GMG - Daniel Boone

[noxskuses]

Just ordered my Danny B and it will be here in time for the weekend

Very excited and can't wait to get stuck in.

Any tips and advice for my new arrival Nick? (Or anyone who has a GMG DB)

Pete

[Toby]

The principal is the same as a traeger which I have been cooking on for the last 5 years, and in fact after upgrading an old 125 for the last 3 days straight! your biggest problem is going to be the wind, try and keep it out of it. As its not insulated I would recommend getting an insulating jacket, pretty sure there is a thread on here somewhere about making one that forking out for a branded one.

Practice with a few chicken thighs initially spread them around the grill to find out where the hot spots are, some areas will be hotter than others.

When cooking I would suggest putting it on the lowest temp possible for a couple of hours to get the smokey flavour you want before ramping up the temp to cook it properly. Finally, like any cooker try not to keep peeking inside, the more you open it the longer your food will take as it comes back up to temp.

[Saucy Pig]

Yep pretty much what Toby said.
Foiling the drip pan with a couple of sheets will make clean up a breeze.
Check your chimney for drips on long smokes. I get a few drops on anything over 6hrs or so.
Use the proper shut down procedure, takes slightly longer but well worth it.
Make sure to hoover the ash out of your firebox. Doesn't have to be done that often as there is almost no mess, but it will build up over time and stop your igniter rod.
Have fun, its a great piece of kit.

If I can help with anything else give me a shout.

Nick

[noxskuses]

Thanks guys. Much appreciated.

I learnt the 'foil everything' mantra with my offset smoker.

It's going to take some willpower to test it out with only a few chicken thighs first Toby, but I can see that makes sense.

I'll leave the pork butt and duck legs for Sunday

Pete

[Swindon_Ed]

It's going to take some willpower to test it out with only a few chicken thighs first Toby, but I can see that makes sense.

If you want to test for hot spots faster use slices of bread instead of chicken as you'll see which peices get toasted more than others to find your hot and cold spots.

I found using Joker Smokers one at an event last year the hot spots were the same as with my Traeger Lil tex, it was hottest in the corner furthest away from the hopper at the front of the grill and coldest by the hopper.

But it's always best to test your own.

[noxskuses]

Thanks for the tip.

[noxskuses]

Really very impressed with the GMG DB.

Dead easy to set up and cook with. Just filled it up with hickory pellets and turned it on. Came up to temp in less than 15 minutes and never varied for the entire 8 hour cook. Even when I occassionally opened the lid for basting etc., it came back up to temp almost instantly.

It's a true 'fire and forget' smoker

I cooked thighs as suggested (heat variations around the whole grilling area were minimal), pulled pork and duck legs. Definately the best bbq I've ever cooked with plenty of 'Oh my god' exclamations around the table over the weekend.

I cannot recommend this grill enough, but if you like constantly fiddling with your smoker for hours trying to maintain the heat and temperature through long cooks, then this bad boy may not be for you, as it leaves you pretty much redundant, free to chill out with a beer or two

I'd also like to thank Nick at americanbbq who went the extra mile with my order to ensure it got delivered the next day in time for the weekend. Great service mate.

I do have one recommendation for improving the grill though. Why don't the door openings/lids on all these grills and smokers have a rubber seal like you get in an oven, which this essentially is? The lid on the DB fits pretty good, but there's still a little gap in places. What it really needs is a proper seal that will help maintain temp even better.

Get one if the budget allows. You will not be disappointed.

Pete

[smitty]

Thinking of getting one of these aswell and you both seem really happy with your purchase, was wondering if you could help answer a few questions about them for me.

When using a second shelf would you still have room to use a rib rack on top?
How many racks of ribs could you lay out in this smoker ( average size St. Louis cut )

Now that you've had them a while any little problems you've come across or mods that have helped?

Thanks in advance
Dave

[noxskuses]

Hey Dave,

I've used it every single weekend (and sometimes during the week) rain or shine since getting it and I can honestly say it's the best thing I have ever bought.

I have cooked ribs (Pork and beef), chicken (Thighs, wings, breast, legs, half and whole 'beer can' chicken), brisket, pork butt, turkey legs, rib joints, steaks, salmon, chilli, beans, and even bread and pizzas in it. No guesswork required and the food comes out perfect every time. Great bark, lovely deep smoke ring, and no sooting.

It's a dream to use. You just pour in your pellets, and start her up. Gets up to 110 degrees in no time at all and the temp never fluctuates, even when you open the lid to spritz or check. It buzzes if you get low on pellets and has an integrated cooking thermometer probe to stick in the meat and the internal temp of the meat is displayed on the front display. Really handy.

It's also really easy to clean. Just place foil on the metal sheet below the grill before each cook and some more foil in the drip bucket, and discard when finished. Job done!. You also need to vacuum out the surprisingly small amount of ash in the firepit after every few cooks, but it takes like two minutes to do.

I use GMG Premium Gold pellets, which are the cheapest I've found and works out at about 50p per hour for low and slow cooking. More if you wack up the heat to grill with it or cook pizza.

I love it and cannot recommend it enough.

You will not be disappointed.

A proper cover is essential if you're not able to store it in a garage or shed when not using it, as wood pellets and damp do not mix well. I got the GMG one for the DB and is great quality.

I haven't used a second shelf yet as the main grill area is big enough for my needs, but there's a lot of headroom, so I wouldn't see a problem with that. I've cooked eight rib racks in mine laid out flat.

One tip I have for you is to completely unscrew and remove the chimney hood before cooking as it stops grease dripping back into the chimney stack and collecting at the bottom.

I also discovered an easy and quick way to clean the grill racks. Put the racks on the lawn and give them a quick going over with hot soapy water and a stiff broom. Turn over and do the same again. Takes two minutes and then they can be put in the dishwasher.

Hope that helps?

Pete

[smitty]

Thanks for your post Pete, think I'm gunna take the plunge and get one, just got to convince the mrs now