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[rwalters]

As some of you know, I recently decided to buy the MAK searing grates for my 2 Star.  Had a chance to put them to the test this evening with some simple skinless chicken thighs. Nothing fancy, but I was impressed. I am very familiar with how well aluminum conducts and transfers heat, but these things really did surprise me. With the Pellet Boss set at 425° these new grates seemed to have turned my MAK into quite the grilling machine. The real test will of course be a nice thick ribeye

Here’s a couple of pics of the grates just installed:



Here are a couple of pics of the chicken straight off the grill.  Nothing fancy.



I think I’m really gonna like these grates

[rwalters]

Now that’s a mess of fine looking chicken!  I direct for awhile and then on the grill grates, or on the new grates the whole time?  How long to cook?  I’ve never made skinless thighs before....Those grates look super heavy duty also


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Thanks! They were cooked direct the entire time on the new grates, about 7 mins/side.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Looking forward to seeing more of your cooks on these grates.  It may inspire me to use mine more frequently.

[rwalters]

They look awful good...that’s a pretty quick cook...in going to try some like that


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It’s a very quick cook. We buy these thighs quite often. As mentioned, they are skinless, but the way they are prepared makes them perfect for a weeknight grill session. They cook up mice and quick when time is short

[rwalters]

Looking forward to seeing more of your cooks on these grates.  It may inspire me to use mine more frequently.

The thing I really like about the MAK, one of the things that really sold me on it, was its ability to easily turn into a “grill”.  It doesn’t have a “sear zone” like some pellet grills do, but the entire cooking surface turns into a direct (more of a semi direct) cooking area. It’s very much like a gas grill in that sense.

[Canadian John]

 So nice when things go well. Nice pics.

[rwalters]

sauce and rub???  Those look really good  on the computer screen...jumps right out at me vs on my iphone

This is all that was used. A liberal coating and back into the fridge for about 30 mins allowing it time to soak in. Easy-peasy weeknight cook.

[rwalters]

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+1  How do these compare to cooking the same on a gasser?  I mean, is there a smoke profile coming off the MAK?

Good question! It’s not the searing grates that I’d compare to a gas grill, but rather the way the MAK has been designed and engineered for grilling. I have a large family, and we like to grill quite often during the week. Most pellet grills that offer a direct flame option do so with only a small portion of the cooking surface. As far as I know, MAK is the only pellet grill manufacturer that allows you to remove the covers and turn the entire surface into a direct grilling area AND give extremely even heat front to back/side to side.  As far as smoke profile, I believe that all pellet grills will give a very light smoke profile at higher heat cooking, definitely not something that a gas grill can do.  One of the biggest differences with pellets vs gas, to me, is how much more tender and juicy the end results are when grilling.

[Bar-B-Lew]

One of the biggest differences with pellets vs gas, to me, is how much more tender and juicy the end results are when grilling.

That is exactly what turned me into a pellet fan.  The first cooks I had on a demo Traeger that a dealer let me borrow for 2 weekends sold me on how much more moist and tender the food was versus my Weber Summit.

[rwalters]

Thanks for the feedback!  Part of my curiosity is that I have been lusting after a new pellet smoker.  My Camp Chef DLX has been a great little smoker, and I have learned a lot about the various approaches to cooking this way - most of that due to reading what all the great contributors here (and that "other site") have shared.  Nothing fundamentally bad about the CC, but cooking and techno-lust are driving nuts as I contemplate upgrading to either the MAK 2 or the Memphis Pro.  The Memphis is just so xxxx sexy, but is it really $1,000 better than the MAK?  Both would combine the best of the smoking world and the grilling world, and both could replace both my CC and my Weber.  The key decision point may be the grilling capability of the MAK as we do a lot of grilling.

Ugh, almost as bad as trying to pick the new SUV I want....

Oh boy, this has the potential to turn into a pretty interesting/in depth analysis of each cooker and comparing it to your personal cooking style and needs.

A few questions for you:

1) Do you grill more than you smoke or do you smoke more than you grill... or is it 50/50?
2) You mentioned that you do a lot of grilling?  What types of food do you tend to grill?  How often is steak on the menu, and are you one that requires an insane sear on your steak?
3) You mention that the sexiness of the Memphis has your attention, and I get that!  Are you OCD about keeping the exterior of your grills (especially if it were stainless) clean? 
4) How many people are you cooking for on a regular basis?
5) Do you entertain often, and if yes, how many people are we talking?  When cooking for a good number of people, do you typically cook low n slow, or do you typically grill?

If you want to dive deeper into the decision making process, I think the answers to these questions will get the ball rolling.

I know the MAK very well, and I think I have learned enough about the Memphis to have a solid enough understanding to be able to offer some thoughts.  Not to mention, there are some amazingly knowledgeable Memphis grill owners on this forum

[Bar-B-Lew]

I think you will be happy with either coming from someone who owns older models of both.  Doesn't sound like you live in a cold climate region so the Memphis doesn't add extra value there for you like it may for others.  I think the Memphis may be able to hold more racks of ribs at one time without the use of a rib rack but with the use of additional grill grates.  I think the MAK may be able to hold more pork butts or briskets than the Memphis using both units additional grill grates.  They both have wifi with MAK being an additional charge I believe.  Sounds like the MAK controller may be more versatile for programmable cooks that you can create on your own.  They both get hot enough across the entire surface to grill in the 400°-500° range.  They are both SS but the MAK has some powder coating on the hopper and cart.  Memphis grill grates are much thicker than the MAK unless you get the adder for the MAK sear grates. Memphis drip pan is probably easier to clean than the MAK with its perforations.  MAK does go a little lower in temp on the Smoke mode than the lowest temp setting on the Memphis which may be important if you like to do jerky.  You can add the side chamber to a MAK and use it to cold smoke cheese by running the main grill unit on the Smoke setting.  That side chamber can be also be used to keep food warm while you continue to cook other items.  I think it will hold 4-5 racks, but not sure how many come with it.  The 1/2 aluminum pans fit great on those racks in the side chamber.  LMK what else you may want to know about both.

[Bentley]

Since this is the MAK section, I guess you will have to ask that question elsewhere...

The Memphis is just so xxxx sexy, but is it really $1,000 better than the MAK?

[jstrand]

Waiting for rwalters to do some more direct cooking!
So does the MAK only go to 425 degrees? I thought it had a high setting? If so, have you tried that with the new grill grates? I know your all about the sear so I guess I'm a little surprised you haven't gone all out with new grates. Looking forward to more cooks as I'm interested in getting a 2 star. When funds allow of course. So really interested in what it can do.

[GoodRevrnd]

I haven't tested extensively yet, but right after beeping for reaching 'Grill' temp I believe the air probe was just over 450 and my IR gun read ~490 or error on the FlameZone (my IR gun only goes up to 500).  I didn't give the grill a chance to see how hot it could go, but 10 minutes later the air probe was ~525 which means the FZ was probably pushing 600.

[rwalters]

Waiting for rwalters to do some more direct cooking!
So does the MAK only go to 425 degrees? I thought it had a high setting? If so, have you tried that with the new grill grates? I know your all about the sear so I guess I'm a little surprised you haven't gone all out with new grates. Looking forward to more cooks as I'm interested in getting a 2 star. When funds allow of course. So really interested in what it can do.

Hey jstrand- Apologize for dropping the ball. My schedule has been insane since acquiring the sear grates. I do know that I’ll be cooking burgers on Wednesday and hoping for steak soon. I will absolutely be posting more pics/info as I am able.

To answer your question, no the MAK does not top out at 425°. I just prefer that temp for chicken. The ‘Grill’ setting will take the MAK up to around 500°, a bit hotter as the outdoor ambient temps start to pic with with spring/summer on its way.  One thing about the MAK 2 Star, when using the Flame Zone for direct grilling, the cooking surface is considerably hotter then what the digital controller (Pellet Boss) displays.  It’s HOT at the cooking grate surface!  The radiant heat from the FZ pan and the semi-direct heat coming through the little ports on the FZ pan... yeah, it’s HOT.

Prior to purchasing the sear grates, I did send Bob at MAK (owner) an email asking if he had pics of steaks he has cooked with his sear grates. Here is what he sent me...



Hope this helps a bit (for now)