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OT, pellet grill advice

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poster
poster Posts: 1,172
in EggHead Forum
Before i get completely flamed for talking about pellet grills here. I am not expecting something to be more versatile or "better" in  anyway then my egg. I am here to ask if anyone has or has had experience with GMG davey crockett or other similar sized pellet grill. The reason I ask is i am looking for a simple solution for the weekend camp. I love the idea of setting a temp and forgetting about it for a good while, all in a small package. Its also something my wife or kid could start without open flames. Camp often finds me off in the boat, exploring, or just plain getting some work done. The size of the davey crockett makes it portable and also a bonus is it can run off 12v so can plug right into solar. I can even take it on the odd camping trip. I was about to pull the trigger, then seen quite a few reviews of bad circuit boards or temp sensors throwing temps way out of wack making it unreliable. It may be older models or like anything else, the only ones reviewing are the ones that are having problems. Thats why im here, to see if anyone owns one or another similar brand (portable size or close) and what they think of it?
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  • epcotisbest
    epcotisbest Posts: 2,173
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    Recteq RT-340. Love it. Since getting this thing last year I have used my other grills maybe a handful of times. The pellet grill is so easy to use and the RT-340 has folding legs to make transport easy and probably easy to to set up on a picnic table at camp.
    Can't speak for the GMG, but the Recteq is fantastic. Food comes out fantastic, moist, tender and juicy and the temp setting reaches desired temp fast, and then stays rock steady through the entire cook. I have done everything from thighs to ribs to brisket and all came out fantastic.


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  • epcotisbest
    epcotisbest Posts: 2,173
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,378
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    Found this tread that I posted last spring thru the forum search function:

    Re: OT My son (married and a one year old) wants a pellet grill ($700-800 top spend); inputs welcome OT  

    There are a few more there that should help independent of anything else.
    BTW- he really enjoys the REC-TEC he bought and it does crank out some great Q.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
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    I can't help too much for size but I asked for recommendations for a pellet grill for a friend over on the BBQ Brethren last year. The overall consensus was either a Recteq or Grilla. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • cookingdude555
    cookingdude555 Posts: 3,194
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    I had a GMG for a few years, I had no issues with it.  The flavor it produced was not overly impressive, but not bad.  I sold it a few years ago.  It was a decent grill.  I have since bought a Weber Smokefire and that is an incredible grill.  They stumbled out of the gate and let the public beta test, but has since been resolved.  The flavor is great, and the open/non deflector configuration is an awesome configuration to get better smoke flavor from a pellet grill.  I now use it over my eggs to sear and grill steaks.  I can only speak for these two pellet grills as I have never owned the others.
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  • Money_Hillbilly
    Money_Hillbilly Posts: 440
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     I cook every Saturday at my son’s store.  He sells a number of different grills and I often cook on a Traeger.  My thoughts are it is very easy to cook on.  The app on your phone is excellent and the food comes out perfectly cooked, juicy and moist.  The downside is a very weak smoke profile.  I know a guy with a Rectec last year and he swears by it.  There are lots of teams on the circuit now using pellet grills so there is a huge following.  Most competitions have turned into a rub and sauce show with smoke profiles becoming much less important.  
    Southeast Louisiana
    3 Larges, Rockin W Smokers Gravity Fed Unit, KBQ, Shirley Fabrication 24 x 36, Teppanyaki Stainless Griddle 
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  • butt_juice
    butt_juice Posts: 129
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    I'd be very cautious about leaving any heat source unattended when out in the woods, especially if you are camping/cooking in any national forest areas. I couldn't imagine being the source of blame for a wildfire. 
    South Central Kansas
    Instagram: @midwest_voyager
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  • butt_juice
    butt_juice Posts: 129
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    Money_Hillbilly said:
     I cook every Saturday at my son’s store.  He sells a number of different grills and I often cook on a Traeger.  My thoughts are it is very easy to cook on.  The app on your phone is excellent and the food comes out perfectly cooked, juicy and moist.  The downside is a very weak smoke profile.  I know a guy with a Rectec last year and he swears by it.  There are lots of teams on the circuit now using pellet grills so there is a huge following.  Most competitions have turned into a rub and sauce show with smoke profiles becoming much less important.  
    Do you achieve much of a smoke ring with your egg? I have been smoking on mine for 5 years and can not achieve a smoke ring. I maintain nice consistent temps and excellent flavor in my bbq'd meats, but never can get that ring to form. 
    South Central Kansas
    Instagram: @midwest_voyager
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  • poster
    poster Posts: 1,172
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    butt_juice said:
    I'd be very cautious about leaving any heat source unattended when out in the woods, especially if you are camping/cooking in any national forest areas. I couldn't imagine being the source of blame for a wildfire. 
    Ya, if need be I would leave it in the middle of the gravel driveway. My biggest concern would be a bear tipping it over. Looking at this a little harder, I still like the GMG Davey Crockett the best for the size, but I am still worried about the controller. The Grilla grills seam really nice and better suited for the cold too. Recteq also seems to have some favourable reviews. Damn, this is a tough one
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  • cookingdude555
    cookingdude555 Posts: 3,194
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    My gmg never controller issues, but I had the Daniel Boone model. 
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  • Mayberry
    Mayberry Posts: 750
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    I've had an Egg of some sort for 10 years and I'll never be without a ceramic kamado cooker.  But, I sold my KJ Jr a few weeks ago and bought a Rec Tec 590.  I absolutely love it.  Best combination of grills I've ever had between my Large Egg and RecTec.  Great food, amazingly consistent, very simple.  I can start the RecTec via wifi when I leave the grocery store and it's fully heated before I get home.  That's pretty awesome.  You won't have that while camping, but it's extremely easy to start, and my wife can cut it on and adjust the temp with ease.  Customer service is amazing.  I never thought I'd find service that competes with, or even beats, BGE.  But Rec Tec's customer service is some of the best I've ever seen with any product.  If you are getting a pellet grill for your use, I say go with the Rec Tec 340 and don't look back.  
    Athens, GA
    XL BGE, Large BGE and RecTec590
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  • ewyllins
    ewyllins Posts: 461
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    @poster you may want to look into the Grilla Chimp.

    https://grillagrills.com/grills/chimp-wood-pellet-grill/
    O-Town, FL

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  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,677
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    I have a Cookshack FEC 120 pellet smoker. It's a little big to justify for home use, but its nice to be able to cook one butt or sixteen. It will cook lightly loaded or 150# pork.
    Once you understand how to cook with it in order to produce a good smoke profile, it really does a good job flavor wise.
    I really enjoy having it.
    It would be nice to have pellet grill also.
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  • Money_Hillbilly
    Money_Hillbilly Posts: 440
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    @butt_juice I get excellent smoke rings.  There are a few tricks that help: don’t be shy with smoking wood, I use chunks usually pecan and cherry.  Put the protein on the egg cold, you can also spritz to keep the meat damp for the first few hours on the egg.  If all else fails add a little celery seed to your rub it promotes ring formation.


    Southeast Louisiana
    3 Larges, Rockin W Smokers Gravity Fed Unit, KBQ, Shirley Fabrication 24 x 36, Teppanyaki Stainless Griddle 
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  • EGoldstein
    EGoldstein Posts: 34
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    I have the Rec Tec RT-360.  Absolutely love it.  RecTec’s are all built with all stainless steel construction and built like a tank.  Customer service is second to none.   They do daily YouTube videos and lots more.  I had a few pellet grills, but Rec Tec has been the best.
    Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
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  • EGoldstein
    EGoldstein Posts: 34
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    I meant the RT-340, not 360.
    Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
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  • poster
    poster Posts: 1,172
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    Thanks everyone. I was most interested in the Grilla and Recteq, but looks like there is no more shipping to Canada at the moment. Settled on the GMG Davey Crockett, which is still 3-4 weeks out. Just in time for fishing opener 
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  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,702
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    EGoldstein said:
    I meant the RT-340, not 360.
    How does the smoke flavor compare to the Egg? Pellet recommendations?
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  • littlerascal56
    littlerascal56 Posts: 2,104
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    The very best pellet grill I had was my Yoder YS640. I did re-build the cart, as the original one had cheap casters.  I used it for a year, and sold to a guy from Nebraska.  It was built like a tank.

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  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,989
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    Get one that humidity is not an issue for the pellet bin. 

    My next door neighbor finally gave up on pellets, due to pellets creating issues with clogging in the bin, impeding the feed auger and, well, did not work without replacement.

    They are great, but this area is not friendly to them because of the humidity. 
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
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  • littlerascal56
    littlerascal56 Posts: 2,104
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    Ron is 100% correct.  I repaired Traeger’s for several years, and the main problem was pellets got damp and swelled in the auger tube.  And the auger motor failed, or the shear pin sheared.  Number 2 issue was the “hot rod” burned out, so pellets could not ignite.  It usually happens when you have a bunch of guests coming over for a big  4th of July or Holiday BBQ!
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  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,702
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    I spoke with a Recteq rep yesterday. He said the reason that they designed their hoppers without an empty lever was to prevent moisture in the hopper. So you need to scoop out pellets or use a dedicated shop vac. Also the igniters are ceramic and tested for 100,000 ignitions. So if I decided to buy a pellet smoker it will most likely be a Recteq. Looks like they are built like a tank.
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  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,677
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    On my pellet smoker, I haven't had any issues with leaving pellets in the hopper for several months. My smoker does stay under a covered area. The smoker has a hinged lid and does not have a pellet empty door.
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  • flexfusion
    flexfusion Posts: 240
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    epcotisbest said:
    Recteq RT-340. Love it. Since getting this thing last year I have used my other grills maybe a handful of times. The pellet grill is so easy to use and the RT-340 has folding legs to make transport easy and probably easy to to set up on a picnic table at camp.
    Can't speak for the GMG, but the Recteq is fantastic. Food comes out fantastic, moist, tender and juicy and the temp setting reaches desired temp fast, and then stays rock steady through the entire cook. I have done everything from thighs to ribs to brisket and all came out fantastic.


    I also ha ve Rec-Teq 340 and it has been flawless.  A miser on fuel and a very accurate computer.....one heck of a great grill!
    Auburn, Alabama
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  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,702
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    flexfusion said:
    epcotisbest said:
    Recteq RT-340. Love it. Since getting this thing last year I have used my other grills maybe a handful of times. The pellet grill is so easy to use and the RT-340 has folding legs to make transport easy and probably easy to to set up on a picnic table at camp.
    Can't speak for the GMG, but the Recteq is fantastic. Food comes out fantastic, moist, tender and juicy and the temp setting reaches desired temp fast, and then stays rock steady through the entire cook. I have done everything from thighs to ribs to brisket and all came out fantastic.


    I also ha ve Rec-Teq 340 and it has been flawless.  A miser on fuel and a very accurate computer.....one heck of a great grill!
    I am considering the 340 for smaller cooks for my wife and I.
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  • stv8r
    stv8r Posts: 1,127
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    Have a GMG Ledge and am very happy with it.  Perfect for the lazy cook  ;) The phone app is awesome (new version) and it's basically foolproof
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  • Traviswright
    Traviswright Posts: 3
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    Hi there, I had my eye on the GMG Davy Crockett for a long time and finally got it. I own a 18.5" WSM and a 22.5" WSM and I have to say after comparing them with this small guy, the WSM wins hands down. Simply because there is more room for more coals, more air flow and more smoke. I would not use this for any long cooks, but for quick and easy meals, it is great. On my 22.5" WSM I can cook a 10 pound pork, 3-4 pork butts or 6-8 chickens in 5 hours. On the 18.5" I can cook two 10 pound pork butts or 4-5 chickens in 5 hours. On this little guy, I do a small pork roast or two. You can grill a fish or two and that's it. I would not expect anything better.
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