OK, so...just a little update...about the MAKs...I bought one!

Spoke with Caleb, who's a great guy. Shipping very soon will be:

MAK Two Star General
Full upper grate
Cabinet door
Grill cover
Accessory hanger
MAK Mobile

After neglecting my stick burner because I didn't have the time and patience to tend the fire, and my backyard being a pile of dirt for six months, I can't wait to start barbecuing again. Thank you rwalters and Caleb and you Brethren! I look forward to posting my first cook photos.

Caleb was late for dinner with his wife because he wanted to get my order processed that night so I would get the cooker sooner. I was hoping he survived the weekend. [emoji23]

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You almost hurt my feelings. [emoji33][emoji1787]

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:laugh: I've been trying to figure out how to get one for the past 3 years. This thread is like salt in the wound!

Just very jealous, but things have improved for me in the past year so hopefully it's in my future.

Great, now I’m sad :(

Perhaps you could start a MAK GoFundMe thread?

Welcome to the MAK family buddy!!! It’s been a journey and lots of conversations... :)

You gonna sell the KBQ?

Most likely going to buy an RV in 2023 and hopefully the Mini MAK will be out by then so let's do this again in 3yrs. :grin:

My crystal ball shows you’re good to go... I can see you sitting next to the river with wisps of smoke coming from your Mini MAK. It’s a lovely sight :)

What type of pellets work best in these things and is there much of a difference between the wood varieties?

I need to acquire a new fuel source to fuel my new Two Star.

Think more like camped out at San Onofre, surfing at Old Mans with all the other old men. :heh:

You can't go wrong with Lumberjack Pellets! BBQ Delight is my second choice.
I want to try Cookin Pellets but still sitting on a pile of LJ.

Dumb crystal ball [emoji37]

If anyone talks to Caleb, tell him to get his advertising dept. going on the apparel section of their website! We need MAK logo'd t-shirts, decals, laser engraved Yeti's etc. I know they are busy cranking out awesome grills but I would love to advertise the brand with some swag (and yes I'll be happy to pay for it!).

MAK Group Buy
 

You’re in?!?! Welcome to the MAK family! Ask 10 people for their opinion on pellets and you’re likely to get 7-8 different opinions. I’ve been using Bear Mountain and have had great success with them. I had issues with LJ but many swear by them. I am currently tryin a bag of BBQ’rs Delight and so far so good. What options do you have locally?

MAK Group Buy
 

Amen!!! I’ll bet pjtexas would even buy a pair of MAK undies if they were offered... lol.

Green Mountain, Traeger or HomComfort. Not much.

Traeger = no way
HomComfort = I know nothing about
Green Mountain = I have heard good things about

I’d try a bag of the GM after you burn through the Bear Mountain that’ll come with the MAK and see whatcha think.

It sure has, and I've appreciated all of them. :thumb: I'd send you my first tri tip or St. Louis rib rack but it would get cold in transit. :wink: Plus, I gotta practice.

The KBQ will be for sale as soon as I give it a good clean and polish. It's only got eight cooks on it but could still use a bit of shine.

MAK 2 ⭐️ has been ordered...

Full upper rack
Door
Cover


(I’m standing beside the road waiting as I type :mrgreen:)

Only 8 cooks... man, I guess you haven’t had time. There are some weekends where my MAK runs almost non-stop. I call those good weekends :)

And another joins the MAK family! Man, MAK Daddy’s gonna have to buy a bigger house for all the new kids... lol.

Woot woot! :whoo:

+1 here

2 star
+Mobile Mak/Wifi
+Full & 3/4 upper rack

Thanks Crispy Bacon and rwalters for getting this going and everyone else! Appreciate the info along the way. I won’t lie it stung a little pulling the trigger on an expensive pellet grill since I’ve had little experience with them to date.

Customer service was great and Caleb was super cool! Counting the days now...

it is sounding like we are going to need a new appreciation thread...

Cangrats to all the new purchasers!

Robb must have some good commission credits stocked up for his next purchase

I know, it's embarrassing. I tried ribs, and chicken, and then moved just to reverse-sear steaks because the cook is so short. I can make an awesome steak with the KBQ, searing it over the firebox. If I lived in the country and could sit out and drink some beers while tending the fire, I would enjoy that. Now, I'm just too busy with too many things to do. One day... :wink:

But with the MAK, that will change!

Mine works great. In fact I bought three more. Maybe you just could not use it.

I think I'm more excited for everyone getting their new Maks than I am for my own. I'm almost afraid that I might turn into one of those pellet heads.

Rwalters what issues did you have Lumberjack pellets?

And I already knitted my pair of Mak undies. [emoji106]

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And another... YES... lovin’ this!!! Welcome to the MAK family :)

That’s a good idea!

Is that 5 grills sold?

I have a theory regarding LJ pellets and my MAK. I actually had a few flameouts using their oak pellets. As you know, oak burns with a fairly high BTU. I was experiencing the issue during the hot summer months only. My theory is that the Funnel Flame Zone is almost to effective at moving the heat into the cooking chamber on a super hot day AND with using straight oak pellets. Because the fire to maintain temp is so tiny on a hot day, I think I created my own problem by using a super high BTU pellet. I lost a few fires. I took the LJ oak pellets out of the equation and the problem was immediately gone. Since then, I have switched to Bear Mountain which is what MAK will send... and it just so happens they are readily available on the west coast. If I were to return to LJ I’d select one of their blends as it would contain some lower BTU wood types. Perhaps straight oak would kick butt in the winter, but I haven’t tried.

All that said, you have a 1 Star coming which does not have the Funnel Flame Zone. It’s not as efficient at moving heat up into the cook chamber. Straight oak may work just fine for you.

Congrats to all the new MAK owners! Undoubtedly getting one of the best pellet coolers on the market!

FWIW, I tried many kinds of pellets in my yoder and Memphis elite and lumberjack pellets, by far, were my favorite.


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Another Lumberjack use, I use the supreme blend without trouble

Anyone use Lumberjack hickory?

I have run LJ Hickory but I prefer the supreme blend. I have found at times I prefer to dial back the smoke some

I used to use LJ 100% Hickory then switched to LJ Comp Blend, less ash and still get a good smoke profile.

Not sure how many of you live in climates that have 100° plus days on a regular basis during the summer. I really think that was my issue with the oak pellets. Perhaps we should move... lol.

My favorite after some experimentation is LJ pecan

We’ve decided the LJ competition is our all around favorite in the GMG.

Time will tell on the MAK.

I have been using CookinPellets Hickory and CookinPellets Perfect Blend on my Mak 2 Star for many years and recently got some Lumberjacks Hickory and Pecan to try. I prefer CookinPellets because it gives out a more pronounced wood flavor to the meats compared to Lumberjacks. Even when turning on the grill you can smell they are not CookinPellets. Also, CookinPellets leave behind 50% less ash than Lumberjacks. I have also tried BBQers Delight and I prefer them than Lumberjacks. IMHO
CookinPellets > BBQers Delight > Lumberjacks > Bear Mountain > Camp Chef

Cookinpellets?

Never heard of them, I’m off to the gurgle...

If you go with Cookin’ Pellets order a mini bulk order direct from Cookin’ Pellets website. Shipped direct to your door and although they are not the cheapest pellet, the bulk order provides much better pricing than anywhere else, including Amazon. BUT, check out the reviews on Amazon and you’ll get an idea of the love people have for CP.

To buy either CookinPellets or Lumberjacks search your local Craigslist, Offerup or Facebook Marketplace for deals from pellet grill owners who buy ib bulk pallets of pellets to save money. In the DFW area I can get 0.50 cents per pound Lumberjacks ( $20 for 1 40 pound bag) and 0.63 cents per pound of CookinPellets (5 bags of 40 pounds for $25 each.

Pics or we won’t believe you... [emoji13]

I've used Green Mountain pellets in my Yoder and really enjoy them.

Had a question about searing on the Mak. Asked this question on the pellet smoker thread. Someone had mentioned just using Grill Grates over the fire pot instead of the Flame Zone for searing. Anyone else have experience with this? Seems like a much more cost effective strategy. Any drawbacks to this approach? Smaller grill zone depending on size of the Grill Grates?

Whoops. Brent answered my question. Sorry about the duplicate question.

Just spoke with Caleb from MAK Grills. At this point we have 9 Brethren that have joined the MAK family :) If anyone else is sitting on the fence, ya might want to give Caleb a call before this opportunity disappears. No pressure whatsoever as this really is a significant investment. That said, this is also a rare opportunity if you are at all in the market for a premium pellet grill.

I’m going to give him a break till he closes the bbqb deal then I’m gonna start buggin’ him about a MiniMAK .

MAK Group Buy
 

Been there done that... lol.

“Great progress has been made and it’s coming along nicely.”

“Won’t be much longer.”

MAK Grills is known to stay tight lipped til the unveiling of a new product. I really think they enjoy the torture aspect of it. Kinda messed up, eh?!?! [emoji37]

Best I can tell, the wait is “almost” over... but I’ve been saying that for what seems like 3 years... [emoji849]