Hello Grateful Grilling World!!!!!!!
I thought it would be a good time, no, a great one in fact to bring all you wonderful folks up to speed with my behind the scenes testing, grilling, searing, baking and anything else I can do with my Kamado Joe on the "GTO" deck here in Wakefield and beyond. I can't believe its been almost six months since I took delivery of my first KJ cooker and introduced myself to the company and its great people who run the show down in Flowery Branch, Georgia. We have since met up in person down at the HPBA Show in Orlando, FL and what a great time that was! We've since gotten to know each other and I have certainly gotten to know their Kamado very well over the last number of months. Now as some of you if not all of you know by now, I test these cookers and put them through or at least try to put them through various torture tests to see what the results will be and these guys at Kamado Joe have a real winner on their hands without a doubt!
When I say a winner, I mean a real winner! Sure they're the new guys on the block in the kamado world but its down right impressive to see how far they have come in such a short period of time and they have done so without missing a speck or detail when it comes to the way they execute their marketing message and the down right friendly nature of the personnel connected to the company and of course the stellar results that their product pumps out again and again! I make it a point of testing all the kamado cookers I get my hands on in the dead of winter and the harshest of environments cos let's face it, summer's easy and forgiving but when you live in a climate like eastern Canada the weather gods can throw some heavy stuff our way! LOL!!!
What I really appreciated as an obsessed griller from the start with this product is that I spent less time assembling and reading rocket science like, or not, instructions and more time doing what we all love to do, GRILLING and COOKING! So I'm instantly in a great mood (not that I'm ever in a bad one, LOL!) and then the little bit of work that had to be done to get my Kamado Joe fired up took literally minutes and voila! Recycle the cardboard box and plastic wrap, walk to recycle bin, toss and get back to those marinating steaks and beer, deck side with my friends and family.
I'm happy to report that I've been so impressed with my Kamado Joe and after dozens and dozens of fires it really hasn't let me down once. Sure I had a few minor issues with a gasket and a couple of temp gauges but bottom line when I touched base with the company and explained my situation they took great care of me, my needs and no sooner than I could have said Jack Robinson, UPS was on my doorstep with the problem solved!
So, home run so far you say? It gets better with every fire and the performance in our tough climates came through with flying colors. It holds heat well, really well and comes in two different colors and its accessory/component kit is nothing less than top shelf. From powder coated stainless to galvanized powder coated stainless to straight stainless, bamboo shelves and their "greener" story to a two piece lockable stand. Go figure, Kamado Joe's accessories from pizza stones to heat deflectors to their own really hot"n"smooth charcoal actually come in boxes/bags that look great and take you, the customer, through a simple to understand, step by step approach to using your new product!!!!! This for the record is a first for the kamado category in an indusrty called bbq and if anyone thinks I'm wrong, do tell, I'd love to know!
Does it get even better? It sure does friends! Why? Well, Kamado Joe not only want to make you happy griller's for eternity, they also don't force you to purchase a stand and mates because if you have a carpentry thumb you can build your own table or if that's not an option buy one of their tables that come in a beautiful teak wood or stainless version! When I saw this stainless table in Orlando (not that the teak wasn't attractive) I nearly started doing back flips in the aisles around the loads of interested people who were curious about this new kamado company called Joe! Take it from me griller's, head's were turning, mine included!
On that note, I've got to point out that from a pure positive vibe perspective and buzz factor down in Orlando, FL. "Kamado Joe" wins hands down for coolest kamado booth and overall vibe. It was exciting to see and feel their passion for the kamado and deliver it and their story to the people who attended. I can relate a great deal to this kind of feeling and its for this very reason that I got inspired to put pen to paper and tell it as it is. I love this kamado trip I'm on and know in my heart that companies like Kamado Joe are going to rattle this categories cage in a big way and become very successful in the near future for two reasons, these folks have passion for what they do and a great product that's only going to keep getting better with time!
Enjoy the next few lines grillers because they came to me after listening to a great deal of Pink Floyd over the last little while, especially the epic album "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" and particularly the song "Learning To Fly". Lyrics borrowed from Pink Floyd and altered by "The Grateful Griller".
Into the distance I've travelled with you "K",
through the red and black and stretched to the point of no turning back.
Its been a flight of fancy over wind swept fields with you "K".
Standing on these decks our senses have been real.
Fatal attraction to you "K" has held me fast,
how can I escape or resist your irresistible grasp?
There's no way I can keep my eyes from the circling skies,
I'm just a tongue tied and twisted kamado obsessed misfit on a ride that's only just begun!
Ice almost formed on the tips of my wings,
unheeded warnings, I thought we thought of everything.
No navigator to find our way home,
feeling so empty and almost turning to stone.
Your smoke and fire showing me the way, true faith that its all gonna be ok.
My sole intention is learning to fly with you "K",
condition grounded at times but determined to try.
Can't keep my eyes from those circling skies,
I'm just a tongue tied and twisted kamado obsessed misfit on a ride that's just begun!
Above this planet on a wing and a prayer,
I look back to witness our vapor trail in the empty air.
Across the clouds I see our shadows fly "K",
out of the corners of my watering eyes.
My dream unthreatened by the morning light,
a light so strong it could blow my fiery soul threw the roof of the night.
There's no sensation to compare with this,
suspended animation, smoke, fire, a state of bliss.
I will never keep my eyes from those circling skies,
tongue tied and twisted, I'm a kamado obsessed misfit on the rise.....
Let's all keep feeding that fire called life griller's!
G
