Mak/Yoder/RecTec/Memphis - HELP PLEASE

[dodson914]

I’m looking for a new pellet smoker to replace my Weber gas grill and my Klose Pit. I mainly cook 2-3 times a week for my family of 4 and occasionally for a few more.

Here’s what I’ve narrowed it down to.

Mak 1 Star
Mak 2 Star
Yoder YS640 w/competition cart
RecTec RT-700 w/all add ons- $2500
Memphis - ??? This is a far outside possibility. Not sure I can reconcile the price.

On the Mak and Yoder I am unsure of what add ons are must haves. So it’s been hard to compare the different units. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gtsum]

I had a yoder640 and now have a Memphis Elite. Have about 1400-1500lbs of pellets through them. If you are doing any kind of grilling, you want the two piece diffuser from yoder. Anything specific you are looking for? Used for mix of grilling and bbq, or just bbq?

Also, imo, the rec tec isn’t in the same category as the others you have listed

Memphis Elite





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[dodson914]

I’m really hoping for a “do it all”. I would bbq a lot more if there wasn’t so much involved in getting my stick burner up and running. That Memphis Elite looks awesome but man that price tag makes it hard for me. Not sure the wife would be happy about $5K on a grill.

 

[OklaDustDevil]

I think you’ve narrowed it down to some great choices (although I would not include the RecTec in the same category as the others). When I was looking last year, I narrowed it to the same 4.

What helped me decide is that folks on here suggested I consider how I intended to use it, and I realized I wanted it for hands-free smoking and am content to continue grilling on my Weber. So ability to grill at high heat dropped out of my criteria.

I concluded the Memphis likely is the best griller. But since that isn’t a concern of mine, the far higher price ruled it out. I really liked the Yoder, particularly because it is set up more like my horizontal offset. But I ultimately chose Mak because 1- I read several complaints about paint problems with the Yoders, 2- as a pellet design, I preferred the Mak’s central firebox and grill-level exhaust louvres vs the Yoder’s firebox on one end and exhaust stack on the other, 3- the Yoder was more $, particularly over the 1-star, and 4- I concluded the Mak has the best controller.

For 1-star vs 2-star, I bought the former because it was less $, the grill area is the same, I dont need the flame zone for grilling, and I concluded the smaller volume might help make it smokier. So far I love it.

Good luck, all four would be great choices.

 

[gtsum]

Here are my takes:

Yoder - heavy duty pellet cooker that mimics an offset stick burner in form and function. Simple programmer that works, but you will see temp swings of 20-30 degrees (not that big of deal imo). Produces a very good smoke taste (assuming you don’t want super heavy smoke taste...which no pellet cooker will give). With two piece diffuser and grill grates, it grills very well. Downsides are rust issues, no WiFi connectivity (if that matters to you).

Memphis - a refined all in one wood burning oven. Fit and finish are immaculate...all 304ss so doubtful you would ever have a rust or corrosion issue. Elite goes to 700 degrees (indirect)...in open flame mode/direct grill mode, you can hit close to 1000 degrees. Temps are very tight...2-3 degree fluctuation and very even across the grates. Can control with phone or iPad although app isn’t as robust as Mak’s. It is an excellent grill and very good smoker...smoke taste might be a little less than yoder...being insulated and not having temp swings equals less pellets burned equals little lighter smoke flavor in my experience. Very good grease management system...Much better than bucket hanging off the side. Downside is cost...although u can get from dealer in Texas for far less than msrp (I did).

Mak - when I sold my yoder it was between Mak 2 star and the Memphis Pro (because of the price I got, I went with the Memphis elite as kind of an impulse buy). Mak customer service is second to none, and they r built like tanks. Said to produce more smoke than others. Temps do not get nearly as hot as Memphis. To me it is a excellent smoker and a very good grill.

I also like the Pitts and spitts pellet cookers if you are doing more bbq than grilling. They look very well built and seem to produce a lot of smoke.




Memphis Elite





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[dodson914]

Here are my takes:

Yoder - heavy duty pellet cooker that mimics an offset stick burner in form and function. Simple programmer that works, but you will see temp swings of 20-30 degrees (not that big of deal imo). Produces a very good smoke taste (assuming you don’t want super heavy smoke taste...which no pellet cooker will give). With two piece diffuser and grill grates, it grills very well. Downsides are rust issues, no WiFi connectivity (if that matters to you).

Memphis - a refined all in one wood burning oven. Fit and finish are immaculate...all 304ss so doubtful you would ever have a rust or corrosion issue. Elite goes to 700 degrees (indirect)...in open flame mode/direct grill mode, you can hit close to 1000 degrees. Temps are very tight...2-3 degree fluctuation and very even across the grates. Can control with phone or iPad although app isn’t as robust as Mak’s. It is an excellent grill and very good smoker...smoke taste might be a little less than yoder...being insulated and not having temp swings equals less pellets burned equals little lighter smoke flavor in my experience. Very good grease management system...Much better than bucket hanging off the side. Downside is cost...although u can get from dealer in Texas for far less than msrp (I did).

Mak - when I sold my yoder it was between Mak 2 star and the Memphis Pro (because of the price I got, I went with the Memphis elite as kind of an impulse buy). Mak customer service is second to none, and they r built like tanks. Said to produce more smoke than others. Temps do not get nearly as hot as Memphis. To me it is a excellent smoker and a very good grill.

I also like the Pitts and spitts pellet cookers if you are doing more bbq than grilling. They look very well built and seem to produce a lot of smoke.




Memphis Elite





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks. I can deal with using the Weber if I need to for grilling as well. What accessories are must have on the Mak’s?

 

[DMosher]

For my MAK 2 star the accessories I ordered are-
3/4 top rack ( I just ordered the full rack a couple of day ago)
Grill Grate
Lower Door
Cord holder ( You could make your own)

Really the only must have is a top rack. I do most of my cooking on it and keep a drip pan on the lower rack to ease clean up. Friday I cooked 12 chicken thighs, and 4 large chicken breast on the 3/4 shelf. It was packed full. Just to give you a reference.

 

[KevinJ]

Purchased a MAK 1 Star a couple of weeks ago, just waiting for the freight co to schedule delivery. Went with the 1 Star over the 2 Star because of the smaller footprint even though cooking capacity is the same, I have a small covered back patio so the smaller footprint was more important to me than the smoker/warming box on 2 Star.

Ordered the Flame Zone for the 1 Star even though I'm not sure how much grilling I'll do on it because it helps the grill get up to temps quicker even when cooking indirect and the grill cooks more efficiently, reducing pellet usage by 15-20%.

I also ordered the full upper grate which doubles your cooking capacity, not a must have but also ordered the bottom storage shelf. I did not order the wifi yet because cooks are fully programable, may add it down the road but that's not really important to me.

Was also considering the Memphis Advantage because I wanted to keep my purchase around the $2500 ball park. Quality, engineering and design is what steered me towards MAK and Memphis.

Here is a great review on the 1 Star. http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=260637

 

[pigville porkers]

For me went rec tec all the way. smokes great grills great and the 6 yr warranty and customer service is unbeatable !!

 

[OklaDustDevil]

For my 1-Star I ordered the 3/4 upper rack, the optional front shelf, and the cover. I did not buy the flame zone because I don’t plan to grill on it (but if you plan to grill I understand it works well).

I usually don’t order or use upper racks in my smokers but because the Mak is smaller it helps with space. The front shelf is great for sittin things on while accessing the smoker and has a paper towel holder underneath.

The cover was my only disappointment with the Mak experience. It seems to be a 1-size fits all and is big enough to encompass the optional side shelf, which I didn’t get. So it’s huge, just hangs there even when cinched, and blew off in the breeze one time. So if you can access an aftermarket cover you might go for that.

 

[Sidd Finch]

You can get the RecTec 700 much cheaper than $2500. Only accessories you need are the folding front shelf and the smoke box - and the smoke box is a nice to have, not a necessity.

Or you can pick up a gently used RecTec 680 - lots on the market right now since people are looking to upgrade to the 700.

 

[lkissell]

As others have stated, the Rec Tec is not in the same class as the others. That said, I have the Rec Tec and love it. I can't imagine how you could get to $2,500, even with lots of accessories.

The cover is the only accessory I ordered, and I've been very happy with the results. As others have mentioned, I would NOT plan to do grilling on it. I have a Weber and a Big Green Egg for grilling at high temps, but for smoking you can't beat a Rec Tec.

The new models include Wi-Fi control, and two meat probes, which would be great. And for the cost of some of the other grills on your list you could get a Rec Tec Mini (Trailblazer) and the Bull. I have both and love the flexibility to cook at different temps, and to only fire up the small smoker if I'm not cooking for a crowd.

If you decide that you want an all-in-one, I'd drop the Rec Tec from the list, but if you want a great smoker at a fair price, Rec Tec is hard to beat.

Good luck - you are choosing from a list of quality cookers.

 

[dodson914]

Thanks for the replies. I think I’m leaning Memphis at the moment because I don’t have a ton of room for everything on my patio.

Does the Memphis smoke as well as the others on the list? I’m assuming there must be a trade off somewhere for a unit that does everything? I’d prefer it to be on the grilling side if I’m going to lose some quality on smoking or grilling.

 

[gtsum]

Thanks for the replies. I think I’m leaning Memphis at the moment because I don’t have a ton of room for everything on my patio.

Does the Memphis smoke as well as the others on the list? I’m assuming there must be a trade off somewhere for a unit that does everything? I’d prefer it to be on the grilling side if I’m going to lose some quality on smoking or grilling.

I covered this on my earlier post. I have not owned a Mak, but have owned the Yoder and Memphis. The Memphis is the superior griller, higher quality, much more refined cooker...the Yoder might be a little better smoker (this is close though)....sometimes the Memphis smoke profile can seem a little lighter than the Yoder

 

[OklaDustDevil]

Thanks for the replies. I think I’m leaning Memphis at the moment because I don’t have a ton of room for everything on my patio.

Does the Memphis smoke as well as the others on the list? I’m assuming there must be a trade off somewhere for a unit that does everything? I’d prefer it to be on the grilling side if I’m going to lose some quality on smoking or grilling.

That’s the same approach I took — I figured if I tried to go all-in-one, it wouldn’t do anything well. So I went for smoking with pellets and grilling with charcoal on my Weber.

The Mak 1-Star does have a pretty small footprint if space is an issue for you. And it smokes like a beast. . . .

 

[kenrobin]

For my MAK 1 Star, I ordered the side shelf, 3/4 upper rack grate, a cover, the wi-fi module & an extra probe. I’m happy with everything except for the probe. After market probes are much more accurate.

 

[OklaDustDevil]

You can get an aftermarket probe that plugs into the Mak controller?

 

[kenrobin]

You can get an aftermarket probe that plugs into the Mak controller?

No, MAK’s proprietary probes are the only ones that work with their controller. After 3 or 4 cooks with MAK probes I realized that thermometers from Thermoworks & Maverick were much more accurate. Right now Fireboard is by far my favorite.

 

[JMSetzler]

I started out with a Traeger Lil' Texas Elite... worked fairly well but struggled to get hot over 425°F in a lot of cases.

I got a Yoder YS640 Comp Cart model with some extras. I dont' like the programming logic on the Yoder one bit. I don't like the way it overshoots your target temp by 100-150°F and then settles back down to your set temp point. That keeps me from being able to put food on quickly. I can get my Kamado grills going faster than I can get the 640 ready to cook in most cases. The yoder is also picky about what kind of pellets you use in it because of the firebox design. It works with about anything on shorter cooks but on longer cooks you can have an ash buildup problem that can cause issues with the grill. I also had some exterior finish problems with my 640 so it's gone to live with a new owner.

I am bringing in a Traeger Timberline 850 now.

 

[rwalters]

I started out with a Traeger Lil' Texas Elite... worked fairly well but struggled to get hot over 425°F in a lot of cases.



I got a Yoder YS640 Comp Cart model with some extras. I dont' like the programming logic on the Yoder one bit. I don't like the way it overshoots your target temp by 100-150°F and then settles back down to your set temp point. That keeps me from being able to put food on quickly. I can get my Kamado grills going faster than I can get the 640 ready to cook in most cases. The yoder is also picky about what kind of pellets you use in it because of the firebox design. It works with about anything on shorter cooks but on longer cooks you can have an ash buildup problem that can cause issues with the grill. I also had some exterior finish problems with my 640 so it's gone to live with a new owner.



I am bringing in a Traeger Timberline 850 now.

Can’t fault you one bit... those issues would push me away from a cooker as well. Hope you enjoy the heck out of your new Timberline