definitely don’t expect it to last, but I usually keep my cookers clean and out of the weather. Outside of that, I really like cooking on it. No issues with anything yet, but I’ve not had it too long. I would say, if you can pick one up on sale, it’s worth it. It’s a little pricey for what it is at full price.

[jkief]

No matter how you slice and dice those cooks, that’s some fine looking grub! Fun stuff :)

Having cooked on many cooker types myself, it’s always fun to watch how people respond to end result. Definitely a subjective thing.

Maybe that’s why I keep buying different cookers. They all turn out great food, just different!

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

What is your thought process between the two charcoal cookers having different profiles? You think the gravity feed vs just having the v-channel made that big of a difference?

[jkief]

They were both great, but the Assassin definitely produced a stronger smoke profile. Could be the gravity fed/vs v-pan. Could also be difference between Kingsford and B&B. The Masterbuilt used about twice a much charcoal as the Assassin. Once the Assassin is up to temp, you really have to dial it down to stay low. It’s crazy efficient. So it could be more airflow in the Masterbuilt vs Assassin creating different profiles as well. Once to temp, neither really put out much visible smoke. They each got 5 chunks of hickory. Masterbuilt went through all 5. The Assassin had 1 and a half left. The smoke profile on the Assassin was clean, just stronger than the Masterbuilt. I plan on testing more between the two using Kingsford on both and using B&B on both to see the differences if any.

[darita]

Gotta say, I do like my MB over the Primo and MAK, for most cooks. I did mod the controller and now use an FB2Drive and it works great. Also love the rotisserie I got for it. Can't beat it for whole chickens.

[Shiz-Nit]

Awesome and thank you again