Green Mountain Grill/pellet cooker

[Gumb]

If we are talking GMG, they provide a handy chart on pellet use:

In round terms a pound is 500g.

So at high temp roasting......400F (205C) it is using 1.4 pound (700g) per hour...so a 9kg bag will give you 12.85 hours.

The GMG pellet bag contains 12.7Kg (28-lb) RRP $33 ($2.59 per kilo)....so a two hour roast uses 1.4kg at a cost of $3.62.

I'd say that's not too bad!


Lets say a 4bnr with two burners running will give 200C, so at that rate a bottle gives 12 hours....same as a 9kg bag of pellets in a pellet BBQ.........9kg bag of pellets say $25ish......gas bottle refill $20ish......so Pellets are $0.41 per hour dearer than gas.

Then we start talking about the taste!


Cheers
Chris

Excellent Chris, thanks. I agree, it's not too bad at all. I have never done a roast in the gasser, always the webber or kamado. The gasser is for quick grilling during week and maybe smoking some salmon is as close to it being used as an oven I'd ever get.

It seems that the cheapest by far is the kamado or BSK etc with it's low charcoal use. But you are correct, it's more about taste than cost. I just have to justify another cooker on the balcony, which is not usual for me, I'm generally impulsive. Buy now, buyers remorse later.

[Commander Cody]

I like to light a fire as well, and sitting tending it with a beer is therapeutic! But my pellet cooker comes into it’s own when the luxury of time (or I should say Time Off) is imposable.

Cheers
Chris

and that is the reason why i have not replaced my "hot Rod" because putting that flame to ignite the TRAEGER is my little way of convincing this evil stick burner person.....................that i am doing REAL Q.

on Titch's review that it is like an pellet in door oven.....well yeah it is, but....you gotta remember that there are people on here that set and forget their WSMs and PRO Qs. so basically it really is not much different apert from using electronic controls rather than experiance.

This is a great read, but I have to say, after all the Low & Slow Barbecue I have eaten ( & in the past month, a lot ) I cannot taste any better smoke flavour from an Offset compared to a pellet cooker, the food out of both tastes around the same smoke flavour to me. ( just my opinion )

Cheers, Dave

and you my friend must have had your taste buds burned off, there is so a difference in flavour, and the EVIL stick burner is by far better. why do you think they win so many comps. and soooo many teams use them. i dont think that it is because they are cheaper than pellet burners, i think it might just be that they acually produce a better Q. ( just my opinion ), mind you i have more smoke control over the LANG than my TRAEGER.

kevin

[Grill Pro Australia]

Then we start talking about the taste!


Cheers
Chris

Totally agree Chris, more than happy to spend my 041c per hour for taste when I look at what the meat cost.

Cheers, Dave

[Grill Pro Australia]

This is a great read, but I have to say, after all the Low & Slow Barbecue I have eaten ( & in the past month, a lot ) I cannot taste any better smoke flavour from an Offset compared to a pellet cooker, the food out of both tastes around the same smoke flavour to me. ( just my opinion )

Cheers, Dave

and you my friend must have had your taste buds burned off, there is so a difference in flavour, and the EVIL stick burner is by far better. why do you think they win so many comps. and soooo many teams use them. i dont think that it is because they are cheaper than pellet burners, i think it might just be that they acually produce a better Q. ( just my opinion ), mind you i have more smoke control over the LANG than my TRAEGER.

kevin

I afraid I haven't Kevin, they are all in tact & after never smoking cigarettes, better than a lot. As I said, MY opinion ( as well as others I have spoken to here & the US ) I think if you looked at the results from Comps you would find Pellet Cookers winning also. In fact, Andy Groneman cooks 100% on Yoder Pellet Cookers in the US comps & now has 23 Grand Champions & over 20 Reserve Grand Champion wins under his belt, so I would say that pretty much shoots your argument down in flames ( pardon the pun )
I seriously think if you had to taste blind, there is no way that you would pick the difference.

Again, just my opinion.

Cheers, Dave

[Commander Cody]

Dave.

maybe you need a little more time playing with your off sets, the stick burners produce a far superior taste, pellet burners are the new gassers, fantastic for convenience, with the added pleasure of burning wood pellets, even my WSM produces far better smoked foods than my pellet pooper......

..........and the kettles, geeeze mate.....................don't get me started on an anti pellet BBQ rant, i just re kindled (sorry just had to do that.. ) my love for the TRAEGER. but, i still reckon that stick burners and charcoal are by far the better toys, for producing great tucker.

maybe it is what your stateside mate does with the meat prior to, during, and after, that makes him a winner and not neccessarilly the choice of weapon

kevin

[Grill Pro Australia]

Dave.

maybe you need a little more time playing with your off sets, the stick burners produce a far superior taste, pellet burners are the new gassers, fantastic for convenience, with the added pleasure of burning wood pellets, even my WSM produces far better smoked foods than my pellet pooper......

..........and the kettles, geeeze mate.....................don't get me started on an anti pellet BBQ rant, i just re kindled (sorry just had to do that.. ) my love for the TRAEGER. but, i still reckon that stick burners and charcoal are by far the better toys, for producing great tucker.

maybe it is what your stateside mate does with the meat prior to, during, and after, that makes him a winner and not neccessarilly the choice of weapon

kevin

Im not knocking Offsets in any way, I love cooking on them and as I said, I would bet that if I cooked on both & gave you a blind taste, there is no way you would be able to pick.

Love my YODER too, maybe you just need to cook on one ( sorry, just had to put that in ... )

Andy is not the only cook winning on Pellet, many guys are winning Comps in the States with Pellet Cookers & the reason is that they absolutely produce just as good results as the Offsets ( otherwise they wouldn't win, simple math really )

Happy to leave this discussion here, lets just agree to disagree as you wont convince me & I know I wont convince you.

Cheers, Dave

[Commander Cody]

yeah onya Dave,

still but.................... it is fun to debate passions 'ey.

peace brother.

kevin

[Grill Pro Australia]

yeah onya Dave,

still but.................... it is fun to debate passions 'ey.

peace brother.

kevin

Absolutely Kev, absolutely.

[LA1]

Cooker superiority is subjective, but smoke flavour is not. Pellet cookers don't produce anywhere near the smoke flavour an offset or charcoal/wood combo smoker. Widely known fact. Nothing against pellet cookers of course, as not everyone wants heavy smoke.

[Captain Cook]

Cooker superiority is subjective, but smoke flavour is not. Pellet cookers don't produce anywhere near the smoke flavour an offset or charcoal/wood combo smoker. Widely known fact. Nothing against pellet cookers of course, as not everyone wants heavy smoke.

That LA1, is the nuts and bolts of it. The taste is subjective, Her indoors doesnt like much smoke flavour at all, I like a little more, some friends like a heavy smoke taste. Pellet BBQ is great for me. Kettle with heaps of wood is best for friends, they realy need an offset.

The GMG is a good compromise based on price, performance, features and temp . - If you only wanted 2 BBQs - 1 gasser and GMG would suffice. Better with 3 and include a kettle. If you have the Gasser and the Kettle then a Traeger or GMG would round it off.

Cheers

Captain

[Smokey]

Cooker superiority is subjective, but smoke flavour is not. Pellet cookers don't produce anywhere near the smoke flavour an offset or charcoal/wood combo smoker. Widely known fact. Nothing against pellet cookers of course.

Id agree with that, They burn clean with a hint of smoke.
Thats why they use those tube type smoke makers to add the required smoke.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
I like it as it is, and will probably get one of the Aussie made ones from the pellet fella down in providoors.

But here is me , Im suddenly realy spoilt for choice, Ive amassed the means to do just about anything.
I have a Kettle OTS, WGA, Braman Mini spit, WSM, Weber Sumit gold, Large Big Green egg , A bricked open fire place and now the GMG.
Of all thoes bbq's the GMG is really fitting in to my daily needs moreso than the others.
The sumit is the exeption, It has a smoker box and burner and is also convienient but no good for low and slow.

I suppose Im just enjoying the convienience doing more things mid week when it can become a chore.
gas does the same but I like the taste from the GMG better.
So apples for apples, They are all great cookers

[Narmnaleg]

Cooker superiority is subjective, but smoke flavour is not. Pellet cookers don't produce anywhere near the smoke flavour an offset or charcoal/wood combo smoker. Widely known fact. Nothing against pellet cookers of course, as not everyone wants heavy smoke.

The GMG is a good compromise based on price, performance, features and temp . - If you only wanted 2 BBQs - 1 gasser and GMG would suffice. Better with 3 and include a kettle. If you have the Gasser and the Kettle then a Traeger or GMG would round it off.
Captain

Personally I'd never swap a Kamado for a kettle... Better to have them all really....

[LA1]

Good value unit the GMG.for sure

[Bentley]

The quoted statement below is how I feel about it, when it is put to the real test, this usually puts to rest any question of it.

The one thing a pellet unit cannot do, or at best, it would be very hard to achieve, is to over smoke something. There used to be a competition cooking class 5 or 6 years ago. It was Johnny Trigg and his Evil Stick Burner and Pellet Envy and his FEC's (Pellets). Most folks who attended the classes over the years (including Larry & Hub of Pelletheads) said they could not distinguish a flavor difference. Any unit burning wood, and doing it properly and efficiently should be producing the same smoke.

I have judged BBQ competitions since 2003 as a Certified BBQ Judge. In 2003 there was may be 5% of teams using pellets, probably 60% offsets and the rest WSM's Kettles and the rest. Now days at a competition (lets say one with 75 teams), it is probably 65% Offset, 35% Pellets and 5% others. In that 11 years of judging, I have maybe tasted 10 different meats that tasted "over" smoked to me...If there was a huge difference in flavor, I would think that at each contest over those 11 years, there would have been a dominate flavor if one or the other was really achieving that, and I just have not seen it!

I seriously think if you had to taste blind, there is no way that you would pick the difference.

[Commander Cody]

OI

Bentley,

i really did not want to read that........ ........i have been battle shipped........

well there you go Dave. your case has been rested. and i tips me hat to ya.

funny but 'ey....................here i am preaching that pellet poopers are down on flavour with the evil stick burner............but my last 4 cooks , i have been using the TRAEGER........

kevin