A pellet pooper folowed me home!

[radio]

And the wife said I could keep it:D

Been wanting a smoker I don't have to feed every hour, but always seem to be a bit short of coin for what I really would like. On a whim, I opened Craig's list last night and low and behold a local Green Mountain Grills dealer had a slightly used Daniel Boone at a heckuva price! It was returned because of a faulty gasket, so they replaced his smoker and put this one on sale for $400 and no tax and still with the warranty. I haggled a bit and got them to throw in two bags of pellets with it.

Now the learning curve begins! My stick burners are the happiest between 250 and 275, so that where I've cooked Briskets and Butts. It will be interesting to actually cook "low and slow" for a change. I'm especially looking forward to doing the beef or venison logs in this one as the stick burners required constant attention and easily got too hot for the job if not watched like a hawk!

 

[troutman]

Congrats on your new pellet pooper. One thing to remember is the smoke profile is going to be very different going from a stick burner to a pellet grill. It will give you excellent results if done right, just not as smokey. The convenience factor is really nice however, in fact I find myself cooking on mine more often then not. No hassle with fire maintenance with either wood or charcoal, but again giving those things up is a trade off.

 

[mowin]

Love my GMG DB.

I agree with above that the smoke flavor is less than my stick burner. I use a a-maz-n tube for all of my cooks. Smoke profile is close to my SB.

Don't be surprised if the grate temp is different than set temp. Mines off by quite a bit. Side to side is off too, but not as much.

 

[radio]

Love my GMG DB.

I agree with above that the smoke flavor is less than my stick burner. I use a a-maz-n tube for all of my cooks. Smoke profile is close to my SB.

Don't be surprised if the grate temp is different than set temp. Mines off by quite a bit. Side to side is off too, but not as much.

I have a pellet stove insert we use a lot in the winter instead of central heat. That puppy burns HOT and little to no visible smoke from the chimney. When outside, I can occasionally catch a whiff of of it if the wind is right and it has a nice aroma. The Ember Hearth pellets I buy are premium pellets made here in the Ozarks from Oak hardwoods and make almost no ash or clinkers like other pellets I have tried.
Yep, I expect some differences in the chamber and will use my Maverick dual probe to sort it out

 

[mowin]

I have a pellet stove insert we use a lot in the winter instead of central heat. That puppy burns HOT and little to no visible smoke from the chimney. When outside, I can occasionally catch a whiff of of it if the wind is right and it has a nice aroma. The Ember Hearth pellets I buy are premium pellets made here in the Ozarks from Oak hardwoods and make almost no ash or clinkers like other pellets I have tried.
Yep, I expect some differences in the chamber and will use my Maverick dual probe to sort it out

I had a pellet stove for yrs. They burn alot hotter than when going low and slow with a pellet grill. The hotter you cook, the less smoke it will produce. Sometimes I'll start my cooks @ 150* as it produces more smoke.

 

[radio]

Got the inaugural smoke in today on Venison sausage logs and some things I like, and some things I dislike. Quite a bit of temperature variation from one end to the other and temp swings about 10 degrees as it feeds new pellets . I did a lot of monitoring today with my dual probe Maverick to learn the smoker a bit and compare to the temp I set the smoker at. I love the "set and forget" that will be possible on long smokes, but dislike the convection effect drying the items. Now I see why they suggest spritzing things about every hour. Almost guaranteed I will foil most things to retain moisture. Not sure how it will perform on ribs

 

[markh024]

I have no issues with food drying out in my pellet grill. I dont really spritz much either so that I'm not letting heat out constantly. Ive done ribs, pork loins, tloins, turkey, chicken breasts. Everything has been juicy with a good smoke flavor for my liking.

 

[radio]

I have no issues with food drying out in my pellet grill. I dont really spritz much either so that I'm not letting heat out constantly. Ive done ribs, pork loins, tloins, turkey, chicken breasts. Everything has been juicy with a good smoke flavor for my liking.

the Venison logs were moist enough inside, but I do not use a casing so they get more smoke flavor. The outside was quite dry and tough. Not at all like the ones I smoke in the stick burner. as with any new method, the pellet rig has a learning curve and will take some getting used to. Briskets and butts will be the true test and the decision of whether the grill stays or goes

 

[mowin]

I've haven't experienced meats drying out in the GMG. In fact it's just the opposite. I've foiled ribs, and let them go till done without foil. Tender, juicy, and FOB.

Cooked many mini breakfast fatties, sausage and other smaller meats without drying them out. Venison is a very lean meat. If it's sightly over cooked, it will start to dry out fast.

 

[Bearcarver]

Great !!
I got my first Dog that same way when I was about 8 years old, but it was my Mom who let me keep it. :D

Bear

 

[radio]

I've haven't experienced meats drying out in the GMG. In fact it's just the opposite. I've foiled ribs, and let them go till done without foil. Tender, juicy, and FOB.

Cooked many mini breakfast fatties, sausage and other smaller meats without drying them out. Venison is a very lean meat. If it's sightly over cooked, it will start to dry out fast.

I've haven't experienced meats drying out in the GMG. In fact it's just the opposite. I've foiled ribs, and let them go till done without foil. Tender, juicy, and FOB.

Cooked many mini breakfast fatties, sausage and other smaller meats without drying them out. Venison is a very lean meat. If it's sightly over cooked, it will start to dry out fast.

as stated above, the dryness was on the surface. Pretty sure it was a result of the fan circulating the air as it was not overcooked. These were prepared the same way I always prepared them and cooked at the same temperature according to my Maverick, not the displayed temp on the unit which was substantially lower. I saw such a big difference in what the GMG said VS my Maverick that I actually tested it in ice water again just to be sure.

 

[mowin]

as stated above, the dryness was on the surface. Pretty sure it was a result of the fan circulating the air as it was not overcooked. These were prepared the same way I always prepared them and cooked at the same temperature according to my Maverick, not the displayed temp on the unit which was substantially lower. I saw such a big difference in what the GMG said VS my Maverick that I actually tested it in ice water again just to be sure.

Does your fan run all the time? It's not supposed to. If it is, a call to GMG customer support would be my advice. They have fantastic CS.

 

[mneeley490]

Congrats on your bargain! I got the same smoker last summer and I love it for the convenience, too.
I agree with the convection drying of the surface; found that out doing a brisket. Just keep a good sized water pan in one corner to help with the humidity. Also, I found that the right side was slight hotter than the left, apparently others have as well. So put thicker cuts on that end to keep everything cooking evenly.