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When buying a new pellet grill, you will see the two main brands Green Mountain Grills and Traeger. Which one is the best one? And what are the best pellet grills both brands offer? Today, we will be going to have a detailed companion of both brands and understand the key differences.
Why not buy a pellet smoker that also acts as a grill? Both companies have provided the temperature control feature in their pellet grill models. This feature allows you to select a low setting when smoking and choose a high setting for the intense temperature to cook pancakes and burgers.
Your confusion for which brand you should select green mountain grill or Traeger? Will be resolved in this article. We will go through a quick overview of brand history, factors like mobility, size, price, warranty, features, and discussion on their best pellet grill models. We recommend giving a complete reading to the below-detailed comparison in order to not miss any important information.
The Green Mountain Grills or we can say GMG was founded in 2008 after the Traeger patent expired. They lowered their prices in 2014 and capture a good market share of a pellet smoker. GMG has always given the WiFi capability option in their three main grills Danie Boone, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett WiFi pellet grill. Whereas, Traeger introduced WiFi functionality on all their new 2019 pellet grill line-up.
We can pretty much say that Green Mountain Grills has given a great contribution to the widespread WiFi capability in pellet grills. Their portable model Davy Crockett WiFi is the only pellet grill available online to buy. Most of the GMG pellet grills are available on their dealer network.
Traeger
The Traeger was formed in the 1980s. It has the richest history as compared to any other competitive company. Joe Traeger developed the concept from his experience with pellet burning stoves. Hence, they are the original inventor of the pellet grill concept. The company created a monopoly market because they quickly patented their pellet grill invention. They were a great business selling patented pellet grill for the next 20 years.
When their patent ended in 2008. Many competitive companies came into the market including its highest competitor Green Mountain Grills. Before 2006, the Traeger remained a small family company but after the acquisition by a private equity group, they gained lots of popularity again.
Still today, Traeger is the biggest pellet grill manufacturing and selling company, selling over $300 million worth of grills every year.
2. Mobility
Mobility is an important factor to consider. Both Green Mountain Grills and Traeger have featured their portable pellet grill models. The GMG has a small-sized pellet smoker in their line-up. Yes! We are talking about the Davy Crockett portable pellet grill model from Green Mountain Grills. This not only offers a well-designed structure but the WiFi capability is also available here. Those who love camping and want to try BBQ will find Davy Crockett’s portable pellet grill a great option for transportation to the camping ground.
On the other hand, Traeger also has a small pellet smoker the Traeger Tailgater. However, it is not well-designed as Davy Crockett’s portable pellet grill. The Traeger Tailgater is a good pellet smoker that fits for most of the people but when we compare it to the GMG Davy Crockett, this GMG model wins.
3. Size
The Green Mountain Grills offers mainly three pellet grills which we have discussed below. Here, you have very small or very big to select between. There are not many varieties in size availability with Green Mountain Grills.
On the other hand, Traeger has several series of pellet grills. Each series provides a grill in several configurations. Therefore, you will find the match for your size expectations.
4. Warranty
Both brands Traeger and Green Mountain Grills offer three years of warranty on their pellet smokers. The three year warranty period is very common in pellet grills. If we consider the price point here as well then we can expect at least a four or five-year warranty on the Traeger pellet smokers. Green Mountain Grills looks good at three year warranty period of their pellet smokers.
5. Price
Based on the price, there are several pellet smokers available from both brands. The Green Mountain Grills have their small-sized portable pellet grill called Day Crockett WiFi. If you need a value for money product at a low price point then this pellet smoker will be a great option for you.
Not only in terms of WiFi compatibility, but its legs fold down to create a carry handle. This really helps a lot in transportation. You can also check the best gas grills under 2000. When it comes to Traeger, we find expensive pellet grills.
This company offers several series of pellet smokers and each series have several models with different configuration and price. However, the base or smallest model from Traeger is still expensive from any other manufacturer. Obviously! We cannot ignore the innovative technologies that come in Traeger models.
6. Features
Traeger has introduced several series of pellet smokers. Each series offers some interesting features than others. There are some simple models too available in their series. We all always need features a rich product for the price we are paying. Being an expensive brand, Traeger also offers lots of interesting and useful features in several models of its series.
You will find most modern technology featured pellet grills from Traeger. However, their cheapest model which is still expensive when compared to other manufacturers comes with a basic controller and cleaning system.
If you don’t want to pay lots of money in expensive Traeger pellet smoker models then Green Mountain Grills is for you. Their Davy Crockett pellet grill is a cheap option that comes with WiFi capability. Apart from that basic required features including digital controller, ash removal system are available in all their GMG pellet smokers.
Best Grills from Traeger
The grill line-up of Traeger is packed with lots of pellet grills with a variety of sizes and their price point. The Green Mountain Grills offers the tech on pellet grills at a lower price as compared to Traeger grill line-up. The Traeger updated their line-up in 2019. Their 2019 grill models come packed with technology which was a gap in its earlier models.
Apart from that, you can easily know the cooking surface measurement by just reading the name of their 2019 line-up. Actually, the product name includes a number that tells you the cooking surface. Therefore, if you see Pro 780 that means it has 780 sq. in. of cooking surface. In their older grills, the number refers to the size of the main grilling rack. For example, if you see Pro Series 34 that means it has a 34″ x 19″ grilling rack.
Let’s have a quick overview of Traeger pellet grill family line-up
1. Traeger Pro Series: The size of the cooking surface of Trager Pro series models fits between the Daniel Boone and Jim Bowie with reference to the price point. You will even find the WiFi connectivity option in the base variant of the main grill line-up of Traeger. The common also manufacture this base model in two different sizes.
2. Traeger Timberline Series: The Timberline series is among the most expensive pellet grills from Traeger. This series includes all features of the Ironwood series and add-ons the futuristic pellet sensing technology. This technology allows users to monitor the pellet levels.
3. Traeger Tailgater: The Traeger Tailgater is a direct competitor of Green Mountain Grills’ Davy Crockett. This pellet grill provides 300 sq. in of cooking surface but it can’t beat Davy Crockett in terms of technology.
4. Traeger Ironwood Series: The Traeger Ironwood series is the most popular among others. One reason is the large sizes and some interesting features such as TRU Convection and DownDraft Exhaust. This series also features an option called Super Smoke mode. You just need to push a button and it will ramp up the smoke produced.
The Renegade Elite, Bronson, and Tailgater are among the top-selling models from the Traeger. You will find most of their pellet grills available online.
Best Grill Models from Green Mountain Grills
There are mainly three popular and best-selling pellet grills from the Green Mountain Grills. They are Daniel Boone, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett WiFi pellet grill. This line up of grills is quite simple and easy to understand. Apart from these three pellet grills, they also offer a commercial-sized trailer.
If you need some price discount then there non-WiFi versions are also available. But, if you want to get the best value for money products then we recommend going with the WiFi-enabled variants.
The main reason is the firmware updates that are released by Green Mountain Grills. These firmware updates will make your pellet grill work more smoothly. Apart from that, the WiFi capability allows you to control your pellet grill from your smartphone.
Moreover, you can also select between black or stainless steel for Jim Bowie and Daniel Boone. As obvious, the price will also vary.
1. Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone is among the most selling pellet grill from the Green Mountain Grills. You will enjoy cooking a turkey as a peaked lid design gives you 13.5 inches of headroom. The provided digital control is standard working. You can use it to set the temperature anywhere between 150° – 550°F. The Daniel Boons provides 458 sq. in. of cooking surface on one large grill rack. The practical area is enough to fit up to seven racks of ribs.
One advantage that you get in Daniel Boone is the pellet alarm. Therefore, you know when your grill needs more pellets. Moreover, you will find the pellet alarm feature in most expensive Timberline models from Traeger.
2. Jim Bowie
If you really liked the Daniel Boone from the Green Mountain Grills but you need some more cooking surface then Jim Bowie will be a great option for you. Apart from the grilling size, there are lots of similarities between the features of Jim Bowie and Daniel Bowie. Both of them share the same 17 lbs hopper.
Daniel Boone provides 458 sq. in. of cooking surface on one large grill rack but the Jim Bowie cooking surface area is increased to 658 sq. in. Still, this is not the highest area you can expect from the pellet grill. The most expensive model from the Traeger Timberline series comes with 1300 square inches of cooking space.
3. Davy Crockett WiFi Pellet Grill
The Davy Crockett WiFi is one of the best portable pellet grill available in the market. Its legs can fold up in order to create a carry handle. Two people can easily carry this pellet grill but if you are alone then still you will don’t need much effort.
This small-sized pellet grill comes with a digital thermostatic controller. This temperature controller allows you to dial in the temperature in 5°F increments. Apart from other pellet grills that Green Mountain Grills sales only through the disturbing network, the Davy Crockett is the only Green Mountain Grills available online to buy.
You don’t need to worry about build quality or durability issues because heavy-duty and durable materials are used in it. You will also get a few accessories with Davy Crockett WiFi pellet grill that assists in powering the grill.
Traeger vs Green Mountain Grills Conclusion
Here, we have a detailed discussion on the brand comparison and their best grill comparison between the Green Mountain Grills and Traeger. The Traeger offers some great quality and technology functional pellet grills but at a higher price point. On the opposite side, the Davy Crockett WiFi pellet grill is the best portable option from the Green Mountain Grills. This small size pellet grill offers great comparable technology at a good price point. You can share your valuable thoughts in the comments section below. Stay tuned with us to get regular updates.
