Anyone here own a Green Mountain pellet grill?

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cabin fever

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Dec 1, 2009
116
11
Orange, VA
I've read that pellet grills are 100% wood fired so if this isn't the right section to post this in then I apologize. Anyway, after comparing the Traeger Lil Tex to the Green Mountain Daniel Boone over at pelletheads.com it seems like the DB would be the better of the two. With that said, how well do they actually cook as smokers?

My main concern is smoke flavor. I've owned just about every electric smoker under the sun and I've never been satisfied with the smoke flavor or lack there of I should say. If anyone here owns a Green Mountain DB or any pellet grill for that matter or knows someone who does I would really appreciate any information you could throw my way.
 
Good question, I'd like any info on them as well.  I currently own a lil tex and it has done a good job overall, just not real happy with the temp control or the companies response to some of the issues I've had.  I'll be looking at a Green Mountain later this week and am gonna ask if by any chance they have a demo unit I can try first.
 
I have a “Country Smoker” Pellet Grill.  It is the TG-300, “The Tailgater” model.

I was needing a new grill, didn’t like the gas one I had.  I bought an older Traeger

But it didn’t get hot enough to grill.  I used it for a while, would only get to 300 degrees on high setting.  When you needed to clean out the ash you had to lay it on its side and shake it out.  Sold it to a guy that only wanted to smoke with it, O.K. with him.

I wanted a pellet grill that would GRILL, you know 400-450 degrees.  I purchased this from Louisiana Grills (www.lousiana-grills.com).  I am very satisfied with it.  It has a rheostat which controls the amount of pellets that feed the burner.  It will smoke at 150 degrees or turn it up and it will sear at 500 degrees.   Turn it back a little and it is just right to grill at 400- 450 degrees.  A couple times and you will know just where you want to set it to have the temperature you need.  When you turn it off the fan stays on to cool the unit before it shuts down.  Safety.

The flavor from using hardwood pellets is great.  Even when you grill you still get that terrific flavor.

If you get a chance to test a grill, try it out look at all the features, have someone demo it for you.  They aren’t cheap, and you want to be happy with it long after you get it.

For me taking it apart to clean it has to be simple and easy.  The Country Smoker comes completely apart and can be cleaned in 3 minutes.  Remove the grill, then the “steel arched flavor guard”.  Remove the vented stainless pellet tray and stainless pellet tray holder.  I use a wide putty knife to scoop up the ash.  Put it back together and you are ready to grill or smoke.  I only clean it after 5 or 6 uses.  Not much ash to remove.

I will include some pic’s to let you see the insides of this unit. 

Control Panel....

Electric Ignitor....

Pellet tray Holder....Stainless

Pellet tray....stainless

Dispensing shoot....stainless

Starting the grill....turn it on and press start....

Everyting removed....Lots of room for cleanup....

Steel flavor Guard installed....

Fan blows on pellets....

Pellet Hopper....

Good luck with what you purchase, sounds like the Green Mountain might be a good unit.

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Don't have a Green Mountain but do have a Traeger 125 and just bought a FEC -100.  I haven't cooked enough with the FEC to give you a good honest opinion but what I see so far I really.  The Traeger gives me a nice smoke flavor that everyone always compliments.  I cooked a pumpkin pie  in the FEC last night and chicken breast tonight, the pie had a hint of smoke (was done at 350) and the chicken was good as well.
 
Stiper:  Assuming you have the 3 position switch, you can add the digital control to your Traeger, I highly recommend it.  I have cooked with both and you will wonder why you waited so long to upgrade.
 
Cwp777 and Carpetride, 

I'd just like to say thank you for your input. Now that I know a few members here own pellet poopers, I've just got to ask. How is the overall smoke flavor? I've been browsing the pellet heads forum and the general opinion across the board with all brands of pellet grills seems to be that they provide very little to no smoke flavor. Some even go as far as to say that every type of pellet (hickory/cherry/apple/etc.) provides the same flavor and they can‘t tell a difference.

I just don't understand that if the brand of pellet they are using is made up of 100% of said wood. Teams that exclusively use pellet grills/smokers are winning way too many comps these days for them not to provide decent smoke flavor. Something just doesn't add up so I'd really appreciate any info you guys might have.
 
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From my point of view I would say this:
  • It is very hard to oversmoke with a pellet cooker.
  • My Stumps is a very nice machine but I (and my wife) think I get better compliments about food cooked on my Traeger...could be that I oversmoke stuff with a charcoal machine, which is my fault and not the smokers.
  • I personally do taste a difference in the pellets.  I greatly prefer 100% Hickory from Chris at cookinpellets.com, I think that they standout from the others.
  • I have used BBQ'rs Delight and the Traeger pellets as well.  I believe that Traeger has went to using Alder in the west and Oak in the east with a "flavor" oil.  I use them only in a pinch.
  • Traegers are great little machines but they have a LOT of new competition which is really great for you and I.  I'm completely happy with mine but don't know that I would choose it with the current crop of pellet cookers out there.
I will be cooking this weekend with the FEC and will post some pics and better thoughts about it as well.  Quite a few of us Pellet Poopers here, I'm a member over there as well but spend most of my time here.
 
Yes...I have the Green Mountain Daniel Boone model.  I am actually cooking a bone-in turkey breat and a 5lb pork loin on it as I type.  I went with green mointain over the others for temperture control.  with a digital gauge I can set to any temp I want...from 175-500.  Its been a work horse...like a crock pot.  I set that bad boy and leave the house for hours at times.  send me a message with additional q's if you need other info

Chris
 
From my point of view I would say this:
  • It is very hard to oversmoke with a pellet cooker.
  • My Stumps is a very nice machine but I (and my wife) think I get better compliments about food cooked on my Traeger...could be that I oversmoke stuff with a charcoal machine, which is my fault and not the smokers.
  • I personally do taste a difference in the pellets.  I greatly prefer 100% Hickory from Chris at cookinpellets.com, I think that they standout from the others.
  • I have used BBQ'rs Delight and the Traeger pellets as well.  I believe that Traeger has went to using Alder in the west and Oak in the east with a "flavor" oil.  I use them only in a pinch.
  • Traegers are great little machines but they have a LOT of new competition which is really great for you and I.  I'm completely happy with mine but don't know that I would choose it with the current crop of pellet cookers out there.
I will be cooking this weekend with the FEC and will post some pics and better thoughts about it as well.  Quite a few of us Pellet Poopers here, I'm a member over there as well but spend most of my time here.
My main concern about pellet grills before I purchase one is the smoke flavor. I know you said that it's hard to over smoke with a pellet pooper, but wouldn't using 100% hickory pellets be the same thing as using an offset that's burning nothing but hickory logs? That's what confuses me. If I bought one, 95% of the cooking I did on it would be slow smoking and I wouldn't want to buy another smoker that provided little to no smoke flavor as I've owned my share of them in the past. I'm sorry, but I just want to know the facts before I go the pellet route.  
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My main concern about pellet grills before I purchase one is the smoke flavor. I know you said that it's hard to over smoke with a pellet pooper, but wouldn't using 100% hickory pellets be the same thing as using an offset that's burning nothing but hickory logs? That's what confuses me. If I bought one, 95% of the cooking I did on it would be slow smoking and I wouldn't want to buy another smoker that provided little to no smoke flavor as I've owned my share of them in the past. I'm sorry, but I just want to know the facts before I go the pellet route.  
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I think that those who say that they don't get good smoke flavor from pellets are possibly used to meat that is over smoked.  I know that is a highly subjective statement and why I stated it the way I did earlier
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.  There is always TBS rolling with my pellet cookers and of course the fan pushing a draft.  I mainly cook ribs and rarely get over 225, low and slow works great.  Sounds like the only way you are going to know is to try one for yourself.  Could you maybe find a buddy that has one or a restaurant that uses pellets in your area?  Most of my friends have bought one after eating at our house.  Do you have to have one to turn out great Que?  NO!  But it sure does make life easier.  I'm starting to feel like a salesman here so I will step back and let others answer. 
 
My Memphis Pro produces a good smoke flavor. I can smoke from 180 to 650 and it keeps the temps + or - 5 degrees. It's one of the best. I think the Memphis Advantage is about the same price as the DB.
 
I was thinking of joining the pellet heads forum (I've just been browsing the past few months) and seeing if someone near me would actually smoke something like a pork butt and ship it to me if I covered all costs. Sounds crazy I know, but right now it seems to be the only way for me to actually try something smoked on a pellet grill.

Anyway, the Mak 2 Star General seems to be the class leader in pellet grills at the moment and I've heard that it was built to produce more smoke than other brands of pellet grills so the Mak may be an option for me in the future as well. I'm not rushing into a pellet grill purchase so I'm just trying to gather as much information about them as possible. I really appreciate the input thus far folks.
 
I bet Bentley or someone over there could make an introduction for you to someone that has a rig for you to use/try out.  Dealers or restaurants.  Might check with someone like CookShack and ask if they have any restaurant customers in your area.
 
Carpetride, thanks.  I now have 2 Traegers, lil tex and the junior with the tailgate kit.(Birthday present)  Both grills have the upgraded temp control and both cook differently.  Temp control seems to swing about 25 degrees boths sides of where I have them set.  That being said I use one or the other and sometimes both of these grills 3 to 4 timea a week and have only had 1 complaint about any of the food I've served.  Turned out those folks just don't like things smoked.  However everyone seems to love the Wood cooked flavor of everything else.  I do think it gives me a bit to much smoke when it kicks in on the low temp settings, ie 225-275 degrees.  I did a roast yesterday 2 1/2 hours on smoke then 4 hours at 225 followed be 1 hour at 300 to finish.  This piece of meat is almost BLACK.
 
Carpetride, thanks.  I now have 2 Traegers, lil tex and the junior with the tailgate kit.(Birthday present)  Both grills have the upgraded temp control and both cook differently.  Temp control seems to swing about 25 degrees boths sides of where I have them set.  That being said I use one or the other and sometimes both of these grills 3 to 4 timea a week and have only had 1 complaint about any of the food I've served.  Turned out those folks just don't like things smoked.  However everyone seems to love the Wood cooked flavor of everything else.  I do think it gives me a bit to much smoke when it kicks in on the low temp settings, ie 225-275 degrees.  I did a roast yesterday 2 1/2 hours on smoke then 4 hours at 225 followed be 1 hour at 300 to finish.  This piece of meat is almost BLACK.


 Funny, the things you don't think about, I never go down on the smoke setting, always at 225 or above.  I guess I figured with the auger cycle on the Traeger you were getting the smoke for about 25% of the time anyways.  So I guess you potentially could over smoke things with a Pellet Cooker.
 
I bet Bentley or someone over there could make an introduction for you to someone that has a rig for you to use/try out.  Dealers or restaurants.  Might check with someone like CookShack and ask if they have any restaurant customers in your area.
Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.
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 Funny, the things you don't think about, I never go down on the smoke setting, always at 225 or above.  I guess I figured with the auger cycle on the Traeger you were getting the smoke for about 25% of the time anyways.  So I guess you potentially could over smoke things with a Pellet Cooker.
Thanks, I've now started using just the low setting (225?) just above the Smoke setting and seems to give everything a nice hint of smoke flavor.  Been real happy with the food coming off the grill at that setting.  Now if I can just get it to get to the high end of the spectrum in a timely manner it will all be good.  Right now it is not getting as hot as I think it should get for good Steak Grilling.  That being said, if I give the meat a bit more time on the grill is does come out good.  Just not getting that Seared look I like.
 
 
If you are shopping brands - as I do see all of the others mentioned - you really owe it to yourself to look at the Yoder pellet smokers/grills/ These will hit 600 F, or hold low temps under 200F and everything in between.

They are also the heaviest built - and ALL Amercian made ( o.k. - the fan is made in Germany
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 ) All 10 gage steel. Incredibly clean and detailed construction. Best warranty around - 10 years on the body - 3 years on all other parts.  Cost is more than the small GMG, but closer on the the large model to the larger GMG and - I almost bought a GMG.....until I learned about Yoder.

All American made, much heavier built, better warranty. E-mail or PM me if you want pictures - more than on the Yoder website. They make great products - but the website development is a bit behind. But - which would we want - pretty websites - or the best pit we can afford?
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