Davy Crockett Green Mountain Grills Review: Portable Pellet Grilling

Two fundamental qualities are shared by all pellet grills on the market. Versatility and ease of use. That makes them excellent all-around barbecues, although they are not at all portable.

You’ll need an electrical outlet to connect the grill into. The pellet hopper also contributes to the hefty design.

Green Mountain Restaurants According to the GMG website, Davy Crockett is the go-to barbecue for small families, campers, tailgaters, and RVers.

After cooking on the Davy Crockett multiple times in the previous several months (and having my fair share of issues), I’m going to share my whole experience in this hands-on review.

UPDATE: The Davy Crockett has been upgraded and rebranded by Green Mountain Grills. It is now just known as Trek and has thicker legs as well as an adjustable heat barrier to minimize hot areas. Once we’ve had an opportunity to cook on the new model, we’ll update this page.

Green Mountain Davy Crockett Overview & First Impressions

Green Mountain Restaurants On the GMG website, Davy Crockett is marketed as the go-to grill for small families, campers, tailgaters, RVers, or anybody who wants to cook two racks of ribs, 4-6 great steaks, or a lot of burgers.GMG’s webpage.

grill, and it communicates with the GMG App through its own WiFi.It is a pellet-fed stainless steel smoker.

This model has been on the market for a while, however it has just been updated to GMG’s Prime range with the inclusion of WiFi.

All cables are included.The item includes a 120v power supply, a 12v automotive power socket, and a 12v car battery terminal clamp.

A side mount rack, cover, and meat probe are included as extras.

Green Mountain Grills sells wood pellets, but the Davy Crockett can operate with any wood pellet, so purchase in plenty.

With the capacity to precisely heat between 200 and 550F (more on this later), the Davy Crockett serves well as both a smoker and a grill. Furthermore, it has some rather high-tech functions.

What I like:

• The app was easy to connect with and worked well.
• Produces a large volume of smoke at low temps.
• There is no pellet bridging with the pellet feeder and firebox assembly.
• Easy to disassemble for cleaning.
• Electronic components are easily accessible for replacement (if required).

What I don’t like:

• There is a significant temperature difference between the LED Digital Display and the real temperature.
• The temperature varies greatly throughout the grilling surface.
• Folding legs are difficult to deploy and disassemble, particularly with just one person.

While the Davy Crockett is more portable than other full-sized pellet grills, it is still hefty and uncomfortable. I was also bothered by the temperature variation.

Having said that, the food cooked was superb, and at the price range, the Davy Crockett earned the title of best budget selection in our guide to the best portable pellet smokers.

Unboxing and setting up the Davy Crockett

The grill was delivered in a single, large package. The Davy Crockett is small, but at over 70 pounds, it is not a light camping barbecue.

Following the provided instruction booklet, assembly was easy and uncomplicated. The only tools needed are supplied in the kit (a socket and a T-handle wrench).

Although the item is modest in comparison to other pellet grills, the pellet feeder makes it hefty and the folding supports make it difficult to construct.

The grill may be assembled by one person, however a second person would be useful when elevating the device from its spring mounts (legs) to the folding stand.

Installing the lid handle and heat-resistant washers is a straightforward process after installing the leg assembly.

The chimney and fireproof gasket are then secured to the grill housing with three bolts. Finally, add the drip bucket, the tiny bag of pellets (supplied), and the heat shield, drip tray, and grill grates to the smoke pot.

Even non-mechanically inclined people should be able to complete the installation in under thirty minutes.

What’s the build quality like?

With a few exceptions, the device is sturdy and well-made:

• The hood hinge is prone to breaking. It’s easy to correct, but it’s inconvenient.
• The hood has noticeable grind marks around the hinges.

Given the high-quality pellet feed system, the device is a good buy. The grates and side rack are both made of stainless steel.

The grease tray and heat shield are both heavy-duty, unlike inferior grills in this price range. The meat probe that comes with the device works nicely and is precise.

When you cook, the oil is routed to a bucket with an angled drip pan that is placed around the temperature sensor of the control box, which is a convenient solution to minimize buildup and the need to clean or scrape regularly.

The Davy Crockett is constructed of steel, with a 14 gauge body and a 13 gauge lid, making it stronger and heavier than rivals while remaining portable.

The Davy Crockett is insured for two years against manufacturing or structural problems, and the manufacturer is noted for its response.

My frustrating experience with the Davy Crockett

The machine I received had several defective components that created a lot of issues. If you simply want to know what the grill was like after I got it running, scroll ahead to the next part. I want to relate my whole story in case it helps anybody else who runs into the same issue.

I downloaded the GMG app for my Android phone and connected through the unit’s WiFi after quickly reading through the instructions and Quick Start Guide.

For my first test of the device, I prepared some chicken wings and opted to utilize the cooking procedure for drumsticks indicated in the instructions (but not the seasoning).

I attached four temperature probes from my InkBird IBT-4XS Bluetooth Thermometer to the grill, one just above the unit’s digital readout sensor (probe A) and one each on the left (probe B), center (C), and right side (D).

When the temperature on the unit display reached 150F, I anticipated some temperature variation between my probes and the unit’s PID sensor (from here denoted as UT for Unit Temperature), but I was surprised by the large disparity.

The device immediately surpassed the 150-degree setpoint, reaching 205 on probe A and 217 on probe B. The temperatures of probes B, C, and D were 315, 300, and 205 degrees, respectively.

down arrows.The grill is designed to stay at 150 degrees following its start-up cycle, and the temperature may then be adjusted using the up and down buttons.

After the temperature had cooled somewhat, I tossed a dozen wings on the grill. The grilling surface is 12.5 by 17.5 inches and comfortably accommodated them. I increased the UT setpoint to 250 degrees, closed the lid, and monitored the temps through the GMG applications and my Bluetooth thermometer(s).

Again, the temperature(s) exceeded the setpoint, with the UT reading 350 degrees and my probes (A, B, C, D) reading 381, 225, 253, and 211 degrees, respectively.

For the following hour, I observed as the unit fluctuated wildly. At this time, I took the wings off the grill and completed them on another.

Green Mountain Grills Tech Support

After a few more tests, one of which revealed that the device reached temperatures of 570+ degrees while set to 400, I decided to contact tech support since I was confident the circuit board was malfunctioning.

I can confirm that tech support was prompt and eager to help. GMG acknowledged that the issue was a circuit board and sent us a replacement the same day.

The replacement board came three days later, and changing it was a simple task involving two bolts, a ribbon connector, and the temperature sensor connection. There’s even a YouTube video, and the whole thing only took around five minutes.

Unfortunately, the new board was Dead On Arrival.

Another phone call to tech support, a few more testing, and another board was dispatched the same day.

This time, two boxes came, one containing a new board. I replaced the DOA board with board #3 and then clicked DOA once again.

To be sure, I replaced it with the original board, which performed through the starting procedure flawlessly except for the previously stated setpoint difficulties.

A control board that works!

After that, I replaced that board with Board #4, and it successfully completed the startup procedure. So I decided to do the chicken wing experiment again, this time using the GMG recipe for Sweet & Spicy Honey Lime Drumsticks.

This time, I positioned my probes (A,B,C) across the grill from left to right, as seen in the image below.

I increased the temperature to 250F after achieving the 150 degree start temperature. Within 10 minutes, the UT had reached 250°F, and my probe temperatures had reached 279°F, 376°F, and 331°F, respectively.

I positioned the wings across the grill, knowing that the right side would be considerably hotter.

After an hour, the temperature had dropped to roughly 250 degrees over the grill. Because the left side was not cooking quickly enough, I had to shift the wings from left to right and right to left. I left them like that for an hour.

The recipe called for 2 hours at 250 degrees, then 15-20 minutes at 450 degrees to finish and crisp up the wings. I didn’t want to wait an hour for the grill temperature to level out at 450, as appears to be this model’s style, so I placed the wings back on as the UT was rising and climbing.

Within minutes, the temperatures had risen to well over 500 degrees on the B and C probes. The honey in the sauce was burning and turning the aluminum foil on the grease tray black.

To prevent the wings from burning, I reduced the temperature to 300°F, left the lid open, and moved them about for approximately 10 minutes.

The wings turned out beautifully, however the temperature variation was an issue.

I also tried one of the GMG rib approaches, and the results are as follows.

The ribs recipe called for 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours. I increased the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit after seeing that the temperatures were at least 50 degrees lower around the grill.

I opened the grill after 120 minutes and covered the ribs with butcher paper.

After 240 minutes, I unwrapped the ribs, gently coated them with BBQ sauce, then baked them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees to finish them and caramelize the glaze. The completed product was satisfactory, however there was little smoke taste or color. This device creates the most smoke at low temperatures ranging from 150 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit.

The grill is also hot enough to cook burgers, chicken breasts, vegetables, and chops. I grilled burgers and sausages in the UT at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and they cooked swiftly.

This is fantastic since you’ll typically be cooking hot and quickly when tailgating.

This machine has a learning curve, as I discovered when my neighbor requested me to smoke a $100 Wagyu Brisket.

Starting at midnight, I employed the set it and forget it (195F) technique. When I examined it at 4 a.m., the temperatures had risen to 300 degrees (due to the malfunctioning board). I was able to preserve it, and I learned a valuable lesson: know your grill before you set it and forget it!

Using the GMG App

I downloaded the free Green Mountain Grills app from the Google Play Store and followed the setup instructions, which included downloading the most recent firmware version.

The software includes a lot of amazing features that are simple to learn.

Home, Profiles, Recipes, and Settings are the four displays. You also get a timer and flashlight, which are standard on all phones, but this enables you to utilize them without having to exit the app.

You may use one of the app’s predefined cooking profiles, such as Tri-tip, Pulled Pork, Brisket, or Smoked Salmon, or create your own.

All profiles are readily editable, which is ideal if you like to control the temperature yourself.

You may connect using the unit’s WiFi, your home network, or the cloud.

The GMG App has a comparable rating as the Traeger App, which is 5 on both the Google and Apple App Stores.With a rating of 3.6 out of 5,

Alternatives to consider

If you want a truly portable pellet grill, check out The Traveler from Country Smokers, which we previously evaluated.

You have 256 square inches of cooking surface and a small 3.5-pound hopper, but everything comes in a considerably smaller box that is much simpler to pack up and go.

If you want a full-featured pellet grill that has been reduced down for portability and have a little more money to invest, the Traeger Tailgater is also a great choice to consider.

Should you buy the Davy Crockett?

I really wanted to like this grill.

For the most part, it’s easy to use and well-built.

After almost three months of usage, I experienced various issues that made me less of a fan. Those faults were largely caused by malfunctioning circuit boards and temperature sensors, which I anticipate will not impact the majority of individuals.

But other factors continued to cause concern.

If I hadn’t had external temp probes monitoring the cooking surface, the grill temp lag vs the steady LED reading may have caused cooking issues. In my experience, it takes a long time for temperatures to level off on the Davy Crockett.

They have provided calibration tools to calibrate both the air temperature and the probe temps, which I went through with the manufacturer and saw a significant improvement.

Due to temperature variations, I started a fire in the grease pan. Only one of the three new circuit boards that were sent to me functioned.

The equipment is hefty for a portable grill, and it is difficult to travel and set up. Although it has spring-mounted legs, the pellet feeder assembly is so hefty that the device sags to one side, necessitating the use of folding legs.

I’m not interested in hauling it a long distance to a campground. As a house smoker, I cannot endorse this device.

Once you’ve mastered it for tailgating, RVing, or campsite usage, the Davy Crockett has a distinct niche and should offer the user with years of trouble-free BBQ.