Fair enough and that makes perfect sense.

Yeah - as I was typing that question I realized how dangerous that could turn out, and realized I would probably never start in while I wasn't there.

Question for the 2 ⭐️ owners...

Do you ever use the smoke box on the right side, and if so, how often?

Kinda thinking about a 1 ⭐️ cause I just do see the smoke box being used by us.

I could live without it Jeremy

Personally, I rarely use it. I do know that some guys get a ton of use out of it. If the 1 Star as is, or with just a couple of add-on’s will meet your need, than the 1 Star is going to be hard to beat from a price standpoint. It’s when you start decking the 1 Star out that you quickly find yourself approaching 2 Star pricing. If you are simply looking to smoke/roast... then the 1 Star kicks butt at that. I absolutely loved my 1 Star :)

hmmmmm, thanks Robb!

So I’m thinkin’... (bye my misses hates it when I do that) can someone post a pic of the inlet between the cook chamber and the smoke box on the 2⭐️ please?

crappy pic 2 like wholes on top you can see a little

Thanks Tom!

So I’m thinking I could take a piece of stainless and some rare earth magnets and seal that off well enough that the side smoke box could be used as a side table...

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Perhaps that would work, but I would absolutely discuss with MAK before doing so. They have the airflow on these cookers pretty dialed in. Not sure if cutting that off would mess with the cookers overall performance. Worth a conversation and perhaps you’ll be just fine.

No buyers?

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Have been wondering the same. Definitely a good amount of interest, and I know people have been asking lots and lots of questions. Would be cool to know how many have joined the MAK family as a result of this Brethren deal.

I’m calling tomorrow. Had to spend a couple days convincing the wife. :mrgreen:

I bought my pit boss and my 22 WSM without mentioning it, but getting a $3k smoker without even seeing one in person is another thing.

rwalters would you min repeating your cleaning process you put up a week or so ago, I ordered the products you suggested, they came yesterday. TIA

Rwalters, In addition to Tom B’s question on the cleaning process, could you please share your best programmed cooks for ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and brisket. I know you have yours dialed in so I’d like to cheat and use your numbers.

Of course!

Key items needed:
-Damp microfiber towel
-SD-20 for everyday cleaning
-Break-Up for the TOUGH occasional cleaning

Every cook cleaning:
After each cook, while the MAK is still warm to the touch, I spray down the stainless with the SD-20 and then proceed to wipe down with the damp microfiber towel. After that I rinse the towel and give it one last wipe down to remove any residue. Time spent on wipe down is maybe 3 mins.

Once in awhile cleaning:
While the MAK is still warm to the touch, I will spray any super tough spots with the Break-Up cleaner. Be careful to keep this spray on the stainless only. Quickly wipe away any overspray from the powder coating. Let it sit on the warm stainless for maybe a minute and proceed to wipe away stains with the damp microfiber towel. Just like the SD-20, rinse towel and give it a final wipe down.

IMPORTANT: Stainless must be fairly warm to the touch when cleaning. The difference is night and day.

Honestly, I never use the “programs” as I am more of a “turn it on and cook” kinda guy. I do monitor and control my cooks via WiFi all the time. I also use temp probes that are connected to the Pellet Boss quite often. I can tell you that for low n slow cooks (butts, ribs, brisket, etc) I love doing most of the cook at 210° with the food on the upper grate. I will often bump to 250-275 at the end to finish things up if I need to meet a certain timeline. Love the results. All of this could easily be handled through a set program, but I just prefer to touch the buttons myself... lol. If you are one that wants to set and use programs, the skies the limit with the Pellet Boss controller. You can run up to 3 different programs, and each program can pretty much accommodate whatever you can think up. Highly programmable. Like any cooker, it’ll take a few cooks to figure out your preferences, but once that’s done, it’s smooth and EASY sailing with the MAK :)

Completely understandable. Luckily I didn't need the cooking space. Of course I could live to regret that decision later. Also, I think I'm too lazy to keep the SS looking nice. My non-SS Pellet Pro still looks great. Only wipe the dust off when it builds up too much.

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Why the upper grate for low/slow? What happens with low/slow on the lower grate? Is it just a cleanup function?

I do it because I'm lazy and it makes cleanup easier, if I have a smoke that only requires 1 grate it goes on the top with a pan on the bottom grate to catch drippings and grease.

https://i.imgur.com/im6FgBA.jpg?1

Well now I wish I would have ordered the upper grate. Maybe not. I cook in pans mostly. I should have enough headroom for that, right?

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You’ll have more than enough headroom for pans... and if you ever order the upper grate you’ll have room on 2 levels for pans. The MAK’s do not lack in the headroom dept.

Exactly what Kevin said... easy cleanup. You can cook on the bottom grate though with no issue... have done it many times.

Same here

+1. Same here.

Hopefully you guys that had interest jumped on this. MAK never drops their pricing. I just wish I had a reason to buy a MAK so I'm living through you guys. :laugh:

If you ever buy one Sako you won't be disappointed, like the LSG vert you just know you got it right. :grin:

Reason?
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3ac7bcab3f.gif

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Is there a running total of how many people have snagged one on this deal?

1

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I guess I missed instructions for finding out the price / details?

Suds- What he said ^^^

It’s a nice deal

Thanks...thread blew up on me and I’ve been too busy lately to keep up.

Dang if it wasn't for the Yoder I have already. :laugh:

That's an awfully practical answer... :becky:

Its a good deal. My wife showed me how much stuff we need since we just moved for work so i would be getting a divorce if I pulled the trigger.

I really appreciate this idea/effort and the expert advice. I've been considering adding a pellet cooker for some time, prefer to buy something that ranks among the best for performance and longevity. Had thought Yoder might fit the bill, but following this thread (plus a little more research) is putting me to a MAK state of mind.
I have two questions:
1) On the website, I see mention of the smoker box on the 2 star but the pictures don't have it shown. Is it included as a standard part of the 2 star?
2) Website shows $2,800 for the 2 star. I may have totally misremembered, but I thought it was at $2,500 last week. Can anyone set me straight?
Perhaps a poll can be used to give an idea of the impact this thread/offer is having (or will have) on MAK sales. I'd suspect there are others like me who are quietly slow to make a decision but have been strongly influenced by this thread...

When I checked last week the price was $2800 (prior to the "call for special pricing" mentions).

The 2 star has a small smoker box (its on the right side of the grill as you're facing the grill). That box would probably be fine for small things that don't need to hang. If you need more room they sell a larger cabinet type box that looks like it fits onto the existing box.



There's a video of the included box in use here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwYxJxrE1zY

Thanks! I was expecting something bigger like the optional super smoker. Great use of the space.

Been $2800 for a while now.

MAK Group Buy
 

I think you hit the nail on the head with your last sentence. Not many will take a purchase like this lightly as it’s a significant investment for most. I know that I researched the heck out of the pellet grill market 3 years ago when I bought my first 2 Star. No matter how I sliced and diced the research, MAK clearly surfaced as the best option for me and those I cook for... and several years later that has very much proven to be the case. Was I crazy nervous prior to purchase/use... oh my, was I ever!! I look back now with zero regret.

To answer your questions:

The 2 Star has a stock cold smoke/warming box, but as already mentioned it’s not huge. If you need more volume, MAK does sell an add-on that sits right on top of the existing setup. It’s not cheap, but it you are gonna do a lot of cold smoking, it may be worth the additional investment.

As far as $2500 vs $2800... you must be having an early “senior moment”... lol. They have been at $2800 for awhile now. Prior to that, they were at $2700. Wouldn’t be surprised to see them tick up again soon.

Let us know if you have any additional questions. Those of us that cook on MAK’s are more than willing to share and help in anyway we can :)

First post for a long time lurker.

Thanks so much for this thread. I spoke with Caleb today. Early next week I’ll be pulling the trigger on a 2 Star.

I've been vising this forum for years and I started reading about pellet smokers a couple of weeks ago.
I have always grilled & smoked with charcoal and wood chunks and I had no knowledge about pellet smokers, until now.
Lots of research has led me here and after reading tons of info from you guys and after I saw this thread, I called and talked to Caleb this morning. We had a great conversation and you can really tell the customer service is great with this company.
Needless to say, I took advantage of the offer and I can't be more excited! I look forward to joining the MAK family!

Fantastic and welcome to the MAK family :)

Love it!!! Welcome to the MAK family and I very much look forward to seeing you around. It’s a great family to belong to... :)

Well ya farkers.
I spoke with Caleb, real nice guy!
Right now my trigger isn't twitchy. But.....:wacko:

Oh and Caleb stated that on "average" the added smoke box is 100* less in set temp than the main chamber. Which for me would be great for doing jerky, fish, sausage, bacon etc. For those interested.

Yep, Caleb is quite a gentleman... heck, the whole MAK team is like that. Maybe one day your finger will start twitchin’ and you’ll pull that MAK trigger. Once the initial wound heals... it’s clear sailing from there... :)

I called and spoke with Caleb as well. +1 on him being a great guy.
My finger is also twitching a little, but my wife’s isn't. We will make a decision tomorrow.

It is a good deal! If you are thinking about it give them a call. You have nothing to loose.

I hate you Farkers!!
Thankfully my decision is easy, I have absolutely no money to purchase one and thankfully no credit cards. Otherwise I would have a 2 Star with Super Smoker box.
So screw you guys...I'm goin home.:hand: