Hello Grilling Friends!
Dedicated to some fine Canadian musicians I have been listening to lately!
I hope this latest post finds you all well and ready for cooler weather because like it or not winter's coming and quite frankly it makes me salivate thinking of all the low & slow sessions I intend to partake in with my family, friends and favorite foods as we all wait for snow to fly!
Over the last year and half or so I have had the pleasure of getting to know a gentleman by the name of Jack Hobbs from Louisville Kentucky USA, principal owner and creator of a kamado cooker called the "DragonFire". I had the pleasure of meeting Jack thanks to some fine folks south of the border who connected me with him while I was conducting my personal research as to how much if any competition "The Big Green Egg" had in North America. You see, anyone who knows me or is a client of mine knows that my passion for this cooking medium started thanks to the BGE product and I got so "stuck in it" as Jamie Oliver would say I never looked back. Now I take great pleasure in making sure that people everywhere know as much as humanly possible about all the cookers and respective companies that exist before making their final decision.
Presently, there are only three kamado styled cookers available in the Canadian marketplace, Primo, known for their oval shaped ovens (that rock for the record), BGE, (the big green machine that owns the lion's share of the market in North America) and a relatively new company called "Kamado Joe" who have recently found a distribution partner out of western Canada called "Pacific Specialty Brands". I have yet to test the product but at first glance it looks like a direct spin off of the BGE but in a reddish, orange like color but more on these guys later.
Enter the Dragon! I have tested this cooker for about six months now and take it from me folks, its a force to be reckoned with once it officially hits our soil in 2010 if all goes well! Dragonfire Kamado's, produced in Asia, come with a lifetime warranty on all ceramic components and 1 year warranty on all other parts. Its spacious 19.25 inch stainless grill is impressive and all other steel components are 304 stainless as well. It's charcoal/black baked on glaze is pretty stealth to look at and the overall shape of the DragonFire is more bulb like than anything else out there currently and in discussion with Jack on more than a few occasions he has made reference to the shape being more efficient when lighting it up and after many a fire, I see his point. The internal ceramic components fit neatly in place and a wide flanged cast iron fire grate has a no nonsense esthetic about it. The seal is the thickest I've seen to date and works very well in tests conducted thus far and whatever the adhesive is I hope they don't change it anytime soon.
DragonFire has been shipping product within the USA since 2006 and could very well be the first Kamado cooker of its kind to make people turn their heads once it gets into Canada and here's why! I figured I would save the best for last. You see, the DragonFire will come pre-assembled and complete with a 304 stainless steel stand ( and you all know how I feel about stands if you've been reading my posts) which goes together in a cinch with a few turns of an allen key plus a greener approach to foldable bamboo side tables and a stylish bamboo handle to boot! All this and more will be retailing at around $999 Canadian funds!
There's no doubt in my mind that as this cooking medium gains momentum and gets more mainstream/popular in North America in the years to come, there's going to be more and more innovation and ceramic cooking options for the public at large to choose from and after all doesn't that make things exciting? So, stay tuned for update's on this great product and if you see a dragon out there, remember, they like their steak RARE! Until next time,
be passionate, be creative, be grateful.....
Griller
No comments:
Post a Comment