MMMM.. BRISKET..
The BBQ BRETHREN FORUMS.  



Our Homepage Donation to Forum Overhead Welocme Merchandise Associations Purchase Subscription Amazon Affiliate
Go Back   The BBQ BRETHREN FORUMS. > Discussion Area > Q-talk

Notices

Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 06-01-2020, 09:59 AM   #1
Nokare
Found some matches.
 
Join Date: 05-28-20
Location: Goldsboro NC
Name/Nickname : Nick
Default Pellet smoker

Hello all,
I am in the market for a pellet smoker. A few years ago I sold my linestar grillz insulated cabinet before moving cross country.

After the move I picked up a GMG pellet and used the thing like crazy due to the ease. The build quality bugged me out the gate and eventually it stopped working.

I am looking for a replacement/upgrade of higher build quality than the gmg. I loved the LSG IVS and see they are coming out w a pellet soon. Chris has said they are their 20" offset with a pellet hopper. The 20x42 will weigh 445 lbs, which I read as quality.

Are there any other smokers I should look into? I have checked out Yoder and MAK.
Budget isn't much of a concern. I am not spending 10k though lol.
Nokare is offline   Reply With Quote




Old 06-01-2020, 10:02 AM   #2
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker

 
Join Date: 06-08-12
Location: Columbia, TN
Name/Nickname : Robb
Default

Welcome to the Brethren! After having owned 20+ cookers over the past 25 or so years, the MAK 2 Star has been my all-time favorite grill/smoker to date. Personally, I think you’ll be hard-pressed to beat a MAK :-)
__________________
MAK 3 Star — Camp Chef FTG 900 — 26.75 Weber kettle — Weber Q3200
Follower of Jesus, Husband of 1, Father of 9, Lover of people
"Ya don't win friends with salad!"
Come follow my adventures on Instagram: @rwaltersbbq
rwalters is offline   Reply With Quote


Thanks from:--->
Old 06-01-2020, 10:10 AM   #3
scotts1919
Full Fledged Farker
 
Join Date: 09-22-11
Location: Frankfort IL
Default

i am a proud yoder owner and i love them. The mak grills are quality built from what ive heard.
__________________
Primo XL, Yoder YS640s, WSM 18.5, Weber OTS, Weber Genesis e-310, ooni pro pizza oven
scotts1919 is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 06-01-2020, 11:22 AM   #4
Ron_L
Moderator
 
Ron_L's Avatar
 
Join Date: 12-09-04
Location: Wandering, but not lost
Name/Nickname : Captain Ron
Default

If you just want a smoker, and aren't interested in grilling, look at the Cookshack FEC100. Mine is 13 years old and going strong!
__________________
"Ron Rico, Boss. You can call me Captain Ron..."


Naked Fatties Rock!

PKGo X 2/PK360/
Ron_L is online now   Reply With Quote


Thanks from:--->
Old 06-01-2020, 11:51 AM   #5
cclinard1
Full Fledged Farker
 
Join Date: 04-29-20
Location: Wilmington, NC
Name/Nickname : Chas
Default

I have a Yoder YS640s on comp cart on the way. Yoder and MAK pretty much lead the top tiers. Rec Tec's Bull is a nice product, but I don't like their marketing/lifestyle videos personally, which ultimately led me away from that. Grillbillies in Wendell isn't too far from you and they are a Yoder, GMG, Myron Mixon dealer so you may be able to head there to put your eyes on some of those.
__________________
Yoder YS640s Orange Comp Cart | UDS | Weber GB 26.75 | Weber MT OB 22.5
cclinard1 is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 06-01-2020, 11:51 AM   #6
Nokare
Found some matches.
 
Join Date: 05-28-20
Location: Goldsboro NC
Name/Nickname : Nick
Default

I am looking to smoke and grill on it.
Nokare is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 06-01-2020, 12:27 PM   #7
rwalters
Quintessential Chatty Farker

 
Join Date: 06-08-12
Location: Columbia, TN
Name/Nickname : Robb
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nokare View Post
I am looking to smoke and grill on it.

If grilling is a requirement, then here’s something to consider and decide which works best for you.

Pretty much every pellet grill that has grilling capabilities has a portion (often very small) dedicated for high heat cooking. That works for some. As far as I know, MAK and Weber are the only pellet grills on the market that offer grilling capability across the entire cooking grate. If you are grilling for more than just a few people, IMO having the full grate to use is a huge deal. Just something to consider. I’d be very cautious with Weber right now as they are new to the market and working through some fairly significant design issues.
__________________
MAK 3 Star — Camp Chef FTG 900 — 26.75 Weber kettle — Weber Q3200
Follower of Jesus, Husband of 1, Father of 9, Lover of people
"Ya don't win friends with salad!"
Come follow my adventures on Instagram: @rwaltersbbq
rwalters is offline   Reply With Quote


Thanks from:--->
Old 06-01-2020, 02:48 PM   #8
Crispy Bacon
Full Fledged Farker
 
Join Date: 03-22-19
Location: Midwest
Name/Nickname : Crispy
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rwalters View Post
If grilling is a requirement, then here’s something to consider and decide which works best for you.

Pretty much every pellet grill that has grilling capabilities has a portion (often very small) dedicated for high heat cooking. That works for some. As far as I know, MAK and Weber are the only pellet grills on the market that offer grilling capability across the entire cooking grate. If you are grilling for more than just a few people, IMO having the full grate to use is a huge deal. Just something to consider. I’d be very cautious with Weber right now as they are new to the market and working through some fairly significant design issues.

Ditto! I grill more than I smoke & my MAK 2* grills great. The build quality is great, the company is great & this grill just works! Glad I bought it!
Crispy Bacon is offline   Reply With Quote


Thanks from:--->
Old 06-01-2020, 03:05 PM   #9
Mike Twangzer
is Blowin Smoke!
 
Join Date: 06-20-14
Location: Driftwood, Texas
Default

I'd consider a kettle with grillgrates for grilling ... it's pretty easy ... and I like it better as my pellet grill you have to take it apart in order to grill. A nice flat top is also great for griddling a lot of stuff. Good luck and adventure.
Mike Twangzer is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 06-01-2020, 04:16 PM   #10
STLBBQer
is one Smokin' Farker
 
Join Date: 01-28-14
Location: Apex, NC
Default

I love my Blaz’n Grand Slam, but I can’t recommend it for grilling. It’ll get to 450F, but doesn’t really do a great job. For smoking it’s fantastic and is built like a tank. If you can afford it, a Mak 2 is pretty awesome. My GS was about $1200 when I got it and that was at the top of my price range. If you can swing the Mak 2 price, I’ve never heard a bad word about them.
__________________
Weber Summit Kamado E6
WSM 22
Jumbo Joe
WGA Charcoal
Genesis SA-E-325s

BGW Grand Slam
Pit Barrel Cooker
STLBBQer is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 06-01-2020, 04:41 PM   #11
stljay
On the road to being a farker
 
Join Date: 05-14-15
Location: St. Louis, MO
Default

Pitts and Spitts makes a mighty sturdy grill. It’s got the trapdoor grill feature. If you need smoking capacity, hard to beat Pitts and Spitts offerings. Probably the best direct grill pellet on the market is the Fast Eddy PG500. But it doesn’t have that much capacity to smoke. I have never seen a MAK. Wish I did but if budget isn’t an issue I really doubt you could go wrong with a 2*. It would be at the top of my list. I will be interested to see what the LSG comes out like. Seems pretty feature laden per their website!
__________________
Hunsaker Drum, GMG Daniel Boone, Weber Genesis II with Grill Grates
stljay is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 06-01-2020, 04:55 PM   #12
darita
is One Chatty Farker
 
Join Date: 08-01-10
Location: Roseville, CA
Default

MAK and Yoder, you can't got wrong. Just to throw something out there...I have a MAK2 and just got a Masterbuilt Gravity Fed. If versatility is what you're looking for, along with good smoke flavor and ease of use, it's hard to believe how well the Masterbuilt performs. And believe it or not, it's easier to use than a MAK2. Plenty of stuff on YT. Just a thought...
__________________
NorCal Smoker...MAK2, Masterbuilt 560 GF, WSM 22, SnS Grill, Weber Kettle, Weber Summit Charcoal.
darita is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 06-01-2020, 05:51 PM   #13
Crispy Bacon
Full Fledged Farker
 
Join Date: 03-22-19
Location: Midwest
Name/Nickname : Crispy
Default

That MB has a good price point. I like how fast they get hot. If it was a little bit better quality-wise, I’d have one in a heart beat!
Crispy Bacon is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 06-01-2020, 09:24 PM   #14
Nokare
Found some matches.
 
Join Date: 05-28-20
Location: Goldsboro NC
Name/Nickname : Nick
Default

On my GMG I ran some grill grates and had no issues grilling on them And I never used the direct grill feature, I just cranked up the heat. Curious to exactly what issues you have had grilling on a pellet cooker.
Nokare is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 06-01-2020, 09:26 PM   #15
Nokare
Found some matches.
 
Join Date: 05-28-20
Location: Goldsboro NC
Name/Nickname : Nick
Default

Curious what issues you guys are talking about having grilling on a smoker. On my gmg I had some grill grates that I would regularly grill on. I never used the direct grill feature, just cranked the heat.
Nokare is offline   Reply With Quote


Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


Forum Custom Search: Enter your Search text below. GOOGLE will search ONLY the BBQ Brethren Forum.
Custom search MAY not work(no display box) in some configurations of Internet Explorer. Please use compliant version of Firefox or Chrome.







All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:07 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
2003 -2012 © BBQ-Brethren Inc. All rights reserved. All Content and Flaming Pig Logo are registered and protected under U.S and International Copyright and Trademarks. Content Within this Website Is Property of BBQ Brethren Inc. Reproduction or alteration is strictly prohibited.
no new posts