GMG Davy Crockett Grill Review
Introducing the perfect alternative to electric or gas grills – the Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett grill.
With GMG pellet grills, you have the option of searing, smoking, roasting, or baking your meats using an alternative grilling method besides propane or charcoal. Providing outstanding flavors, you can grill virtually anything on a Davy Crockett pellet grill – from mouthwatering steak, burgers, and brisket, to shrimp and even pumpkin pie.
In this review, I’ll talk about why the Davy Crockett is my “go-to” grill, its pros and cons, its specs, and its assembly process to help you as you make decisions for what type of grill you’re going to buy next.
Why Should I Buy the GMG Davy Crockett?
I want to share with you why I love this grill and why it’s my #1 grill of choice. Personally, I’ve cooked on the GMG Davy Crockett pellet grill for about 7 years. I cooked on a lot of different fuel sources, including charcoal and propane. I’ve even had many different types of pellet grills over the years.
To me, Green Mountain Grills is superior, especially when looking at the pellet grill spectrum. GMG does things a bit differently than anyone else in the marketplace, which is why I personally prefer this brand.
Key Features
Portability
One of the key features of the Davy Crockett grill that I love is that it’s completely portable. It has handles that fold down to make legs to support the grill. Most of the time, I fold the legs down to make the grill stand for my backyard barbeques.
For the remainder of the time, I fold these legs back up and carry the grill around with me. This makes the GMG Davy Crockett grill perfect for going to the beach, or for taking it to a baseball or football game. The portability of this grill is a feature that’s really convenient.
WEIGHT
The grill itself is just under 70 pounds, weighing in at 68 pounds, so it’s not too bad for one person to carry around and manage. GMG has multiple tote bag options which can make it even easier to transport this grill around.
12-Volt
Most of the time when I’m cooking in the backyard, I just have the grill plugged into a regular 110 outlet. However, one of the beautiful things about the Davy Crockett is that it’s 12-volt. It does come with a full 25-foot cord which allows me accessibility to 12 volts. It even comes with alligator clips so that I can connect directly to a 12-volt battery.
The Davy Crockett pellet grill gives me some really great options whenever I’m at the beach or camping and I need to run the grill off of 12 volts. With the long cord, it’s also easy to run it off of traditional AC in the backyard.
Power Usage
The power usage is really low. With the Davy Crockett pellet grill, we have here a very small brushless auger motor and a brushless DC combustion fan. Whether running my grill at 12-volt or 110, the power consumption is extremely low. I personally highly recommend this grill because of how little power it uses.
FLAVOR
I’ve personally grilled using charcoal and gas grills. My personal feeling is that there is nothing that compares to wood. The flavor of cooking with real wood is superior to anything else that’s out there. The beautiful thing I find about pellet grills is that I can choose between the type of wood based on what I’m cooking or smoking in the grill.
I’ve used pellet options like mesquite, hickory, cherry, apple, pecan, and alder. There’s a ton of different options for the type of wood that can accentuate the flavor of whatever food that you’re cooking inside the grill.
GMG Davy Crockett Specs Summary
Grilling enthusiasts can enjoy the following benefits of a Davy Crockett pellet grill:
- 12V or 110AC. The grill can run on 12V or 110AC, so it’s perfect for home grilling on your patio, camping, tailgating, the beach, music festivals or anywhere you can take it. The Davy Crockett comes with a full cord which allows accessibility to 12 volts to plug into a 12-volt outlet. Multiple connection options are available for ease of portability.
- Easy to transport. The Davy Crockett weighs 68 pounds and features foldable legs so that it can be easily placed in the trunk of any car. It is easy to take a pellet grill like the Davy Crockett from point A to point B. This makes them perfect for tailgate parties, family reunions, and more. Tote bags are also available for the Davy Crockett for better transportation.
- Open flame technology. Davy Crockett open flame technology grease trays are optional and can be purchased in our parts section.
- Excellent flavor. There are plenty of different options for pellets and wood, to accentuate certain flavors of meats and other foods cooked on a pellet grill.
- Cost-effectiveness. The GMG Davy Crockett helps you save on fuel cost. Pellets are also a more renewable energy resource when compared with propane or charcoal.
- Monitor temperature. The GMG Davy Crockett pellet grills comes with a Sense-Mate, a thermal sensor which constantly monitors grill temperature.
Pros & Cons to the Davy Crockett Grill
Are you a serious griller? To make an educated decision, you’ll want to know some of the pros and cons to the Davy Crockett grill and why it’s one of the best picks in the pellet grilling market. I’ll outline the pros and cons of the Davy Crockett pellet grill here:
Pros
- Quality temperature control
- Excellent, wide cooking range
- Turbo heat up system reaches high temperatures, even in colder weather
- Large capacity pellet hopper
- User-friendly Wi-Fi connected app
- The most compact pellet grill – Perfect for the RV
cons
- Smaller cooking surface at 219 sq. in.
- No option for leg extensions or cart accessory
Wi-Fi Option
I also want to point out that the Davy Crockett grill provides a handy Wi-Fi feature. This allows grilling enthusiasts to be able to monitor cooking temperature through their smart phone. Grillers enjoy using the Wi-Fi connected app because it is quite user-friendly, making grilling with a pellet smoker a more enjoyable, hassle-free experience.
Controlling your grill from your phone comes with quite a few advantages. You can set time, adjust temperatures with accuracy, get a notification when the time/temperature are all set, and you can even reduce the number of times you walk back to check on your grill.
The Wi-Fi functionality is one of my favorite aspects about the Davy Crockett pellet grill.
Auger System
The GMG auger system is built with a high RPM motor and designed with optimal torque in mind for a smooth and consistent feed of wood onto the fire.
The auger motor RPM is 4.7~5.2, and the fan motor works at 0.45 A and 4100 RPM. One thing to note: the auger in a Davy Crockett is louder than in some other pellet grills.
Firebox
A motor turns the auger which feeds pellets into the firebox. There, a hot rod automatically ignites the pellets, and a combustion fan below keeps them burning. Vents vertically line the inside of the firebox, which creates a circular air flow.
A fan inside the pellet hopper maintains positive pressure which prevents burn-back in the auger tube. When met these two air flows create the ultimate wood burning fire circulating pure hardwood smoke flavor.
All Specifications
Primary function: Grill, smoker, tailgater
Surface cooking area: 219 sq in
Number of burners: 1
Fuel: Wood pellets (9 lbs)
Grease tray: 13 gauge steel
Grease tray function: Solid stainless steel
Voltage: 110V or 12V with adaptors for 3 Power Options
Wattage: 60 avg
Auger motor RPM: 4.7~5.2
Fan motor RPM: 0.45A; 4100 RPM
Dimensions (legs open): 32H x 34L x 25D inches
Dimensions (legs closed): 20.25H x 34L x 18D inches
Weight: 68 lbs
Warranty: 3-year limited
Davy Crockett vs the Trek Prime
In this video, I’ll provide a breakdown of what to expect from the Davy Crockett vs the Trek Prime. Watch the video to find out which of the two grills is right for you!
Similarities
Both the Davy Crockett and Trek Prime pellet grills feature 12V DC and 120V AC power options, 219 sq. inches of cooking surface, a 9 pound pellet fuel hopper, WiFi smart controls, and a 150-550 degrees Fahrenheit temperature range.
Key Differences
The Davy Crockett features folding legs to make portability easy, while the Trek Prime has short, sturdy legs to provide solid stability while cooking. Folding handles and a cart accessory is available for the Trek Prime. Dimensions for the Davy Crockett (standing) are 33″h x 34″l x 25″d and (legs folded) are 20.25″h x 34″ l x 18″d. Meanwhile, the Trek Prime’s dimensions are 24″h x 32″l x 16″d.
Assembling the Davy Crockett Grill
The Davy Crockett is a compact grill weighing 68 lbs. You’ll find that assembling this grill is a simple process, and instructions are easy to follow. The grill can be put together by one person, and the only hard part of assembly will be raising the grill from its spring mounts to the folding stand.
Once the legs are attached, the next step is to install the lid handle and heat-proof washers. Then three bolts attach the chimney and fireproof gasket to the grill housing. Lastly, add the drip bucket, place the small bag of pellets in the smoke pot, and install the heat shield, drip tray, and grill grates. The average assembly time takes around 30 minutes to complete.
The grease tray and heat shield are designed with high-quality and heavy-duty materials. When you cook, grease is channeled to a bucket with an angled drip pan, which is fitted around the temperature sensor of the control box, a practical way to eliminate build-up and the need to brush or scrape frequently. The Davy Crockett is made of steel, with a 14 gauge body and 13 gauge lid, making it stronger and heavier than its competitors while still portable. Here is our service tips and tricks guide for the Davy Crockett.
Below, I’ll explain the complete assembly process step by step:
Once you remove the Davy Crockett grill from the box, remove the Styrofoam and packaging, and then pick it up to spread out the legs front and back. Doing this allows the legs to swing underneath and stand it up to a workable height once you pick up the grill.
Now that your grill is standing, go ahead and switch the lid handle so that it faces out toward the front. Be sure that you have the two thermal washers on the front and back of the lid, then install the decorative washers so they fit right into the handle.
Next, remove the three bolts that will hold the chimney on, and take off the gasket. Place the gasket against your chimney, and then re-install the bolts. Note that instead of bolt holes, what you’ll see are long slots. This is so you can loosen and then slide your chimney down if you plan to store your grill in tight spaces.
During grilling, however, you’ll want your chimney to stand upwards and keep the chimney cap wide open.
Next, slide in the side tray. At this time in the assembly process, you can also go ahead and hook in the grease bucket.
You’ll need to prime the unit only upon first use. GMG provides a bag of pellets to add to burn pot for the auger tube (which is empty since this is the first use.)
Next, you’ll want to install your heat shield. Install it with about four inches from the left wall of the grill. During this step, also go ahead and install your grease tray and grates.
Add your antenna to the back of your grill. Now, we can prime the auger, which means, we’re going to let it run through what we call the “zero cycle,” so that the auger feeds pellets. Allow your auger to the feed the pellets until it hits the “one cycle.” Once it does, unplug it, replug it back in, and now your auger is primed. Once primed, you can now start up your Davy Crocket.
When first starting up your Davy Crockett, you’ll first see “0” as the auger is feeding the pellets. When you see a “1”, you’ll know that the igniter is getting hot. A “2” indicates that the fans are kicking on. A “3” means that everything in the grill is calibrating and getting ready for grilling. Finally, you will see your temperature display, which will be approximately accurate to the outside air temperature. The temperature will continue to rise until 150 degrees until you adjust it.
When you first use your Davy Crockett, you’ll want to run it at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes prior to actually grilling any food in the grill. When you are done cooking, press the power button again and you will see “Fan” display, and you can safely walk away from your grill. As the grill cools down, it will run a time cycle, burn through any leftover pellets, and blow out any remaining ash so it’s ready for next time you use the grill. For your subsequent uses, all you’ll have to do is press the power button again.
GMG Davy Crocket Grill Review Summary
This pellet-powered, portable smoker is the perfect choice for tailgating parties with friends and family. From camping trips and football parties, to family reunions and casual grilling on a Sunday afternoon, GMG Davy Crocketts are a favorite among pellet grill enthusiasts. With a lightweight, yet sturdy build, the Davy Crockett is the go-to for travel and home grilling alike. Learn more here about cleaning and maintenance.
When you choose the Davy Crockett, I think you will be satisfied with a well-designed product with excellent temperature control and Wi-Fi technology. I personally enjoy the excellent tasting food and robust flavors when grilling and smoking with the GMG Davy Crockett grill.
Here’s more info and a video on why you should buy the Davy Crockett, or read a review here of this versatile grill. See our other GMG grills here.
Can you operate with just smartphone or do you have to have internet connection
Hey Dan, you can sync the phone app up to the grill anywhere. The control board on the grill has it’s own WiFi so you will be connecting your smartphone directly to the grill – no outside Internet/WiFi needed. Here is a quick WiFi connection video on the Davy Crockett to see the process of connecting the grill to the phone. https://youtu.be/-h2Vz-EcptQ
Any other questions please let us know.
Thanks!