Good morning all. I was wondering if any of you own GrillGrates that you use on your Mak? I was potentially looking at getting some custom cut for my Mak 2 Star so I could take the standard ones off when I wanted to sear and the like, but I was curious if any of you have them and your opinion on them.

Have you looked into the MAK sear grates.

https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=1888.0

I have a set of grill grates but have never used them on any of my grills.

Have you looked into the MAK sear grates.

https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=1888.0

I have a set of grill grates but have never used them on any of my grills.

I did look at the Mak sear grates, but one of the things I saw about the grill grates that seemed nice is being able to flip them upside down and use them like a flat top with holes for bacon and the like. Also even with them Custom cutting the grill grates for the proper size for the Mak you still save money with them over the Mak ones. I am certainly happy I bought my 2 Star when back when I did. My 2 Star I bought in 2014 with the deal I found was $2200 brand new and now the similar one is $3200. I had a firmware update done on mine at one point and I paid to switch to the flashfire, but other then that and regular cleanings, I just feed it pellets and it does its magic.

Have you looked into the MAK sear grates.

https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=1888.0

I have a set of grill grates but have never used them on any of my grills.

I did look at the Mak sear grates, but one of the things I saw about the grill grates that seemed nice is being able to flip them upside down and use them like a flat top with holes for bacon and the like. Also even with them Custom cutting the grill grates for the proper size for the Mak you still save money with them over the Mak ones. I am certainly happy I bought my 2 Star when back when I did. My 2 Star I bought in 2014 with the deal I found was $2200 brand new and now the similar one is $3200. I had a firmware update done on mine at one point and I paid to switch to the flashfire, but other then that and regular cleanings, I just feed it pellets and it does its magic.

I upgraded the controller and hot rod on mine too as well as added the smoke cabinet and front shelf.  Had a few auger jams that are a pain to fix, but other than that it has been great for what I use it for.

I would be concerned about using the flat side of the grill grates to griddle.  The grease running off and directly hitting the hot drip pan could potentially start a grease fire. That is pure speculation on my part not based on any prior experience with that setup.

Have you looked into the MAK sear grates.

https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=1888.0

I have a set of grill grates but have never used them on any of my grills.

I did look at the Mak sear grates, but one of the things I saw about the grill grates that seemed nice is being able to flip them upside down and use them like a flat top with holes for bacon and the like. Also even with them Custom cutting the grill grates for the proper size for the Mak you still save money with them over the Mak ones. I am certainly happy I bought my 2 Star when back when I did. My 2 Star I bought in 2014 with the deal I found was $2200 brand new and now the similar one is $3200. I had a firmware update done on mine at one point and I paid to switch to the flashfire, but other then that and regular cleanings, I just feed it pellets and it does its magic.

I upgraded the controller and hot rod on mine too as well as added the smoke cabinet and front shelf.  Had a few auger jams that are a pain to fix, but other than that it has been great for what I use it for.

I would be concerned about using the flat side of the grill grates to griddle.  The grease running off and directly hitting the hot drip pan could potentially start a grease fire. That is pure speculation on my part not based on any prior experience with that setup.

Don't have a MAK, but if it will fit, put a baking sheet under the Grill Grates and take an old box of baking soda that you used in the fridge and spread it around in it.
The baking soda soaks up the grease and greatly reduces the possibility of a fire.

You might already know this, but both GrillGrates and pellet grill manufacturers, MAK especially, warn against putting full coverage GrillGrates on pellet grills. It interferes with airflow which is critical to controller behavior. For pellet grills they recommend a smaller searing station set on top of the factory grates, so air can flow around them.

I am certainly happy I bought my 2 Star when back when I did. My 2 Star I bought in 2014 with the deal I found was $2200 brand new and now the similar one is $3200. I had a firmware update done on mine at one point and I paid to switch to the flashfire, but other then that and regular cleanings, I just feed it pellets and it does its magic.

Prices have gone up some in past few years, but I think the 1 star is $2199 now and is bigger than a few years ago. It’s the same size grates as 2 star, but only has two rack positions. The 2 star is $3199. All models now include WiFi.

The idea of baking soda is a great idea. i had a very minor flareup yesterday and i'm definitely going to try the baking soda trick! Great info on this site as always...

You might already know this, but both GrillGrates and pellet grill manufacturers, MAK especially, warn against putting full coverage GrillGrates on pellet grills. It interferes with airflow which is critical to controller behavior. For pellet grills they recommend a smaller searing station set on top of the factory grates, so air can flow around them.

I had forgotten and had been thinking of doing it all the way across when I wanted to sear and just use my normal grates the rest of the time. So thanks for pointing this out. Sounds like I should just let my Mak be the smoker I bought it to be and pick up the Proud Pyro Metal Chiminea that I was looking at for doing grilling and baking pizzas and the like over logs. Thanks Glitchy. Also the baking soda idea would be interesting I am just not sure where you would place a pan like that and not end up with the same type of issue I would with GrillGrates running across.