***Pictures Fixed!*** Picking up a new Mak 2 Star General tomorrow

[Bigdaddyrockstar]

Give me a bag of matchlight and I'm gonna find something to burn. This time it is my hard saved money (with pleasure-this time it is on me and not my wife or kids)! My plan is to get the Mak and save some more money for a good stick burner. I want the versatility of being able to smoke (and God knows what else) after work (Mak) in time for dinner and the fun of tinkering (stick burner) and dialing in my offset cooker skills (currently the only one I have is lighting a match) weekends and summers. The last 10 plus years it has been a Weber Genesis and an amazen tube and tray.


I had some experience with a Louisiana PG. Not the best experience and returned it to Costco. Mak was always my 1st pick but thought with Costco's return policy I might as well give it a try.

I wanted to share my experience with picking the General up from MAK HQ (I live an hour drive away) and can't say I've seen much in the old threads about that. I also wanted to be able to answer anyone's questions about it. I will start a new thread (with pics) and wanted to know is this the place to do it? Also, when posting a question is it impolite to leave the thread for a bit? I don't want to be rude (this is my first time, no really, on any kind of forum) but I wanted to get this out there sooner than later. Thanks for the help :-D

 

[Ron_L]

Congrats on the new toy!

Yes, this is the right section of the forum!

 

[rwalters]

Picking up a new Mak 2 Star General tomorrow

From one MAK 2 Star owner to another... CONGRATS on one heck of a smart purchase. Here’s to many many many years of good eatin’

 

[Smoking Piney]

Matchlight? :shock:

Congrats on the new cooker.

 

[retfr8flyr]

Congrats on the new Mak.

 

[seakuv]

You're going to LOVE your new MAK! I got home yesterday after work, looked in the refrigerator and decided to put a couple of pork tenderloins on the MAK - fired it up, seasoned the tenderloins with Secret Weapon, waited a few more minutes for the MAK to reach a 300F setpoint and 30 minutes later was pulling two nice tenderloins off the grill. Smoky, juicy, tender. MMM! Enjoy yours!!!

 

[pjtexas1]

Congrats! I haven't heard anyone complain about their Mak.

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[Bigdaddyrockstar]

Driving home with it now! Can't wait to bake a pecan pie with it. Ribs, wings or brisket 1st?

 

[pjtexas1]

Driving home with it now! Can't wait to bake a pecan pie with it. Ribs, wings or brisket 1st?

Fatty

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[tmv1976]

Let's see some pics

 

[KB BBQ]

Yes, what Texas Pete said. It's tradition here for the Brethren to break in your new cooker with a Fatty.

 

[BKING!]

You will love your Mak! It runs like a dream.

 

[kenrobin]

I love my MAK 1 Star so I'm sure that you'll love your MAK 2. Congrats!

 

[4ever3]

Is it tomorrow yet?

 

[pjtexas1]

Is it tomorrow yet?

No, but it will be tomorrow.

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[OklaDustDevil]

You’ll love it!

 

[4ever3]

No, but it will be tomorrow.

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WHEW!!!

I was afraid I’d missed it!

 

[Bigdaddyrockstar]

Dang, I new I'd screw it up some how. Being from the PNW not that familiar with the "fatty" and the tradition it holds. I am interested to learn about it. Tried searching about it as a 1'st cook but didn't find a lot. How ever, since there are no pics of the "1st cook" (pork chops for breakfast and cold smoked steak for dinner) I guess it never happened :mrgreen: and I'll still be able to redeem myself.



I'll start a new thread with the pics and a description of my experience visiting Mak's HQ. I will also ask for any good fatty ideas for my 1st cook :wink::wink:. I know you all will keep my secret, what happens in the thread stays in the thread, right? :-D

 

[Bigdaddyrockstar]

Follow up to Picking up a New Mak 2 Star

I'll post about my experience picking it up and setting it up.

 

[Bigdaddyrockstar]

Well, everything went well. My son drove-we used his old Subaru-it barely fit. Had to leave the pallet and lid at MAK.

MAK is located in a small town, Dallas, OR about a 70 minute drive from my home.

Dennis was great help. They have a 1 star and a 2 star with a super smoker box on display. He showed us the insides of the flash fire system and how everything works. He answered all my questions and didn't hurry us one bit. Well, we were his only customer. Most of the business is online through Big Poppa Smokers, the only authorized seller of MAKs.

MAK provides with it's PG's a 20#bag of pellets, a sauce and a rub. MAK doesn't discount the price because you pick it up (delivery is included in the price) BUT they do say thank you for saving them the shipping by including an extra bag of pellets, a COVER, a RIB RACK, and YOUR CHOICE of an UPPER RACK! A $300 value which I was more than happy to accept. I chose the full size rack. The 2 star comes with 2 half racks already (one can be used as an upper rack while using the full as the lower rack).

Putting it together was fun and a challenge. Lots of comments out there about having "fat fingers and tight spaces" make it difficult. I concur and I will add short bolts add to the difficulty. It took me 2.5 hours, the book says 60-90 minutes. I will include the facts I have arthritis in both hands and a beer in the other. I wasn't trying to break any records :-D

The great thing about this American made product is EVERYTHING lined up. Every hole, every piece, EVERYTHING! Very impressive.

It is packaged very well. It ships strapped on a pallet.

Here it is all put together with all the extra goodies.

And here it is the next day doing it's burn in. It isn't foggy out, that is smoke people!!! 40 degrees out, dropped a handfull of pellets in the burn pot, 10 minutes later there was smoke and 30 minutes total it was at 450 degrees.

I do need to give a shout out to my trusty old steed, my Weber Genisis. That bad boy has been with me the last 10+ years. It has been on fire way to many times to count (that was its way of telling me the drip pan needed cleaning), cooked some pretty good slow and low with the amazen tube and has never seen the inside of a cover. Always under a covered deck though but that is it and not a spot of rust on the outside. I'm sure we can still be friends.

1st cook......

...of course not! A fatty of course but I'm from the PNW and one of the 1st things I had to look up was "fatty" when I found the Brethern. Are words to be spoken? A dance of some kind? A moment or prayer? Help me please. I have never cooked a fatty or eaten one oustide of biscutts and gravey.

That's it, I think. I hope this is helpful to some. The thing is a beast. Very high quality. Bigger in person than online. I had my doubts. $2700. My wife will attest, took me months to commit to buying it even after I had the money. Been saving for it for a long time but still hard to part with that many bones when other great options are also out there. I will tell you though, It has surpassed and exceded all my expectations, and that was just from putting it together and wraping my fat, arthritic, beer covered fingers around it. I have zero buyers remorse!