Kamado Joe Clears Runway for Grateful Griller's Take Off!

Hola grilling friends!

Well, without any shadow of a doubt the last few weeks have been crazy busy for yours truly as I have had my grilling pedal to the metal so to speak. I got the opportunity to host and produce the first "Kamado Joe" video tutorials that were shot right here in my back yard and what an amazing project it has been as we rap things up over the next few weeks. The sun's been intense, the weather's been gorgeous if not a bit tricky to shoot in and when your wearing black the secret to staying alive is drinking as much water as you possibly can! LOL!!!

I officially launched "Grateful Griller Productions" a few months ago and there are a number of projects in the cooker, ( no pun intended) for the near future to bring as much positive awareness to the "kamado" as humanly possible and by getting the chance to shoot the latest video's my brain has been buzzing with so many idea's that I will get to share with all of you in the coming months in my own unpredictable style!

The set and getting to handle and speak about all the fantastic "Kamado Joe" product has certainly reconfirmed my all out passion for this lifestyle and cooking medium. "Kamado Joe" is going to become, in my humble opinion, a market leader in no time at all simply because its great product that makes sense, looks good and is explained in easy terms wether your a novice and new to this world or a grand master grilling aficionado. After each days rap on set its been great to kick back with a cold one, spark up the kamado, and grill into the late ours of night! I smoked two awesome chickens a couple of nights back and baked a pizza to perfection shortly after and still had enough "KJ" lump leftover to bang off some bacon for the next mornings breakfast!

All that said and as the the title of the post suggests, by going through this video production process of articulating an incredibly positive message about an awesome product being the kamado it really has made me feel like a 747 on the tarmac, cleared for take off so I can spread this message around the world and back. For me, the kamado reenforces the importance of all our senses, especially that of smell and taste because its those senses that are connected with so many great memories on our decks enjoying time with the people who matter most to us, and who can argue? As my line goes, food, family, friends and music! They all make my world go around, how about you?

I want to give a shout out to my main men on set, Derek Thacker, editing guru and Jeff Denesyk, master shooter with the patience of Job! Both these guys have been able to teach me so much about the process and considering the learning curve was so steep the entire experience has confirmed my desire to take my tv game higher! Here's to many more productions in the future with both of you passionate grillers!

Finally, I want to personally thank Bobby Brennan and the entire crew at "Kamado Joe" for their trust and faith in "The Grateful Griller" and the opportunity to work with you all! I hope this is just the start of greater things to come on our grilling roads! So what are you waiting for people? "Ignite your passion for grilling", and get your "K" on and here's to the final cut in the next little while!

The next few lines came to me while listening to some back catalog "Oasis" and it occurred to me that the "kamado" really is my wonderwall. Some lyrics borrowed from Oasis and altered by The Grateful Griller. Peace, fire, smoke, food........

Wonderwall of a Kamado

Today's gonna be the day

that their gonna throw it back to you.

By now we should of some how realized what we've got to do "K".

I don't believe there's anybody who feels the way I do about you now.

Back beat, the word is on the street that the fire in our hearts is hot like the sun,

as we run with our message to the ends of the earth and back.

A re-birth of cool from the ancient Japanese school of food dancing with fire.

All these roads we've rolled down have been winding.

All the lights that have led us here have been blinding,

and I don't believe there's anyone who feels the way I do about you "K"!

Another great party and another great demo,

crazy pace this grateful grilling tempo!

Ottawa today, perhaps tokyo tomorrow, always feeling happy and never any sorrow.

Sparks will fly when the universal eye zooms in to take a look at this kamado book we are working on.

Its like one big song, a low "n" slow dance,

kick back, relax and slip into this kamado like trance.

This is our time to take it all the way!

The inner desire to inspire a global audience seeking fire, fun and a food fantasy.

An odyssey in experimentation where by the final equation equals simplicity and creative process with no need for a hostess because your kamado will deliver the mostest!

You just might be the one who saves me, because after all, you are my wonder wall,

protecting me from the big fall into an empty world of promises of quality and flavor,

and never getting to savour the truth of it all.

Yes indeed, you just might be the one who saves me,

because after all, you are my wonder wall.........

feed that fire grillers...........

G

A Problem We Can't Ignore! Grateful Griller Say's, Invest In A Kamado, Invest For A Lifetime!

Hello Grilling Nation!

I hope you are all grilling up storms of delicious food and enjoying the Spring weather not to mention getting inspired by the fires of your kamado! For the last few years I have been, as all of you probably know, on hundreds of decks throughout the Nation's Capitol and beyond, inspiring my clients and introducing people all over the place to the wonderful "grilled to obsession" lifestyle that I'm obsessed with and love to share with the world. What I have noticed on my travels however, is something that really concerns me on many levels and that's the massive problem with all the old, rusty, worn out not to mention cheap gas grills that litter our planet and end up at the end of the driveway for scrap destined for the dump for sure! I mean think about it for a second, if only 10% of our Nation bbq's (and we know it's more than that) and there's roughly 35,000,000 people that make up our over all population, the math is scary but true nonetheless of the massive situation we need to deal with now! It means that there are millions and millions of useless grills rusting away and polluting our planet!

I think its important to realize that if you venture out to any mass merchant retailer or otherwise in search of a bbq that's going to last you a lifetime, I have some advice for you all, save your time and save your gas money because you are only going to end up being disappointed with your purchase and you are only going to get a few years of life out of the bargain you think you got! Now for the record, I'm not saying head on out and spend triple the amount of money on a kamado, nor am I bashing the gas grill industry because the fact is kamado cookers are not inexpensive and they are an investment for life that needs to be thought out because not everyone can afford a kamado cooker, although , mark my words grillers, the competition is getting thick out there and you have choices and you all have me on your side to make sure you make the right purchase and pricing is getting better and coming down thanks to new players on the scene like Kamado Joe and Saffire who both have very nice cookers at very nice prices not to mention better quality accessories kits than the market leaders like Big Green Egg and Primo.

Remember a few posts back when I mentioned my wife and I spending close to $1500.00 for our BGE, money at the time we didn't really have but the investment for life was what I expected and hoped for and today that same BGE kamado is looking like it did almost a decade ago as are all the other kamado's that I own that bring me and my family endless and awesome not to mention delicious meals day in and day out. The reason they do this is because they are quality oriented products that are simple and are made to last and made to hold up in our ever changing weather and harsh environment. There's no servicing little parts or maintaining tubes or dealing with rust with these marvelous earthen vessels. No grillers, its about the ancient ways and products that existed on our planet thousand's of year's ago, that have been revolutionized for modern day use that are now starting to become popular again and are gaining the attention of the masses!

So, if you, like me, once upon a time, can't afford the investment right away, worry not, but save your money instead of burning it on cheap metal shit ( pardon the expression, but it's a fact) that sells by the boat load in stores all over North America for somewhere between $99-$899 because your not doing yourself or our planet any favor's. Also, don't just go anywhere for your bbq or kamado purchase, find the pro's, the specialists like your's truly who will give you the straight talk and facts before you open up your wallet and part with your hard earned money. In our current fast paced world we need to develop crap filter's that help us make better purchase's because god only knows there are piles of crap for sale out there in the big world!

This goes for the kamado business/market as well. Yes indeed grillers, there are companies out there that claim they make state of the art kamado's which I have personally tested and I have quickly turned them into beautiful planters for the garden if you get my drift, LOL! Now that "kamado's" are gaining attention and this tiny little market is becoming a full blown category I'm expecting Tom, Dick and his brother Harry to be on the scene anytime soon boasting about their skill set and knowledge on the subject when in actual fact the truth is, that they know squat about anything kamado related and are focussed purely on the money, so be careful!

One thing is for sure, you don't buy a kamado, you invest in one and a lifetime of grilling and cooking bliss! That's right grillers, I sell and market a lifestyle which I have adopted years ago as a way of living my life to the fullest and in doing so I get to share this lifestyle with my clients, my family and my friends and "K" as I refer to her as in my "gto" poetry which I use to close my posts is now my vehicle to drive my passionate message around the globe for all to read and be a part of. I also get a huge amount of satisfaction out of being a physical part of the transaction when my clients take delivery of their first kamado cooker and I get to be deck side with them showing them how to become "grilled to obsession"! I feel really fortunate to be making a living and making people happy doing what I truly love to do with my partner, "K".

Until next time grillers, feed that fire and the desire to take your grilling games higher!!!!!!!!!

The latest inspirational "gto" words were inspired by K-OS and DJ Tricky and as usual some lyrics were borrowed and altered by The Grateful Griller!

The Grateful Griller's Kamado Revolution, Evolution

If I understand things right, I'm gonna take it to the global mic.

I'm gonna tell your story "K" and start a "gto" revolution.

Family, friends, food, music,

on decks around the world.

An evolution of your body, yet the cooking secrets are the same.

Airflow dictates temperature as your aroma's penetrate my brain.

Same old song, same old dance,

there I am again in this kamado like trance.

The old ways are new again,

a revolution, an evolution without pollution!

A solution that's plain and simple.

If I understand things right, I'm gonna take it to the global mic,

cos this revolution has just begun.

This is not a love song, its a sonnet, dam it feels good to have people upon it.

I'm just a savvy fool and I'm play'in with the master's tools.

I'm breaking the rules of this one kamado companies coup.

We'll let them form the cults "K".

The Grateful Griller will construct the cathedrals around the globe called earth,

for all to worship your fire, your ash, smoldering hot like the sun.

Man is it fun knowing this journey's just begun.

Feeding the fire and having the desire to inspire!

With outstretched arms, we purchase our food from organic farms,

and welcome people in to feast and at least taste the difference you make "K".

If I understand things right, I'm gonna take it to the global mic.

We're gonna start a kamado revolution together "K".

Come January, February or May we'll always get to say that you provide us all from day to day,

with this food cooked in such a special way.

It makes me grateful for all I have, so may it never stop,

this chillin and grillin on all these decks called home.........

GG on Fire!

xx

The Grateful Griller's Learning To Fly With Kamado Joe!

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