Talk me into the flamezone for my 1star!

[mikeharold]

Seriously, think I just need a nudge. Sold my weber gasser today and thinking about getting the flamezone for my 1 star. For those that did it, what are your thoughts? Hadn't used the weber in quite some time due to having the MAK and weber 22" kettle that handle the majority of my cooking these days. With cooler weather, hopefully, coming it would be nice to be able to handle everything on the MAK without dealing with charcoal especially when/if it rains. Been doing pizza about once a week on the MAK as well and was hoping it may raise the tamp a bit as well.

So lets have your input! Thanks.

[rwalters]

I cook on a 2 Star which has the Funnel Flame Zone as standard equipment. Prior to that, I had a 1 Star without the FFZ. Grilling is much better when you have the newer Flame Zone setup. With all heat being funneled to the cooking grate and allowed to come right through the drip pan... it makes a huge difference!  I have cooked on many grills and smokers over the years, some being pretty darn nice... and some not so nice... lol. I can honestly say that the MAK with FFZ is my all time favorite all around grill. I also have a 26.75 Weber kettle which I really enjoy... but I hardly ever use it because I enjoy the MAK even more! The only time I favor the kettle is when I want an insanely hot sear... and to be honest, it is not very often that I need it that hot. Plus it is really hard to not love the convenance of flipping a switch when you are in a hurry, tired, not in the mood to mess with charcoal or the weather ain’t all that

[smokeasaurus]

OK,  get a Flamezone 

[sparky]

Mak 1 star w/ flame zone vs weber kettle with charcoal and grill grates.  Only one choice in my opinion.  Weber rules.  I have owned maks with flame zone.  Maks = smokers and roasters.  A weber is a grilling machine.  I love maks but will always own a Weber kettle.

[mikeharold]

I love my kettle and can't see being without it. If I could only have one grill that would be it for sure. Sometimes it's nice to not have to deal with the charcoal though. Got my gasser before I got the kettle, before the MAK as well, and did like the convenience when the weather wasn't great or I was tired or it gets dark at 4:30. Stopped using the gasser though between having the MAK and the kettle. Just wondering if the flamezone is worth the investment vs having a gas grill. Trying to slim down on the less used cookers. The flamezone seems as though it may help bridge the gap.

[sparky]

It does get dark up here early too.  It is a pain starting charcoal and cooking in the dark.  I don't own a gas grill.   It's so easy to start up a mak.  Have you thought about getting grill grates.  A mak turned to 350 with grill grates will give you excellent grill marks on your protein.

[mikeharold]

Grill grates actually escaped my mind! May be a very happy medium. Grill marks aren't a concern, rather a good overall sear honestly. Have come to love the cold grate method on the Weber I picked up from ABC. But a good grilling is nice when I don't want to spend 1.5-2 hours cooking something as well. So why do we all have so many cookers.....??!!

[sparky]

I get a real good sear by turning grill grates over.

[smokeasaurus]

It does get dark up here early too.  It is a pain starting charcoal and cooking in the dark.  I don't own a gas grill.   It's so easy to start up a mak.  Have you thought about getting grill grates.  A mak turned to 350 with grill grates will give you excellent grill marks on your protein.

Got the same problem here Spark. I got one of those lighted headbands to wear when at the grill

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QGRWZNB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[sparky]

It does get dark up here early too.  It is a pain starting charcoal and cooking in the dark.  I don't own a gas grill.   It's so easy to start up a mak.  Have you thought about getting grill grates.  A mak turned to 350 with grill grates will give you excellent grill marks on your protein.

Got the same problem here Spark. I got one of those lighted headbands to wear when at the grill

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QGRWZNB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have one of those too but since I haven't unpacked all the boxes I can't find it.

[TentHunteR]

My poor Weber kettle has been sitting, unused, ever since we got our 2017 MAK 1Star with the newer style FlameZone.  It's THAT good!

[jimsbarbecue]

The flame zone also uses less pellets. Our MAK gets to 600 if we set it on grill using the flame zone. We do have a Hasty Bake that we use sometimes . The MAK gets 80% of the cooking time with us

[mikeharold]

Thanks for the inputs Tent and Jim. Was starting to lean towards the grill grates, but still not sure.

Tent, since you have had both 1 stars with and without the flamezone, is there any appreciable difference as far as smoking is concerned whether for better or worse? I love getting a good all over sear with the cold grate method on the Weber so a good sear is one of my big considerations as well.

I keep waffling back and forth on which way I want to go. I'm a fairly decisive person and have to be for what I do, but this one has me caught in indecision land! 

[sschorr]

I also have a MAK 2 Star with the new FZ.  I also upgraded my Pellet Boss controller.  Both are significant upgrades to the MAK's performance - startup time is faster, less pellet consumption, hotter temps (choice of pellets plays a significant role in the upper temp production!).  I have MAK's grill grates as well.  You will get the full range - excellent smoke through very hot searing capabilities. 

Full disclosure:  I also have a Weber Summit gasser with GrillGrates, which I've had since 2008.  The gasser is still my "go to" for grilling, particularly for steaks, dogs, fajitas, etc.  Since it is LP, I do not have the "hassle" of setting up the charcoal, nor the clean-up, so most of those cooks are 30 minutes start to finish.

So, given what you highlighted as your decision "drivers" in your first post on this, I think the upgrade is clearly a great path.  You have the MAK 1 Star already, so it is a great choice IMHO.