Traeger vs Green Mountain Grills - Which is the Best? (2024)

When summer is right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to upgrade your barbeque!

Wood pellet grills have steadily developed a strong following since they were first introduced in the late 1980s. Nowadays, there are dozens of brands to choose from. When it comes to wood pellet grills, we can’t recommend both Traeger and Green Mountain Grills highly enough.

But which model do you choose?

The decision isn’t an easy one, which is why we decided to create this Traeger vs Green Mountain Grills comparison to help you find the perfect cooker to take your grill-game to the next level!

Why Choose a Wood Pellet Grill/Smoker?

It’s all about the flavor! “Wood-fired” is almost a cliche in cooking circles nowadays, but it’s a phrase that exists for a reason – you just can’t beat the taste of food prepared over a wood fire.

With a wood-pellet grill, the fire starts automatically – no matches, no kerosene, virtually no mess. All-natural wood flavor can be found inside every pellet, and it really lends itself to an unbeatable grilling experience. The real question becomes, “Why wouldn’t you?”

Brand Identity

Traeger

Traeger started the wood pellet craze. In the 1980s, company founder Joe Traeger developed his first Traeger grill after finding inspiration from using wood pellets in his home wood stove. Quick to patent his new invention, Traeger operated for the next 20 years with a monopoly on the market.

During this time, they sealed their reputation by consistently delivering high-quality grills that served up fantastic results. Still today, Traeger is the largest manufacturer of wood pellet grills.

Green Mountain Grills

Known by brand loyalists as GMG, Green Mountain Grills came onto the scene in 2008, two years after the Trager patent expired.

GMG entered the market with similar equipment but really began to make a name for themselves a few years later when they introduced new models at very competitive prices.

Green Mountain Grills has been a driving force behind technological innovation in the market, being among the first brands to incorporate WiFi control into their grills, putting pressure on the rest of the pack (including Traeger!) to take notice.

Top Models

Both Traeger and Green Mountain Grills have several models that could admirably vie for your new grill selection. But, we’ve done you a favor and narrowed it down to our top contenders from each brand.

In our head-to-head comparison, we put the classic Traeger Grills Pro Series 22 Pellet Grill and Smoker up against the up-and-coming Green Mountain Davy Crockett. Which one is the grill for you? Let’s find out how these two stack up!

Traeger Grills Pro Series 22 Pellet Grill and Smoker

We’ll start with the Traeger Grills Pro Series 22 Pellet Grill and Smoker, which is just that – a top-of-the-line professional pellet grill with a built-in smoker. It’s Traeger’s best-selling model, and for good reason. With this bad boy, you can feed dozens of hungry mouths with one precision-dialed flame.

Features

Design and Specs

The Pro Series 22 offers up a whopping 572 square inches of cooking space – enough space to fire up 24 burgers and five racks of ribs! This grill is large enough for most cooking jobs but still boasts a compact design at only 41 x 27 x 49 inches.

The grill shelf gives you space for plenty of options under the hood, while the high hood itself affords space for any larger items you might be feasting upon. The porcelain grill gates are truly nonstick – giving your food fresh flavor each and every cook while also facilitating an easy cleanup.

With the Pro Series 22, durability is not even a question. This beast weighs in at a rock-solid 102.5 pounds of steel construction, supported by a sawhorse chassis and topped off with a weather-resistant powder coat finish. This grill is built to last but is also pretty easy to move around thanks to the twin casters it is mounted on. Just rock and roll this grill to the perfect BBQ location.

How It Works?

Traeger prides itself on the consistency, versatility, and ease of use of its grills. The Pro Series 22 brings these qualities to mind with every meal you cook, thanks to its Digital Pro Controllers. It works just like your kitchen oven – set it and forget it! Power on, select your desired temperature with the control knob, and let the Pro Series 22 do its thing!

The controller automatically monitors and maintains the grill temperature. An induction fan stokes the fire as the auger pulls wood pellets from the hopper into the fire pot.

A hot rod ignites the fire pot and stokes the flame. Smoke and heat rise upward to the barrel and circulate around the space, creating an optimal cooking environment for meats, veggies, and more – even apple pie! Get yours by clicking here.

Traeger Grills Pro Series 22 Pros & Cons

Green Mountain Davy Crockett Sense Mate Electric WiFi Control Foldable Portable Wood Pellet Tailgating Grill

Our top pick from Green Mountain Grills’ esteemed lineup is the Green Mountain Davy Crockett. The ultimate in portable grilling, this cooker comes packed with handy features and couldn’t be easier to use or transport.

Features

Design and Specs

GMG designed the Davy Crockett with ease of use and portability in mind – and take it from us, they nailed it! The Davy Crockett weighs in at a super manageable 57 pounds. Supported by folding steel legs, this grill can pack up and fit in the trunk of any vehicle.

Consider the GMG Davy Crockett, a super-portable version of the Traeger Pro Series 22. Nearly all of the design specs such as weight, hopper size, and grill space are half that of the Traeger (including the price!), but this condensed model still delivers full flavor, to be sure!

Despite its smaller frame, the peaked lid is smartly designed to accommodate a stand-up chicken, large fowl, and rib racks. According to GMG, there’s enough space to grill up four to six steaks, two racks of ribs, or a whole bunch of burgers. Perfect for backyard BBQs, family camping trips, or other small gatherings.

How It Works?

The mechanics and operation of this wood pellet grill perform almost identically to the Traeger Pro Series 22 – with one exception. You can still manually set your temperature on the control box, but the GMG Davy Crockett features Smart Control and operates via WiFi pairing technology.

This allows you to sync your grill to the Green Mountain Grills app (iOS and Android) to control and monitor your grill’s performance! The app even includes a food timer to make sure your meals turn out exactly as you want them. Sense-Mate technology monitors your heat and allows you to make temperature adjustments in 5-degree increments – from 150-550 degrees.

You might be saying to yourself, “Is that really necessary?”

We get it, and to be honest, we thought the same at first. But we have to admit that after a few BBQ sessions using it, it’s pretty cool to be able to whip out your phone and check what is going on under the hood. It’s definitely a head-turner and actually becomes a very useful feature. As GMG states on their website: “Grill smarter, eat better!”

Buy yours by clicking here.

Or, if you want to find out even more, please take a look at our in-depth Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Review.

Green Mountain Grills Pros & Cons

Looking for More Great Options from Both Companies?

Then check out our in-depth Traeger Bronson 20 Review, our Traeger Grills Pro Series 34 Review, our Traeger Timberline 850 Review, our Traeger Pro Series 32 Review, our Traeger Scout Review, or our all-encompassing Traeger Grill Reviews.

You may also enjoy comparing Traeger to other well-known brands in our comprehensive Traeger vs Rec Tec Grills Review.

Or, if you’re looking for more superb options, check out our reviews of the Best Gas Grills Under 500 Dollars, the Best Gas Grills Under 300 Dollars, the Best Charcoal Grills, the Best Infrared Grills, the Best 2 Burner Gas Grill, and the Best Natural Gas Grills you can buy in 2024.

Traeger vs Green Mountain Grills – So How Do You Choose?

Ultimately, these are two top-of-the-line wood pellet grills with similar functionality. The two biggest factors to consider when choosing between them are grilling space and price point.

The Traeger Pro Series has the size advantage if you’re going to be cooking for large groups. But it’s still a portable option when stacked against a lot of other grills. However, if you’re looking for a grilling solution for more intimate gatherings, the Green Mountain Davy Crockett is your obvious choice.

Final Thoughts

We hope you enjoyed this head-to-head comparison of Traeger versus Green Mountain Grills! If you know your budget and how many people you regularly entertain, then the decision should be straightforward.

Let’s get to grilling!