Griller Zero to Griller Hero!

Hola grilling friends!

I am hoping that this latest post finds all of you well and right into the daily "GTO" lifestyle as you all continue to expand your culinary horizons with your cherished ceramic oven of choice. Now let's be honest with each other for a moment and admit that we all like to be good at something in life and find that place where we can impress or perhaps show off our skill set and knowledge with our loved ones or our close friends or possibly perfect strangers. Some of us are great educator's while other's are great carpenter's or maybe you know someone who's got incredible all around athletic ability. Whatever the case, it feels great to be good if not great at something and I think we can all agree on that point.

I get asked almost daily if I'm a chef and if so where did I train, what are my credentials, how long have I been cooking for etc, etc,etc. When I answer people and explain to them that in fact I'm the furthest thing from a trained chef the first reaction is utter disbelief and confusion because the question always comes up after they have eaten a steak I have grilled them, or, a beautiful salmon filet that's come off any one of the six or so ceramic cookers that I own and they have truly loved the meal, hence the confusion. Now I'll admit that I have had close to a decade of practice and I have cooked thousands of meals and spent well in excess of 10,000 hours of my own time completely immersed in this ceramic grill world over the last few years but the bottom line is that I'm not a chef and I'm learning new things everyday when it comes to this cooking medium.

As I explained at the top of the post about people being good if not great at something, my unique ability and professional background is in sales and marketing and I happen to be incredibly passionate about food and beverage and without a doubt the ceramic cookers that have inspired me to create my company and concept "The Grateful Griller". I get a tremendous amount of pleasure and satisfaction as stated in past posts by taking ordinary people like myself and turning them into their own "Grateful Griller" in no time at all, hence the title of the post, "Griller Zero to Griller Hero". I often compare the ceramic grill experience for the potential newcomer to this cooking form to that of the ski industry back in the nineties and the massive impact that "parabolic" skis had on millions of people who for the most part couldn't really carve a turn and feel that rush or excitement of what its like to carve a turn on ice or snow and actually feel like they were a confident intermediate at best.

So by now your thinking where's the "griller" going with this post and why is he comparing apples to oranges? In fact I'm not and here's why. The ceramic cookers or at least the ones I have researched and extensively tested to date being Big Green Egg, Primo, GrillDome, Kamado King, and Dragon Fire have been nothing short of fantastic and they have all had one consistent character trait and that is that they are all forgiving, like those infamous parabolic skis. I have dealt and spoken to thousands of people in the last few years and personally sold and serviced hundreds of others who always come back to me raving about something they have grilled, baked, smoked, seared or whatever and most of these energetic new "GTO" enthusiasts have only had their brand new cookers for maybe a month or two along with a professional demo by yours truly at the very most. Like the marvelous hour glass shaped skis that I referred to that changed the ski industry forever and turned millions of beginner skiers into over night advanced intermediates sensations, I predict the same could be true in the bbq industry as it relates to ceramic cookers and here's why!

Due to the fact that these cookers retain their heat so well the risk of flare up is all but eliminated and as long as a person follows a few simple start up techniques like making sure the fire box is in line with the bottom draft door, and all vents are wide open, top and bottom when lighting, and the proper lump charcoal is being used, the novice can focus attention on learning how to regulate heat with the draft doors and voila! In no time at all one can be feeling like a guaranteed intermediate grilling gourmet, as I remember I did once upon a time and that's a really great feeling, especially if you've always been nervous about cooking, let alone over natural lump charcoal.

Thanks to modern day technology by some of the best ceramic bbq companies in the world, we can and should be confident that with a little practice and the desire to learn and share our food, our techniques, our stories and most of all our enthusiasm with each other for this cooking form, anyone entering into it will as I did, fall in love with it and become "grilled to obsession". Until next time my grilling friends, feed the fire and the desire to take it higher!

The Grateful Griller

Fire has its own language, spoken in

the realm of heat, hunger, and desire.

It speaks of alchemy, mystery, and,

above all, possibility.

It is a slumbering voice inside me

The ever-present beast within my soul

It is beyond words, beyond memory,

It comes from a time long before I can recall.

"Seven Fires" by Francis Mallman

Griller's GaGa over GrillDome!!!

Hello grilling friends!

I am really excited to share some very exciting news with you all! I have had the pleasure over the last year and a bit to make friends with a man I have come to know as T.K. Its short for Tarsem Kholi and he is the man responsible for creating by far one of the best Kamado style cookers/ovens on the market today called GrillDome. Now, for those of you who have never heard of GrillDome worry not, as I had no clue the company existed either a little over a year ago but after my initial research into this wonderful cooking medium we found each other and have had some great conversations since about cookers, food, technology, evolution of his product etc. I also made friends online with a great guy and distributor for GrillDome in Australia by the name of Michael Jones for whom I also feel indebted to so Michael, if you catch this post mate, I owe you a few cold ones for turning me onto a fantastic product that I have really enjoyed firing up since I got my first one. For the record, Michael owns a company called "Kamado Cookers Australia" so if you want to check out a cool site and some great pics of the GrillDome product in action check it out and enjoy!

GrillDome have been in business for twenty years and in that time have produced an incredible product and story. Engineered and designed in the USA and produced in India Tarsem and company have really honed their skill at producing great cookers. Not only do they come in six color's but GrillDome have taken their game to a whole new level by including a 304 stainless steel component package on their cookers which for us Kanuk's and our ever popular weather patterns, its a huge advantage and I must admit GrillDome win hands down for having the best spring hinge mechanism I have ever seen or used. I often hear concerns from people that the lids to these cookers are heavy, and they are, but rest assured GrillDome have nipped this in the butt, no questions asked.

GrillDome have a number of different sized cookers but the most popular sellers are the new generation "Terepex" technology XXTall and SuperDomes which are available in red, blue, copper, black, and green. I purchased myself an XXTall copper model for testing and love it to bits! Unlike anything else on the market currently GrillDome take on a slightly different shape similar to that of a tandoori oven and are hand finished which adds a special unique touch to a truly artistic vessel. Now although GrillDome are not available in Canada as of yet through any distributor you can purchase online (warranty included) from the USA and have it shipped up to Canada and mark my words folks, you won't be disappointed. Tarsem and his team down in Atlanta pride themselves on great customer service and the attention to detail is impressive for sure. GrillDome's come pre-assembled ( huge bonus) and packed nice and tight and safe for the trip and all one needs to do once you get it is give "The Grateful Griller" a call for your start up demo and deck party and let the rest take care of itself. After testing this product extensively I think it is fair to say that "The Big Green Egg" and any other company has some serious competition in the marketplace as it relates to the circular/kamado styled cookers that exist currently and this is one hell of emerging brand that people need to be made aware of indeed!

GrillDome have a number of different accessories for their cookers and the food result is simply incredible. There are slightly different procedures when using GrillDomes compared to BGE's or Primo's. GrillDome are the only company in this marketplace that provide color options and that's going to fare very well for these guys as they grow their business in the coming years. I also have to say that T.K being the principle owner is incredibly up front and accessible to anyone and everyone it seems who wants to enter into this cooking lifestyle and he has been just awesome when it comes to discussing his product and trying to help make the experience great for everyone. Think about folks, how many owners of their own brand big or small can you get on the phone regularly to make life easier for you. I can count them on less than the fingers I have on one hand so T.K, many thanks for your product, passion and straight forward approach when it comes to cooking with ceramics!

You have sold "The Grateful Griller" and have an ally forever up here in Canada! Keep on grilling my friends and spread the word on the "grilled to obsession" lifestyle! See you on the deck soon.

fire, ice, bevies and food,

The Grateful One

Cracked but not Kaput!!!

Hello grilling friends!

I hope and trust that everyone out there in "GTO" country is having a remarkable summer and coming up with all kinds of fantastic creations off your ceramic oven of choice! I have been cooking like a devil since March and there are no signs of slowing down as of yet as we head into August. I thought it would be a good idea as I have had quite a few questions about the durability and life span of the interior fire boxes in both the Primo and BGE units and I have also addressed a number of questions on the potential "spider" cracks that can occur and for the record are totally normal with these two great brands of ovens.

Due to the fact that these wonderful earthen vessels expand and contract sooo much over time it is normal as I have come to realize that one may experience a small hair line fracture on the fire ring or box of the BGE units or the same thing on the Primo firebox over time. Fear not and most importantly worry not as both companies as I have stated before in past posts come to the table with great warranties and although these fractures look like they are right through the interior components, they usually aren't and if they are and come apart in more than a couple of pieces you can simply contact your local retailer where you purchased for a replacement. I have to stress the fact that this is only in the case of normal cooking use and does not apply if negligence is to blame or if they have been dropped on the ground etc, common sense rules in this case.

I own three BGE units and two Primo units to this day and I have only ever replaced my firebox on the interior of my first BGE medium unit once in almost a decade so worry not about the situation if it happens to you and also be confident that these "spider" cracks do not in any way shape or form have a negative impact on your cooking result so grill on friends and see you on the deck soon!

sticky loins and a few legs too......

Griller