diff --git a/config/gen/makefiles/root.in b/config/gen/makefiles/root.in
index 45236ee..5dff74e 100644
--- a/config/gen/makefiles/root.in
+++ b/config/gen/makefiles/root.in
@@ -572,7 +572,8 @@ EXTRANCITHUNKS_SO   = $(DYNEXT_DIR)/extra_nci_thunks$(LOAD_EXT)
 # This is set to MAKE=$make if your $make command doesn't
 # do it for you.
 @make_set_make@
-MAKE = @make_c@
+MAKE = @make@
+MAKE_C = @make_c@
 
 # These need to be above lines that define suffix rules to be portable
 # (certainly FreeBSD make doesn't grok the pir.pbc rule otherwise)
@@ -836,7 +837,7 @@ installable: all $(INSTALLABLEPARROT) $(INSTALLABLEPDUMP) $(INSTALLABLEDIS) $(IN
 
 bootstrap-ops : $(OPS2C)
 	$(OPS2C) --core --quiet
-	$(MAKE) .
+	$(MAKE_C) .
 
 runtime/parrot/include/parrotlib.pbc: runtime/parrot/library/parrotlib.pir $(PARROT) $(GEN_PASM_INCLUDES)
 	$(PARROT) -o $@ runtime/parrot/library/parrotlib.pir
@@ -1295,7 +1296,7 @@ examples/pasm/hello.pbc: examples/pasm/hello.pasm
 #	$(PARROT) -o examples/pasm/hello$(O) examples/pasm/hello.pbc
 #
 #examples/pasm/hello$(EXE): examples/pasm/hello$(O)
-#	$(MAKE) . EXEC=examples/pasm/hello exec
+#	$(MAKE_C) . EXEC=examples/pasm/hello exec
 examples/pasm/hello$(EXE): examples/pasm/hello.pbc $(PBC_TO_EXE)
 	$(PBC_TO_EXE) examples/pasm/hello.pbc
 
@@ -1931,10 +1932,10 @@ html.stub:
 	@echo "Perldoc is required, but not detected."
 
 html.dummy :
-	$(MAKE) docs html
+	$(MAKE_C) docs html
 
 html-clean :
-	$(MAKE) docs html-clean
+	$(MAKE_C) docs html-clean
 
 #IF(has_perldoc):htmlhelp : htmlhelp.dummy
 #ELSE:htmlhelp : htmlhelp.stub
@@ -1943,16 +1944,16 @@ htmlhelp.stub:
 	@echo "Perldoc is required, but not detected."
 
 htmlhelp.dummy :
-	$(MAKE) docs htmlhelp
+	$(MAKE_C) docs htmlhelp
 
 htmlhelp-clean :
-	$(MAKE) docs htmlhelp-clean
+	$(MAKE_C) docs htmlhelp-clean
 
 pdf:
-	$(MAKE) docs pdf
+	$(MAKE_C) docs pdf
 
 pdf-clean:
-	$(MAKE) docs pdf-clean
+	$(MAKE_C) docs pdf-clean
 
 ###############################################################################
 #
@@ -1970,7 +1971,7 @@ ext-clean:
 ###############################################################################
 
 editor-clean :
-	$(MAKE) editor clean
+	$(MAKE_C) editor clean
 
 ###############################################################################
 #
diff --git a/config/inter/make.pm b/config/inter/make.pm
index 2d315b9..996bd86 100644
--- a/config/inter/make.pm
+++ b/config/inter/make.pm
@@ -112,19 +112,10 @@ sub runstep {
 sub _set_make_c {
     my ($conf, $prog) = @_;
     if ( $conf->data->get('gmake_version') ) {
-        $conf->data->set( make_c => "$prog -C" );
+        $conf->data->set( make_c => "+$prog -C" );
     }
     else {
-
-        # get the default value
-        my $make_c = $conf->data->get('make_c');
-
-        # TT #1049: this is an ugly hack
-        # replace the value for $(MAKE) with the actual path or we'll end up
-        # with a variable that recursively refers to itself
-        $make_c =~ s/\$\(MAKE\)/$prog/;
-
-        $conf->data->set( make_c => $make_c );
+        # The default value is fine.
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/t/steps/inter/make-01.t b/t/steps/inter/make-01.t
index 63a3af7..6912904 100644
--- a/t/steps/inter/make-01.t
+++ b/t/steps/inter/make-01.t
@@ -66,11 +66,11 @@ $step = test_step_constructor_and_description($conf);
 $conf->data->set('gmake_version' => '4.1');
 my $prog = 'gmake';
 inter::make::_set_make_c($conf, $prog);
-is($conf->data->get('make_c'), 'gmake -C',
+is($conf->data->get('make_c'), '+gmake -C',
     "make_c correctly set when gmake");
 
 $conf->data->set('gmake_version' => undef);
-my $str = q|$(PERL) -e 'chdir shift @ARGV; system q{$(MAKE)}, @ARGV; exit $$?  >> 8;'|;
+my $str = q|$(PERL) -e 'chdir shift @ARGV; system q{make}, @ARGV; exit $$?  >> 8;'|;
 $conf->data->set(make_c => $str);
 $prog = 'make';
 inter::make::_set_make_c($conf, $prog);