GMG Trek Pellet Grills: A Review
There are many reasons why we love the GMG Trek pellet grill.
If you are looking for an alternative to a portable electric or gas grill, you’ll definitely want to look into the benefits of a pellet-powered smoker. Meet the GMG Trek pellet grill – a portable grill and smoker that’s user-friendly and adds robust flavors to your foods.
I have used many different types of grills and other brands of pellet grills. My observation is that GMG pellet grills consistently delivers robust wood flavor, cost-effectiveness, and portability.
I enjoy smoking, searing, roasting, and barbequing my favorite dishes on my Green Mountain Grills. I own both the GMG Trek and Davy Crockett and use them all of the time.
GMG TREK GRILL REVIEW: TABLE OF CONTENTS
The GMG Trek pellet grill allows you to easily adjust your temperature from the touch-button control panel or with the convenient and user-friendly GMG app from your smart phone. Let’s take a look at the product overview of this pellet grill.
Product Overview
The GMG Trek grill is a top-notch portable pellet grill on the market. In fact, this grill is the perfect smoker for grilling enthusiasts who need something a little smaller and/or who want to opt for a product other than a gas, electric, or charcoal grill. The GMG Trek grill includes the following features, which are just some of the reasons why I highly recommend this grill:
- Wi-Fi Smart Control
- 12V Direct Power
- Digital Controller
- Pellet Hopper
- Auger System
A leading pellet grill brand in the industry, Green Mountain Grills, based in Nevada, produces the best-of-the-best when it comes to pellet smokers!
GMG Trek Pellet Grill Features
With the GMG Trek pellet, the compact design doesn’t sacrifice quality. In fact, the technology and small, yet solid, versatile design makes this grill a winner among portable grills. GMG has made a few nice updates on the Trek, including cooking grates, fire baffle, igniter, and thermal sensor. Let’s take a look at those:
GMG PELLET Updates:
- Cooking grates. One of the differences between the GMG Trek vs the Davy Crockett grill is the cooking grates. The Trek’s grates are heavier and sturdier overall, to improve on the older models’ design. Another updated design on the Trek is the fire baffle adjustment ability.
- Fire baffle adjustability. There is an rod on the side of the grill to move the fire baffle from side to side. What’s nice about the fire baffle is that it allows a lot of flexibility when it comes to directing heat over the cooking grates. Very cool design for this newer GMG grill.
- Ceramic igniter. Another new feature of the GMG Trek is the ceramic igniter or the hot rod in the burn pot. This will allow for quicker startups and longer life expectancy.
- Thermal sensor. GMG has also incorporated an updated thermal sensor for the Trek Prime grill. The thermal sensor detects temperature inside of the grill during operation. One of the things I really love about GMG grills in particular is that we can grill year-round. The unit is able to adjust to the fuel feed and the inducer fan speed to keep our temperature where we have it set within a degree or two. With this thermal sensor, I can have more precise control with maintaining the internal grill temperature to what is set on the control board and WiFi app.
GMG Trek Pros & Cons
As you shop online for pellet grills, you may be wondering what the benefits are of Green Mountain Grills and the Trek series. Here, I’ll break down the pros and cons:
Pros
- WiFi controller (control/monitor on either iOS or Android app)
- Temperature control with 5° increment capability
- Wide cooking range and exceptional quality and value for a small, portable grill
- Runs on 12V or 120AC, making it the perfect solution for camping, tailgating, hunting, etc.
CONS
- Weighing at about 63 pounds, this little smoker is rather bulky. The pellet hopper can additionally hold up to nine pounds of pellets, making for a rather cumbersome grill to haul around.
All Specifications
- Voltage: 12V
- Wattage: 2W – 165W
- Weight: 63 LBS
- Height: 24 in.
- Width: 32 in.
- Depth: 16 in.
- Surface Cooking Area: 219 sq in.
- Auger Motor RPM: 4.7~5.2
- Fan Motor RPM: 0.45A; 4100 RPM
- Grease Tray: 13 Guage Steel
- Igniter: 12V; 100W
- Height of Cooking Surface to Lid: 7.75 in. clearance
- Hopper Capacity (LBS of pellets): 9 LBS
GMG Trek vs Davy Crockett Grill
The design of the GMG Trek grill is very similar to the Davy Crockett, with a few small differences. For example, the cooking surface, hopper, overall size, and functionality of the Trek unit is very similar to the Davy Crockett.
I have a video here also giving a rundown of the key differences between the Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett and the newer Trek grill model.
As an owner of both these grills for quite some time now, I can say that both grills are great when it comes to portability, cost effectiveness, and features. More information here in our GMG Davy Crockett and Trek Prime comparison article.
Watch the video for a closer look at these two grills!
The Perfect Grill for Camping & RV'ing
Planning a camping trip? With its compact size, the GMG Trek is easy to pack up and take along with you. This portable smoker can provide all your meals, and even though it may be smaller than its other GMG cousins, this grill really delivers on features, price, flavor, and performance alike. Next time you go RV’ing, be sure to bring this little smoker along! Below are some reasons why you should invest in a GMG Trek grill.
Robust Wood Flavor
One of the main reasons grilling enthusiasts opt for a pellet grill is because of the flavor. In fact, the savory wood flavor from the pellets pairs well with many dishes, including burgers, steak, chicken, brisket, shrimp, vegetables, pizza, and even salted caramel apple pie. Check out some recipes we recommend you try on a GMG pellet grill!
Portability
The GMG Trek grill is ideal for travel. You can easily grill four to six large-sized steaks, two racks or ribs, or a bunch of burgers or brats. Additionally, the Trek grill can hook up to 12V or 120AC power so you can easily use it on-the-go. Since the Trek is small, it will heat up quickly. It will also heat up accurately, avoiding the common problem that most grills have of having hotspots. The design of the GMG Trek also allows for a consistent smoky flavor since the motor and vents continually keep the pellets burning.
Great Price
Considering its size, quality, and performance, the GMG Trek grill is available at a great price when compared to its competitors. Currently at around $399, these this grill provides excellent technology features for the price. What’s nice about the GMG Trek is it won’t break the bank when compared with larger models of other brands or other portable grill competitors.
Smart Phone App
With the Trek grill, you can experience the convenience of an integrated smart phone app (available for both iOS and Android), which allows you to easily power the smoker on and off, and control and monitor it from a distance. It also allows grillers to easily adjust the temperature of the grill and set timers. With the app, you can even create and manage your own personalized cooking profile. The Smart Control feature is really handy for monitoring your grill while you wait for your food to cook. You can do everything remotely that you can locally for your grill (except for powering it on.)
GMG TREK GRILL REVIEW: FAQs
Is Traeger or Green Mountain better?
When comparing Green Mountain Grills pellet smokers to Traeger, you'll find that GMG offers Wi-Fi controlled features for all models. However, Traeger pellet grills only offer this feature for some of their grills. GMG also has excellent heat efficiency, reaching temperatures of 500°F or higher, whereas Traeger averages temperatures between 450°F and 500°F.
How much power does GMG Trek use?
GMG Trek grills use a voltage of 12V, and for wattage they use 2W - 165W. Green Mountain Grills Trek models are renown for their energy efficiency, which is one of the reasons why they continue to be one of our customers' favorite grills from this brand.
How much does the GMG Trek weigh?
The GMG Trek may be small, but it's a bit of a bulky grill for its size, weighing in at 63 pounds. However, due to its small size, it's still an easy enough smoker to transport around in your trunk or camper. Overall, the GMG Trek is a great grill for while you're on-the-go!
GMG TREK GRILL REVIEW: IN SUMMARY
The GMG Trek is one of the most reliable pellet-powered, portable smokers you will find anywhere on the market. It is the perfect choice for camping, tailgating, hunting, family reunions at the park, and daytrips. With a compact, sturdy build, the GMG Trek pellet grill is your go-to for savory grilled food on-the-go.
When you choose Green Mountain Grills portable smokers, you will be satisfied with a well-designed product that is equipped with quality temperature control and WiFi technology. The next time you go on a trip, be sure to take the Trek along with you for a great cookout experience! If you are curious about the process of maintaining your new GMG Trek grill, please take a look at our cleaning and maintenance page.
Looking for grill parts for your Trek grill? We have a wide selection that might be what you are looking for. Shop our our GMG grill accessories here.
Check out our overall pellet grill review here.
Is there a griddle for this?
GMG Does make a Stainless Griddle, however it is just a tad larger than what will fit on the Trek Prime – Designed for the Daniel Boone/Ledge and Jim Bowie Peak Models. https://pellethead.com/?s=GMG+Griddle. I’m sure there are different griddle sizes on the market that would fit. Any other questions please let us know. Check out our YouTube channel for additional videos on the GMG Trek. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtNdFZHQoeI8kbU9o6PFobQ