Green Mountain Grill Jim Bowie Review

[smokeasaurus]

I told ya Eric and I had another product review up our sleeves. Now this grill has been out a while but we feel it needs a good in depth review. This is Green Mountains largest patio offering. They do have a pig trailer that could fit on your patio but you better have a large wallet for grub and a big family 

Any questions or comments, I will have a post over at the Simi Pellet Grill/Pellet Grill Outfitters forum sponsor section.

The Jim Bowie is being assembled and burned in today and will be dropped off tomorrow. Here are some specs from the GMG web-site:


Jim Bowie pellet grill
Jim Bowie

Description:
The Jim Bowie model comes with a digital control, a meat probe, a peaked lid for stand-up chicken/ large fowl/ rib racks, a convenience tray with utensil hooks and hard rubber tires. Also included is Sense-Mate, a thermal sensor which constantly monitors the ambient temperature. When it gets cold outside, it kicks the grill into Turbo mode so you don’t have to wait long for the grill to heat up! You’ll also get a venturi-style firebox for cyclone combustion, front casters, a positive pressure hopper fan to prevent burn-back, a dome thermometer and “fan only” mode with automatic grill shut-off to blow ash out of the firebox after you finish grilling. The stainless steel grate measures 37.5” X 16” (600 sq. in.) and the inside clearance is 13.5”. It weighs 183 pounds.

Available options include a stainless steel no-warp lid, and a form-fitted grill cover,front shelve,second cooking grate and a gully washer cover and remote control.

[smokeasaurus]

Here is a little more information about Green Mountain Grills


Our Company

We discovered something we loved, REALLY loved. It was grilling with pellets…so much better than either charcoal or gas! But the pellet grill we owned needed some improvements, so we decided to make our own! Then loved it so much we ended up starting our own company! Green Mountain Pellet Grills is now the top-of-line…the best-of-the-best, but not the highest in price!

In Grilling, Taste Rules…

The reason that pellet grills win far more than their fair share of BBQ competitions is that the food simply tastes better when cooked over real wood. Propane has absolutely no taste, and the process of making briquettes destroys the flavor molecules in the wood they are made from. Our pellets are made from clean, kiln-dried sawdust, with the flavor molecules totally intact! And what could be easier than pushing a button – set it and forget it! Now you can “turn pro” in your own back yard.

[smokeasaurus]

Ya want videos, Smoke has ya covered

[smokeasaurus]

Eric came by and we got the Jim Bowie on the patio. Fit and finish seems nice. Unit is heavy and sturdy. This is a large grill. I would say around the size of the Rec Tec for comparison. You can see from the interior pics that the grill got the Pellet Grill Outfitters special touches (extra permatex). The users manual has scores of recipes. The manual also says the Jim Bowie has only one deflector that should be placed on the right side. This unit comes with a left as well. So I got em both in. The drip pan is very heavy. I would take a guess and say 10 gauge. It fits inside the pit nicely.
Smoochy likes it:

[smokeasaurus]

Did the initial burn. Pit reached the factory default of 150 in about 12 minutes. Took the temp up to 320 for the initial burn. The lid mounted thermo said 320 as well when the controller reached 320 as well. For me personally, I don't sweat super tight temps. After burning wood and charcoal all these years, I never had super tight temps, so the thermo on this model looks nice but I wont keep an eagle eye on it while cooking.

[smokeasaurus]

With the initial burn all done it is time for the first cook. Per Hikermans suggestion a fat tire is to be consumed
and if Green Mountain Smoochy thinks my fat tire and candela wrapped turd is for him, he is sadly mistaken


Brined some frozen chickens all day Saturday and Sat night in a simple brine of kosher salt, honey,brown sugar and Sweet Tweetie rub. In the morning I spatchcoked em and add a bit more Sweet Tweetie rub.

The optional front shelf sits a bit lower so you don't have to worry about the handle and it holds a full size aluminum tray
Green Mountain Grill Gold blend pellets will be used for the entire product review


Too see how even the pit cooks with the two deflectors in place, I set one chix on the left side and one on the right


Used the standard meat probe that plugs into the controller


First hour the grill was set at 150. Then bumped the grill up to 375


Got very tasty moist chicken with crispy skin, cant ask for much more than that

[smokeasaurus]

So with the first cook under my belt, what does old Smoke think of the GMG Jim Bowie?  So far So good. I feel like I have owned this pit for years. Pinpoint temps. No swings at all. The hood mounted thermo matched the controller temp. The food probe was only two degrees off my Polder thermo.

This unit runs quieter than the other pellet grills I have owned/reviewed. I don't think I have even heard the auger motor run.
The low sensor alarm did go off and run during the initial burn and then stopped. It did come on a couple of times during the cook but I just pressed on the pellets and it stopped. I let Eric know about it and will see what he says.

Just a word on the GMG Gold blend.....outstanding. It is a toss up between this blend and perfect mix. Can't go wrong with either imho..........

My homeboy is dropping off homemade tamales tomorrow so the GMG is gonna take a day off tomorrow........peace 

[smokeasaurus]

Here are some more features I forgot to mention:

Large stainless steel handle that stays cool to the touch


Large rear wheels and locking casters in the front make moving this grill very easy


Stainless Steel Chimney Cap


Nice side shelf with 4 utensil hangers


A very good heavy duty gully washer cover keeps your grill warm at night

[smokeasaurus]

"Grilled" some mild italian brats at 450 degrees

[smokeasaurus]

Center cut beef ribs. 225 degrees for 6 hours. Darn near fell off the bone.

[smokeasaurus]

I purposely bought extra ribs for a couple of reasons. One reason is because there is not much meat on them and I was feeling the need for beef. The main reason was to check to see how even the pit runs. I filled up the entire cooking surface and did not move them. The ribs all pretty much cooked the same all the way across. The two deflector plates/wind shields were used per the Owners Manual. Looks like that is the way I am gonna use them.

[smokeasaurus]

An hour after the rib cook, I changed the foil on the drip pan to get ready for my first ever overnight cook with a pellet grill.
I called Eric and got a reassurance that everything is gonna be fine. 

I fired up the grill round 8:30 and set the temp for 165. After the temp got stable at that range I tossed in this bone in Poke Butt

[smokeasaurus]

Got up close to 5 a.m. and the pit is running just find. The internal temp of the butt matches the set temp of 165. I will bump up the temp in a bit to 225 and then the stall can begin...............

[smokeasaurus]

After 12 hours at 165 and 3 hours at 180 and 2 hours at 225 and then 1 hour at 250,,,for a whopping 18 hours with no foil i got this with an internal of 195


easy to pull

[smokeasaurus]

Did a standing rib roast at 225 for 4 hours..sorry no money shot, it was a feeding frenzy