Need help selecting new cooker

[golfpro2301]

Hey guys,

I am looking into the Traegers for a lil while now and I cant convince myself to pull the trigger. It seems like for every great review out there there is a terrible one. It seems that the quality of the product has gone down recently. Is that true? I would like to get a good pellet cooker that has the temp control unit attached without spending a lot of $$$. Any opinions?

 

[ryan johnson]

look at the green mountain grill daniel boone!  its not much more than the treager and the temp control is second to none!!  You will not be disappointed!  The grill is awesome,  and in my opinion it is much better than the traeger.  You will not be disappointed!

 

[golfpro2301]

Ryan,

Thanks. Still having a hard time deciding. I did look at the Green Mountain Jim Bowie cause I want a bigger cooking area. Is it really that much better than the Traeger texas? The reason I ask is I can get a traeger from my local Ace but have to have a GM shipped which would be costly. Also, does the Jim Bowie come up a second rack? I know I could easily make one for both the Bowie and the Traeg but didnt know if it was standard with the GM.

 

[beernuts]

The GMG is a very good grill.  It has more features than the Traeger and a much better controller.  The remote is available and works as advertised.  There is a second rack available for the JB.  One of the best mods I've seen so far is to mount the accessory front shelf inside the pit.  It fits great and is removable so you can run just the grill grates if you want.   There really isn't much difference in the quality of the product you make with either unit it's just that the GMG is much easier to use and has a much better standard feature set.  

In the interest of full disclosure I have a GMG Daniel Boone.  I compared it to the Traeger and found it a better buy.   If you go to the GMG site they have a comparison between the Traeger and GMG.  

Edit: Check the GMG site for a dealer in your area.  They may have a couple close to you so the shipping will be cheap or included in the price.  

 

[seenred]

I'm with these guys...I have been researching pellet smokers myself, and I'm convinced the Green Mountain is the way to go.  I'll be saving for a while either way, but when I can afford to pull the trigger, I want to go with the GMG.

 

[golfpro2301]

Thanks Nuts. I think you just made my decision for me. Now I just need to find a place nearby that carries them. Looks like there is a dealer close by but I dont know if they carry that model in stock. Any place you know if where I can get it for less than the $999?

 

[geerock]

Golfer
If you go with the gmg just be sure to get the latest model. They have been making changes constantly to these things (all good upgrades) listening to customer input so take advantage and be sure to get most recent model.

Another idea is maybe Louisianna Grill Country Smoker made in north america or to save a few bucks is a clone called Pellet Pro. Just food for thought but newest GMG is good choice.

 

[ryan johnson]

Golfer, I think there is an accesory shelf you can get to fit inside the jim bowie too. I have one for my daniel boone and i am sure they have one for the jim bowie too. it works awesome in my grill! Ask the dealer about it. I also have the remote control on my daniel boone! Trust me its worth it in the winter months!!! I also have the thermal insulating blanket on my grill! If you live in a cold climate it will really help to reduce your pellet consumption in the winter months!!! It is an extremely easy cooker to use and i personally can highly recommend the gmg!! It really produces some awesome food!!!

 

[ryan johnson]

Golfer i dont think you can get the Jim bowie gmg for under $1000, but i do know you should be able to get the daniel boone with a remote control. For me i find the daniel boone to be plenty sufficient as far as cooking space goes. Good luck!

 

[golfpro2301]

Well I pulled the trigger. Ordered the Jim Bowie today and should arrive Thurs at local BBQ Store. With the rush shipping and tax it came to a total of $1200. They said If I bring cash it would be $1000 even. sounds like a deal to me. Next is figuring out the mods when it arrives. I was thinking about lining the bottom with firebrick. have you seen anyone put a water pan in the bottom? Alos, thought about adding an amaze for added smoke flavor. Prob bolt some angle iron I have laying around on the inside for an additional shelf. Any others that would be good or some that I mentioned that I shouldnt use.

 

[ryan johnson]

Congratulations!!!  You will love it!  I personally dont think you need to line the bottom with bricks.  It will make cleaning out the ash more difficult.  I just use a shop vac to clean out the ash.  The grill maintains temp easily without the bricks.  Also there is no need for a water pan either.  The meats always come out nice and juicy.  some guys use the amazn tube smoker for added smoke flavor.  I have never tried it.  also i'm going to give you a website that is an awesome resource for pellet grillers.  www.pelletheads.com   Those guys have been a tremendous resource for me, as well as this forum.  Plenty of recipes for pellet grillers and they talk about all different brands and makes of pellet grills and alot of issues people have had with their grills.  I think they have pictures of some of the mods they have made for shelving.  Welcome to the GMG family! 

 

[ptpalms]

Just saw your topic, I shoulda chimed in earlier. 

You should have looked at the Blazin Grill Works smokers. 

For what you spent, you could have gotten a fully loaded Grand Slam model w/ upper shelf, stainless roller grates, and custom powdercoated. 

They are 3 times as heavy duty as the treagers and gmg's. 

They sell factory direct, are American made, and have pretty cheap shipping. 

 

[golfpro2301]

Well I just got it put together and I must say I am impressed with the durability of it. Its going thru its initial burn right now. I have the smoker set at 375*. I also put three temp probes that were tested in water and were dead on accurate. far left registers 350*, middle is 348*, far right 354*. This is weird because I thought the far right furthest from the burn pot would be the lowest. Is it normal for the smoker controller to be off by 25*?

 

[beernuts]

One of the things about owning any pellet grill is figuring out how it cooks.  The hot spots, cool spots, temp differences, etc.   I'm constantly working to find the best places for food to cook and smoking temps.  Don't get me wrong,  I enjoy this stuff.  If I want to I can set the temp to whatever I want and it'll be plenty close to use.  My grill runs a bit hot.  Usually I set the temp and let it settle in for a half hour or so.  Then I turn it up to cooking temp let it settle in and start cooking.  After the food hits the grill my temps will drop another 10 degrees +- so I keep an eye on the display until I'm confident the temps are solid. 

If you know your grill is running cool try running it without baffle.  Measure the grate temps at the three points and see if its running hotter.  If not contact Neil at GMG and follow his recommendations.  He won't steer you wrong.  Your temps across the grate seem pretty close so that's good.  Removing the baffle may cause the temps to rise but the difference across the grate could be 25 - 30 degrees left to right.   

Another thing to look at is the brand of pellets you are using.  GMG pellets burn hot since they use oak as a major component with hickory and another I can't remember as the remainder.  Some brands use alder which may not burn as hot and leave more ash and crud in the bottom of your pit.  

I hope this helps a bit.  

 

[golfpro2301]

After having it on for 3 hours I figured out a few more things. The temp only varies 2* from left to right. and the cookers temp readout is 24* higher than actual temp. Knowing this cooking will be a lot easier. Now its time for a few simple mods. Lid gasket and second rack will prob come first. The pellets I used were a random brand. The only reason why I bought them was they came in a water tight bucket that holds 20lbs. I will prob order some off of Todds website next week. Anyone know if there is a cover at lowes that will fit it. I dont feel like paying $70 for the GMG one.

 

[ryan johnson]

what i highly recommend  is to get yourself a good digital meat thermometer.  i have found minor temp variation as well when cooking.  i cook to the desired internal temp of the meat and dont really worry as much about the temp of the grates.  I also like having the second meat probe so i can compare it with the gmg temp probe and usually they are within a couple degrees of each other.  This helps me out alot when doing large cooks such as turkeys, hams and pork butts.  I put the gmg probe on one side of grill and the other meat probe in another portion.