I can assure you the GMG DB/JB is anything but light weight, I have been competing for the last 5 years and put hundreds of miles, numerous competitions and more than there fair share of abuse including recently when the JB tipped over on blacktop and sustained no damage other than some scuff marks, are they a FEC's or MAK's no, but they are not delicate either.

 

The cost of the Green Mountains/Traegers is to high in my opinion. Especially when you see how thin the metal is and how light weight they are made..

I would agree.  My Daniel Boone is no Yoder, but at 155lbs, it is close in size and weight to the Memphis Advantage at 161lbs....and $2000 less.

The smoker I bought is over 300lbs..

Took me and 3 buddys to offload it. I am seriously consideirng upgrading the 3" caster wheels it has, to say 8" inch wheels. Make it a bit more mobile.

Its made of at least 1/8 plate steel and and 1" Square Tubing for the base.

Based on the Price / Pound Math.. if a 155lb smoker cost $900, then a 300lb smoker should be at least worth $1600 or more... This one is well over 300lbs, and close to 2000 sq inchs of cooking capacity.

I have looked at the Memphis, and thought about them a bit.. They are pretty pricey.. I would have to be able to get rid of all my other smokers... meaning the Memphis can do it all, before I could get close to spending that much coin on them. The biggest Memphis they make, is just not enough capacity for my larger cooks. So I would still have to keep my other smokers if I bought one.

The fact they can cook at high heat did interest me.

Glad I don't have to move it...I will take mobility over useless weight any day!

Glad I don't have to move it...I will take mobility over useless weight any day!

I am not a competition guy, so I really wont move it much at all. Now that its on the back patio, it probably wont move for a year or two, unless my wife decides to buy different outdoor furniture.

I have a new Miller welder, always looking for an excuse to play with it.. this one might get bigger wheels, it might just be a pipe dream.

Competitions have intrigued me, but I do not think I am capable of trying to cook something just to satisfy the judge's (super sweet or vinegar).. Because I wouldnt be happy with it. I cook things they way I want it, or the way my wife/kids want it. Again, my job, would prevent me from having the time for a competitions anyway.

 

Interesting idea, but for me, not really my thing.

I'm at the stage of life where it's all about convenience factor.

Is it a MIG with a tank? I have the cheap Harbor Freight with the flux core. Have never used a gas MIG or TIG, sure would like to, just to see if that splatter is really reduced.

This is the way I have always cooked in Competitions, maybe that is why I have never done well!

I have a new Miller welder, always looking for an excuse to play with it.. 

Competitions have intrigued me, but I do not think I am capable of trying to cook something just to satisfy the judge's (super sweet or vinegar).. Because I wouldnt be happy with it. I cook things they way I want it...

Is it a MIG with a tank? I have the cheap Harbor Freight with the flux core. Have never used a gas MIG or TIG, sure would like to, just to see if that splatter is really reduced.

This is the way I have always cooked in Competitions, maybe that is why I have never done well!

I have a new Miller welder, always looking for an excuse to play with it.. 

Competitions have intrigued me, but I do not think I am capable of trying to cook something just to satisfy the judge's (super sweet or vinegar).. Because I wouldnt be happy with it. I cook things they way I want it...

I bought a new Miller 211 Dual Voltage Mig welder almost a year ago, using Argon Mix. My old welder was a very old Hobart 110 or 120 that was wore out. Needed alot new parts to get it running correctly. When I priced out all the parts, it was just better to get a new one, and sell the old one.

What I can say about the new Miller Mig. Now my welds look almost professional. In the past, the Hobart welds looked pretty bad, because it didn't feed consistently. Please note, it needed a new gun and other parts.

Basically what I am saying its pretty hard to make a worn out welder work good. I have learned alot since I got the new welder. I have alot of fun messing around with it.

I made a bunch of mods to my older Pitts & Spitts offset. Made two fire boxs (one for snake charcoal) (one for logs), rack holders to prevent them from falling out and hold 3 briskets while extended, fire poker sticks, tuning plates. I even made a cart for my Weber 22" Grill, it looks like a cart that is on the new Weber Ranch grills. Recently picked up a Spool Gun for aluminum.. It was priced pretty good on Ebay, used twice.. practically stole that thing. Looking forward to learning how to do Aluminum, (need to buy a straight Argon Bottle for Al).

I would like to have a Tig welder, but those are pretty pricey. Considering I am doing this for fun, its pretty hard to justify another welder, on something I really do not need.

Welders come in handy. Solve alot of problems, its fun in my opinion.

OK, I am doing a low and slow brisket on Jenn U Wine...
Using Traeger Mesquite Pellets, and Hickory Chunks.. they are the largest chunks of wood I have at the moment.
Here are the pics that show you guys what this thing is.. Again, this is the First Proto Type, made of this design. Its not the prettiest thing, the welds pretty much suck, but its not going to fall apart. ONE MORE TIME, I bought it used, well used....

I have no idea why the pics are straight on my computer but sideways on the post.. Sorry about that.. Hope I figure it out for next time???

I am about an Hour and Half into the cook..

Right now, I think I will be happy with the end result. Good amount of Blue smoke, If I had to guess, about the same as my offset when I use straight wood.
When I use Charcoal and wood chunks on the offset, it I get white ish/blue smoke...

Also I took a pic of the two wood chunks, showing what they look like after hour and a half ish...

It appears to be maintaining 225 pretty good on the top rack... but that temp is being read by 3 Thermometers. The guage on the front and two  thermometers on the top rack. The digital setting on the controller is set at 255 to maintain that temp. The thermocouple for it is in the middle of the smoker. It gets more direct heat traveling up the sides of the drip pan, which is why it measures higher... But I can move it if I want, just need to figure out where I want it... hummm

Later on, I will plug in my I grill with several probes reading the pit temp and the meat temp. Way to early to do that now.

The access is very interesting. I see that you can open the top door while leaving the bottom closed, can you open the bottom while leaving the top closed?
Looks like you could retain heat in the bottom while tending to items on the top.

Just ran errands for 1.5 hours... and checked on the smoker.

The guage was still at 227 degrees. About 50% of the two wood chunks are left.

Not much blue smoke now... but the brisket looks good.

Put my Igrill on., Brisket is at 151 degrees right now..

At 160, I will foil it, and bump the temps up to 275 ish... To finish it...

Decided to add another small chunk of wood to it.. see if it get more blue smoke...

To answer the above question. Yes it has two doors, you can open the top and leave the bottom door closed, or open it up. The upper door has a 1" overhand to hold the bottom door closed.

Another thing I failed to mention.. I put a foil pan on the bottom grate, and put about 1 in of water in it.. Add some moisture to the cook.. I do that on my offset. It also helps keep the temps a bit more stable when you are opening up the smoker... Hoping it works the same on the Pellet Grill

I foiled it, and cranked up the temp to 275ish..

Took a few pics.. It appears to me that the brisket has black look to it... Is that typical of Pellet Grill?

My past briskets on offset, were more of a dark burgandy brown, I wouldnt say black..

Well, you aren't really cooking solely on a pellet pit so hard to say what the brisket color is caused by -- I would guess it has something to do with the chucks of wood you have smoldering in there. We have never had that color on any brisket cooked on any of our 4 different types of pellet pits.

The wood is pretty much gone,

And the foil has alot of black residue on it...

I am using Traeger Pellets... Do pellets leave any residue when they burn?

Not in any of the 5 I have owned!