Aussie BBQ Forum

Hi all.
I've been researching the pellet smokers, mainly the GMG and I'm curious if anyones had an issue with them not leaving enough smokey flavour on your cooks?
Currently using a WSM, but really digging the idea of a GMG but not sure if its going to get me the same quality end product with chucks, beef ribs, etc
Thoughts?

Cheers.

I am 55..I grew up on charcoal cooks, mostly grilling as a teenager, a Weber like many. Then in the 80's gas for the convenience, and charcoal now and then. In 1991 made a UDS (before they were even know as that) and ran straight hardwood in it. We were not smart enough at the time to realize you could put a basket full of charcoal in the bottom and cook that way, so we cut out a section in the bottom and made a very small offset section...Had to feed it every 20-30 minutes, I was hooked on hardwood, but what a PIA...1997 tasted food cooked on a Traeger 075 and that was the End of the Line for me. Joe Traeger really did know what he wa talking about when he coined the phrase..."Taste the Difference"...have cook on nothing but Pellet units since.

I see lots of people say it is an acquired taste, that if you are use to a heavy smoke flavor from an Evil Stick Burner or Semi Evil WSM or the like, it will take some getting use to! Hockey, as my grandma use to say! It was the Ultimate hardwood flavor...period...the convince and consistency were just benefits for me.

Now, what I do say is...it is not for everyone...I am a working man...if you had told me in 1991, in less then 10 years I would spend $800+ on a Smoker/BBQ/Grill, I would have laughed in your face. You really need to eat food off a unit to see, a few times if possible...I know that make not be easy, but it is the only way to see if you feel the way many of us do that use Pellets.

I know there are lots of guys on this site, an even many on another site I visit that have different types of units...no need for me, I will take 100% hardwood, all day, and twice on Sunday! I drank the Kool-Aid and I dug it!

Bottom line...no one can answer your question but you!

Yeah I had a Traeger Pellet cooker for a few years until I had to sell it due to financial reasons when I found myself out of work for a bit but I bought this monster pit off ebay even before I really knew anything about them as I was a die-hard Weber dude (and still am).
The very first time I cooked anything on the Traeger, I was very surprised just how good it was taste wise compared to using wood chunks with coals. It wasn't overpowering but it taste sooo good.

Back when I had mine, both other 2 brands GMG and Yoder weren't yet in this country so there was only Traeger and the mob that had them didn't push them very well and pellets were expensive and very hard to get....it's a lot better now...not sure if cheaper. I'm hoping more Australian companies start making pellets as the popularity of these cookers expands....they are still in their infancy here.

The Traegers are the cheapest but that doesn't mean they are no good, they just don't come with some of the bells and whistles like GMG and Yoder but they still cook very well and can be bought for between $800 for the junior to $1900 for the 075. The GMG's go from $1700-around $2800 with wifi and the Yoders are around $3,200 + depending on size and type of cart.
If I had to choose between the models, it'd be another Traeger 075 v's GMG Jim Bowie....pretty much on par priced but I think I'd go for the GMG with wifi. They get hotter than the 075....they struggled a bit on full power.

I'll definitely go down the pellet path again one day......depends if I ever get a back yard again

cheers

Davo

Smoke taste is personal choice as Bentley says, if you run an offset perfectly, you won’t be able to taste the difference between offset and pellet.
But most people run too much smoke and so expect (or prefer) a high smoke taste. I like to still taste the meat.
In a WSM, UDS or ProQ you use chunks for smoke and that smouldering wood produces a different smoke taste to burning wood. So the answer is to use a smoke generator, a Smokai or Tube smoker or colander and add more (smouldering) smoke to the mix, easy enough to do. This way your pellet grill is doing the heavy lifting and you have complete control over the smoke taste you want. You can use your secondary smoke generator to add a herb taste if you want.
Traeger and GMG are size for size within a few dollars of each other, the WiFi GMG is $150 more expensive than the standard model but well worth it for the control it gives you.


Cheers
Chris

On my new davey crockett, i have notice that if you keep the temp under 250 f then you get more smoke taste.

Or can add an amazentube smoke in the bbq to add extra smoke.

I've found in the GMG DC that pellet choice is also a factor. I've had a few people complain that the standard "blend" GMG pellets are too smoky on some chicken done at 350F, but the same chicken done with the cherry blend was perfect to them (and less smoky to me).

And as the other guys have said, lower temps = more smouldering = more smokiness. I've done some thick steaks at 275F (below that I seem to get a bit of bitter smoke) that were very smoky - to the point where my 5 year old niece who won't eat red meat unless it's minced was so tempted by the "bacon smell" that she demanded a taste test, then promptly ate 1/4 of my steak.... Those same steaks at a higher temp (for shorter) were way less smoky - but the trade off was that I tried out the "direct grilling" feature, which was more than worth it (and now my preferred method with a fattier steak).

That being said, I still prefer a steak done over charcoal on the Weber kettle.
The GMG has it's place, and does do a nice steak, but it does other things better (like smoky roasts, pork belly, ribs, chuck steak etc)

Pellet choice is indeed a factor.
I have BBQ food truck operators here running GMG and Yoder and they use a mix of GMG Gold or Texas with 50% Australian Marri (Redgum) to increase the smoke flavour on their product, it's also one of the cheapest fuel options.

Cheers
Chris

I completely forgot about this post. i started a new one while this one already answers my questions! I feel foolish haha

I completely forgot about this post. i started a new one while this one already answers my questions! I feel foolish haha

Mate at least your still here and reading the posts, that's what keeps the place going. Don't worry about feel foolish.

Cheers L