BBQ vs Smoker? Whether you are looking for your first smoker or deciding on a BBQ or Smoker, this might help you out. As a beginner or newcomer to smokers, I’d like to share my story and why getting this GMG Ledge Smoker was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Everything from what type of smoker you should buy to what accessories or attachments you should consider. I love brisket, pulled pork, steak, but this smoker can do so much more and I can't wait to share how much fun it has been to get into smoking meats.
00:00 WhyBuy GMG Ledge Smoker intro
01:43 Komado vs automatic pellet smoker
03:23 Propane BBQ vs smoker
04:01 What size of smoker should you get
04:50 Smoker under 1500
06:34 GMG smoker build quality
07:50 How to set up a smoker
08:32 GMG Ledge features
11:48 Best thing about the GMG smoker
14:13 WhyBuy Extras and Outtakes
Buying Story
Last year I wanted to take that next step from direct flame cooking on my BBQ and try something new, a quality smoker. I decided that I wanted to buy a smoker because it adds a different flavor to your cook gives you more options for cooking and it allows you to cook things for a longer period at a very low temperature. We did have the space and proper ventilation, so now it was just deciding on a budget and choosing a smoker brand.
What type of smoker should you buy?
Coal smokers, wood chip smokers, and pellet smokers are common to see when you go to cookouts, but why choose one or the other? If ease of use is important to you, and when getting into smoking, it was for me, you should consider an automatic pellet smoker.
From my research it seemed to be fairly clear that pellet grills are the “easy option” for smoking, but experienced cooks don't like them. The reason being, with a pellet smoker you aren’t going to get as much of a smoke flavor as a coal or wood chip smoker. Side note, I’ve been using this for a while now, and even the other pellet grill owners I know will agree, we are very happy with the level of smoke flavor we can achieve.
You also must consider that the time commitment with coal or wood chip smokers is brutal. Even though the pros swear by them, Offset smokers leave you stuck managing a fire all day!
The ability for me to set a temperature, set a time and leave knowing the temperature in the pellet smoker will stay exactly where I need it to be with precision was very important to me.
What is a good price for a smoker and why?
Ok, I knew I would be cooking for 6-10 people, so a medium sized cook surface was needed. I had a budget of $1,500 and for that, I really wanted stainless steel components including the lid. Lastly, I wanted something that came with shelves, good caster wheels, and a large hopper for pellets.
Shopping for a smoker? You can go from a $400 or $500 at an entry point, all the way to $2000, $3000, $6000 to $10,000 when you get into the luxury models.
You can buy into an economical, practical, premium, or luxury smoker. Based on my budget, it was looking like I would get an economical or practical smoker. No high-end materials, no stainless steel.
Then I found the GMG smokers. The Green Mountain Grill Ledge sells at around $1500 and not only was it on budget, but it had way more than I expected. Consider the Green Mountain Grill Ledge a premium but priced like a practical smoker.
It comes down to what you want and what features or tech you need. Consider how you want to use your smoker and don’t spring for extras that will increase the price.
Go into the store or online and know what you're willing to spend. Make sure you try and hold yourself to that because it is easy to get caught up in accessories and fancy features that you might not actually need.
GMG Ledge Features that made sense
Whenever I buy something that's going to cost me a lot of money I always put in the time to research and find out what's out there and what I can get as the best bang for my buck.
There were actually several brands out there that I already knew or heard about like Trager or Pitboss but after I started digging I actually came across Green Mountain Grills. What kept bringing me back to them was that they were showing up on different top 5 lists of best value or best “practical smoker” for your money, or were top smokers in Canada.
I kept coming back to Green Mountain grills as a really good value for your dollar smoker for what you get. Things like exterior shelving or the light inside that on other grills at this price point didn’t have, and from my research maybe it was more of a or a marketing piece and maybe all smokers have this
Favourite thing about the GMG smoker
For me ease of use and the ability to not have to check in on my smoker every hour is awesome. For the money, I couldn’t find a better smoker and I’m so happy that I was able to get everything I wanted and stay within budget.
Did I mention that there’s a pizza attachment? And yes, I bought that too.
Thanks for watching!
