Gray meat on older GMG Daniel Boone

[diggles]

It's been a while since I've posted, but I figured the brethren would be able to help me out. I have an older GMG Daniel Boone that I picked up a few years ago. I've had mediocre results with it ever since I got it. The biggest issue is that I get dirty smoke out of it, which leads to gray meat. It does ok with the quicker, high-heat cooks, like burgers or thin pork chops, but anything that takes longer than 10 minutes looks terrible. I tried a pork butt once and it was a disaster. The only thing I've found that it does well is salmon, which I cooked at 200*, so it didn't need much of a fire.

I've exhausted all of the tips I got from speaking with someone at GMG support. Here are the options I see so far:
Option 1: Upgrade parts and hope that fixes the problem. $200 for a new control board and new fan SHOULD fix the issues.

Option 2: Get rid of it and use other cookers I have. Possibly upgrade to a larger Blackstone if I could find one with a hood.

I'm tempted to go with #1 since I really would like to have a very simple set-and-forget smoker. My UDS with temp controller takes a while to set up, so it's not really worth it for just doing a quick chicken or pork loin. The downside is that if that doesn't fix the problem, I'll be out another $200.

I have several other cookers (UDS, 22" kettle, and 28" Blackstone) that fill most of my needs. I was hoping the pellet grill could replace the UDS and be my weekday smoker and grill. I have a vertical stick burner for the high-capacity cooks.

Anyone have other suggestions or tips?

 

[Music Junkie]

It's been a while since I've posted, but I figured the brethren would be able to help me out. I have an older GMG Daniel Boone that I picked up a few years ago. I've had mediocre results with it ever since I got it. The biggest issue is that I get dirty smoke out of it, which leads to gray meat. It does ok with the quicker, high-heat cooks, like burgers or thin pork chops, but anything that takes longer than 10 minutes looks terrible. I tried a pork butt once and it was a disaster. The only thing I've found that it does well is salmon, which I cooked at 200*, so it didn't need much of a fire.

I've exhausted all of the tips I got from speaking with someone at GMG support. Here are the options I see so far:
Option 1: Upgrade parts and hope that fixes the problem. $200 for a new control board and new fan SHOULD fix the issues.

Option 2: Get rid of it and use other cookers I have. Possibly upgrade to a larger Blackstone if I could find one with a hood.

I'm tempted to go with #1 since I really would like to have a very simple set-and-forget smoker. My UDS with temp controller takes a while to set up, so it's not really worth it for just doing a quick chicken or pork loin. The downside is that if that doesn't fix the problem, I'll be out another $200.

I have several other cookers (UDS, 22" kettle, and 28" Blackstone) that fill most of my needs. I was hoping the pellet grill could replace the UDS and be my weekday smoker and grill. I have a vertical stick burner for the high-capacity cooks.

Anyone have other suggestions or tips?

What did you pay for the unit used? Is another $200 in the realm of possibilities? I would think that a new control board and fan should help. I would also make sure the igniter is functioning properly and getting a good initial burn going. Once the pellets are lit, the control board and fan should keep you burning. Is the auger feeding the pellets consistently? If it starves and lets the fire burn down, then feeds a little more and overloads on smoke, it can impart some nasty smoke. A buddy of mine has a Traeger and he had to replace the auger and motor because it was feeding inconsistently. It really depends on how much time and money you are willing to spend. I like a good project, but if I get to a point where I can buy something new for a "little" more, I just forgo the hassle.

 

[Smoke Dawg]

Funky smoke sounds like improper air flow so I expect Option #1 would help you out. We had a GMG Daniel Boone and it worked great. Upgraded to a Yoder and sold the GMG to a friend that is still using it

 

[diggles]

What did you pay for the unit used? Is another $200 in the realm of possibilities? I would think that a new control board and fan should help. I would also make sure the igniter is functioning properly and getting a good initial burn going. Once the pellets are lit, the control board and fan should keep you burning. Is the auger feeding the pellets consistently? If it starves and lets the fire burn down, then feeds a little more and overloads on smoke, it can impart some nasty smoke. A buddy of mine has a Traeger and he had to replace the auger and motor because it was feeding inconsistently. It really depends on how much time and money you are willing to spend. I like a good project, but if I get to a point where I can buy something new for a "little" more, I just forgo the hassle.

I think I paid around $300 for it, but that was a few years ago, so I've lost the impact of the initial cost. I look at it as a wash at this point.

It seems to be feeding fine. I watched it do the initial feed and light and pellets were coming out fine. As far as I can tell, it is lighting fine since it doesn't take super long to come up to temp.

 

[diggles]

Funky smoke sounds like improper air flow so I expect Option #1 would help you out. We had a GMG Daniel Boone and it worked great. Upgraded to a Yoder and sold the GMG to a friend that is still using it

I'm thinking that would probably do it too. Plus, it would be nice to have wifi on it. Might have to list the UDS first and see how much I can get for it. If that covers the cost of the parts, the decision would get easier.

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

Either go with #1 OR sell it take that money and add a little more a get a pit boss pellet grill (maybe Austin XL). Not having to sink a ton of money into having a pellet grill at that point.

 

[jzadski]

I would be concerned with sinking more money into when GMG support has not seemed to solve the issue for you