BBQ

Thanksgiving Feast Cooked on MAK 2 Star Pellet Grill

The MAK 2 Star went from smoke mode to 400F without skipping a beat. The true power of a wood fired pellet smoker is the ability to change temperature quickly.

Pace Talley

Pace Talley

— 5 min read
Thanksgiving Feast Cooked on MAK 2 Star Pellet Grill

The MAK 2 Star pellet grill performed triple duty the last few days. We have cooked turkeys, Irish nachos, cornbread stuffing, and pecan pies. We cooked turkeys a few different ways which we will discuss in more detail.

The MAK 2 Star went from smoke mode, to 330F, back to 225F, and then up to 400F without skipping a beat. The true power of a wood fired pellet smoker is the ability to change temperature quickly so you can cook different types of food. One after another. Everything in this extravaganza was cooked on a pellet grill.

Who doesn’t love a good smoked turkey leg at the carnival? That is always a fan favorite.

Cook Details

  • 3 Turkeys around 12-16 lbs
  • Pecan pies, Irish nachos, cornbread stuffing, and good beer
  • MAK 2 Star pellet grill
  • FlameZone Covers on
  • Lumber Jack wood pellets

The MAK 2 Star General pellet grill reported for duty. What a blast!

Turkey #1: Texas Pecan Turkey on MAK 2 Star Pellet Grill

Turkey cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill on bottom rack with SuckleBusters Texas Pecan Seasoning
Turkey cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill on bottom rack with SuckleBusters Texas Pecan Seasoning

This 15 pound turkey was coated in olive oil, and then we sprinkled all over the SuckleBusters Texas Pecan seasoning. It was cooked on the bottom rack with the FlameZone Covers on.

I set User Program 1 on the Pellet Boss Controller for the first turkey. The temperature for this cook was taken from the MAK Grills blog. We set the MAK 2 Star to smoke at 200 for 3 hours. After three hours, the MAK Pellet Boss controller automatically bumped up the temp to 330. We set the alarm on meat probe one to go off at 165 internal. The probe was inserted into the thickest part of the breast.

At 3 hours and 37 minutes this turkey was done.

Turkey #2: Traditional Turkey

Traditional turkey cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill
Traditional turkey cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill

I cooked the next two turkeys on the upper rack. This turkey was seasoned the traditional way with olive oil, herbal seasoning mix from grocery store, sage leave, and salt, pepper, garlic. We cooked this turkey in a foil pan which made the cook a little easier. Turned out great!

  • 225F for 3 hours 5 minutes (145 internal in breast)
  • 375F for about 32 minutes (165 internal in breast)
Turkey breast cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill
Turkey breast cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill

The turkey breast sliced well and was very moist. We have been very pleased with how moist our birds have been cooking them on the pellet grill.

Turkey #3: Texas Pecan Seasoning Again

Beautiful color on this turkey cooked on the MAK 2 Star pellet grill. The longer time at the higher heat made for a better bite on the skin.
Beautiful color on this turkey cooked on the MAK 2 Star pellet grill. The longer time at the higher heat made for a better bite on the skin.

We cooked this last turkey the longest at a higher heat and the skin had a better bite. This turkey had a beautiful finish as the skin was retracting away from the meat.

  • 200F for 2 hours
  • 330F for 1 1/2 hours (165 internal in breast)

Put Stuffing in MAK 2 Star Side Smoker

Thanksgiving stuffing in MAK 2 Star side smoker.
Thanksgiving stuffing in MAK 2 Star side smoker.

Already cooked stuffing was placed in the side smoker at 225F for one hour to get some smoke flavor on the stuffing.

Cooked Irish Nachos in MAK 2 Star Pellet Grill

Irish Nachos cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill.
Irish Nachos cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill.

The Irish Nachos side dish turned out to be a big hit with the family. How could it not with potato rounds slathered in bacon grease and topped with bacon, cheese, peppers, and onions? What a great side dish!

Smoked Pecan Pie on MAK 2 Star Pellet Grill

Smoked pecan pie in a chocolate crust cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill
Smoked pecan pie in a chocolate crust cooked on MAK 2 Star pellet grill

We made two pecan pies in a chocolate crust on our MAK 2 Star pellet grill. You start off at 400F for 10 minutes and then cook the remaining 50-55 minutes at 300F. Once again, having a pellet grill that can drop from 400F down to 300F quickly is crucial. The pies turned out great with the perfect amount of smoke flavor.

Beer Pairing: 40 Days and 40 Nights IPA for the Cook

Lazarus 40 Days & 40 Nights IPA. If you like IPA beers, you gotta give this a try. It's a great beer.
Lazarus 40 Days & 40 Nights IPA. If you like IPA beers, you gotta give this a try. It's a great beer.

Our beer pairing for this cook was the 40 Days & 40 Nights American IPA from Lazarus Brewing Company. They are located in downtown Austin, Tx just east of IH-35, and they brew some delightful beers. If you are ever southbound 35, stop in for a seasonal brew. They are alway experimenting with new recipes.

Thanksgiving Drink and Side Table

Water, tea, rolls, cranberries, and yams ready for service.
Water, tea, rolls, cranberries, and yams ready for service.

A beautiful outdoor setting as we celebrated Thanksgiving.

How Did The Turkey Extravaganza Turnout?

Final Thanksgiving plate with turkey, dressing, green beans, Irish nachos, and sweet potato casserole. Yum!
Final Thanksgiving plate with turkey, dressing, green beans, Irish nachos, and sweet potato casserole. Yum!

Great! Everything was tasty and moist. The stuffing had great smoke flavor. The Irish potato's were a huge hit. We were happy with how the pecan pies turned out in the chocolate crust. The food was awesome. We will be doing it all over again here in a couple of weeks for Christmas.

Having a good outdoor cooker you can rely on is crucial. The MAK 2 Star pellet grill took everything I threw at it without ever skipping a beat.

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