Finally decided on Daniel Boone: a few questions

[hammick]

Need a pellet grill for our vacation place. Can't justify the money on a Rec Tec and need something that I can wheel around on gravel. Daniel Boone seems to check all the boxes and the current sales price can't be beat. Plus my wife will love the Pizza attachment I'll get her for X-max.

Place I'm going to buy from guarantees fresh stock. They are waiting for them to come in. Will honor the $499 price point even if they come in after 12-1.

I see that the non-stainless has a 13ga lid and the stainless lid is 14ga. Is there any reason to get the stainless lid for $25 more other than looks? I will have the GMG blanket on it year round plus it's a low humidity climate so rust isn't an issue.

Has GMG worked out the hot spot issues with the latest design changes? There is nothing about the Daniel Boone's center fired pot that leads me to believe it would have hot spots any worse than other pellet grills with center fired pots. GMG says the hot spots can be evened out by moving the new design heat shield left or right. I'm willing to try Don Godke's downdraft device if needed.

I'm not sure why GMG doesn't get more love on these forums. The Daniel Boone has the same gauge cooking chamber as the Rec Tec Bull (14ga). The Stampede has 18ga steel and the Trailblazer 15ga. $499 with wifi seems like a steal.

The Daniel Boone's lbs per main grate square cooking inch is heavier than all sub $1,500 grills other than the Camp Chef Woodwind.

Below are the calculations I did during my agonizing research.

I'll be making my purchase in the next few days so last chance to talk me into something different.


All calculations below based on main cooking grate sq in.

Rec Tec RT-340 (340 sq in)(weight 89 lbs) .2617 lbs per sq in (cooking chamber 15ga; lid 12ga) (32w x18d x41h) (576 sq in footprint)

RT-590 (590 sq in)(123 lbs) .2084 lbs per sq in (cooking chamber 18ga; lid 12ga (44w x 20d x 41h) (880 sq in footprint)

RT-700 (702 sq in) (195 lbs) .2777 lbs per sq in (cooking chamber 14ga; lid 12ga) 54w x 36d x 50h (1,944 sq in footprint)

GMG Daniel Boone (458 sq in) (155 lbs) (body 14ga steel; lid stainless 14ga; lid painted 13ga) (56w x 24d x 51h) .3384 lbs per sq in (1344 sq in footprint)

Cabelas 24” (502 sq in) (145 lbs) (.2888 lbs per sq in) (50.6w x 25.2w x 48.4h) (1,275 sq in footprint)

Cam Chef portable (253 sq in) (82 lbs) (.3241 lbs per sq in)

Camp Chef DLX24 (429 sq in) (140 lbs) (.3263 lbs per sq in)

Camp Chef Woodwind Classic (429 sq in) (146 lbs) (.3403 lbs per sq in)

Camp Chef Woodwind SG (429 sq in) (150 lbs) (.3496 lbs per sq in)

Grilla Silverback (507 sq in) (170 lbs) (.3353 lbs per sq in) (47w x 22d x 51h)

 

[Kiwi Smoke]

Jeez mate that's some serious research. Good onya and congrats on your new grill..

 

[SonnyE]

I think I've got a headache...

 

[hammick]

OK. I know I'm an anal effer. Let me whittle it down. What are people's thoughts on the latest model Daniel Boone?

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Had a stainless gas grill for a few years, what a pain to try to keep looking nice. I'd go for heavier gauge metal every time. Keeps the heat locked in better.

 

[Kiwi Smoke]

OK. I know I'm an anal effer. Let me whittle it down. What are people's thoughts on the latest model Daniel Boone?

Not at all.bro, I'm very impressed.
I too have looked long and hard but you're explanation is very comprehensive.
As I said not knocking it at all.

 

[SonnyE]

OK. I know I'm an anal effer. Let me whittle it down. What are people's thoughts on the latest model Daniel Boone?

I almost bought a GMG, but the tiny one, Davy Crockett. I wanted something for home or RVing away.
Alas, pellet grills could not fill my low temperature desires. So I decided to stick with what I knew, and stayed with electric.
But... that little feller is still in my sights. ;) A lot for a little.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I have a Davey Crockett and love it. Does take care to get the heat shields aligned to get even heat on both ends.

 

[Quibbley]

I can certainly tell you put a lot of thought into your purchase. I don't own a GMG smoker. I have a Silverbac with a stainless steel lid. I had a stainless steel gas grill years ago that I got from Lowe’s. It wasn't cheap but it wasn't expensive either. I gave it away after two years because the stainless steel wasn't good quality. I had to clean it a lot and I still has some small rust spots even though I kept it covered. However, I never had a problem with the stainless steel lid on my Silverbac. I keep it covered but I very rarely clean the lid like I cleaned the stainless steel gas grill. Not all stainless steel is created equal. I suspect in my case, there is a difference in the quality of the stainless steel. My guess the reason the stainless steel lid on the GMG is $25 more is because of stainless steel cost more especially if it’s A better grade.

I cannot speak to the quality of a GMG since I don’t own one but I haven’t heard of anyone who has one complain about the stainless steel lid rusting. I would think that if rust was an issue then it would have been mentioned in other posts given the number of GMG smokers that have been sold.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[cord]

I can only go off my own feeling after looking at the products in person. I did not find the GMG build quality to be superior to others i've looked at in a similar price range (Camp/LG/Traeger) it wasn't worse mind you, just not better. I've also done a lot of anecdotal research and GMG appears to have more satisfied customers on forums and groups than the others mentioned.

 

[Cookin-it]

I just purchased the GMG DB myself. I pick it up on Friday. Did about 2 weeks worth of research on pellet grills, as this is my first, and I decided the DB was best for me. I really only want it to smoke on as an upgrade from my masterbuilt dual fuel vertical (which I loved but, temp fluctuation and all the babysitting involved led me to want to upgrade to pellet) and I'll keep my Charbroil propane grill for quicker cooking. With The Black Friday deal that GMG was having, I think bang-for-your-buck, the GMG DB was the right call. I picked up some high temp self-stick gasket to apply to the doors, silicone sealant for the joints and a 3ftx3ft welding blanket on Amazon so, i think Im good to go! Good luck! I'm brand new to this forum and can't wait to get smoking and learning from you folks!

 

[ameskimo1]

Congrats on the GMG! We almost went with the Black Friday price at a local dealer but ended up out of town. Just laid down the dough for Silverbac today, now I wait. Patience is a virtue, they say.

 

[InThePittBBQ]

GMG extended the Black Friday sale until 12/9, those DB's are hard to pass up at that price I may snag one just for a chicken cooker.

 

[Cookin-it]

I picked up the DB on a Sunday. Cooked a couple of steaks on it on Monday. Went to fire it up on Thursday and it wouldnt get hot. Called GMG customer service and they determined that the ignitor was bad. needless to say, I wasnt very happy that something would go bad 4 days into owning it brand new. The customer service rep threw in a top shelf, some rub and some bbq sauce along with sending out the part. I got it in 2 days and it took all of about 5 minutes to replace the bad one. I'm going to just file that under 'shit happens' and move on. I smoked a brisket and some pork belly burnt ends this weekend. i LOVE not having to babysit the temp on this thing. The meal was fantastic!

 

[InThePittBBQ]

In the event you ever lose the igniter rod in any pellet grill, you can still cook with a handful of pellets and a small torch to get them going in the pot before turning on the controller will get it up and running.

It's bound to happen at some point with any pellet cooker. Big plus with GMG's design of their hot rod is it's very easy to change compared to some other brands.

 

[Cookin-it]

In the event you ever lose the igniter rod in any pellet grill, you can still cook with a handful of pellets and a small torch to get them going in the pot before turning on the controller will get it up and running.

It's bound to happen at some point with any pellet cooker. Big plus with GMG's design of their hot rod is it's very easy to change compared to some other brands.

Doesnt mean I want that point to be 4 days into ownership. lol