Grateful Griller Say's, You Don't Need One, But You'll Want One After You Taste The Results!

Grillersssssssssssss!!!!!!!!! Hola, Hola, Hola!

Isn't it great that we have had more nicer weather in the last two months than we had all last summer at this time? I'm loving it and it really gets those creative juices flowing through my system for sure! Over the last week or so as I continue my crusade of sorts to spread the love about the kamado cooker worldwide, I couldn't help but think back to all the great memories I've had at casa "gto" and been able to share with my friends and family thanks to "K". I've lost count not that I ever was counting the number of times that I have entertained various people and friends and parties that went into the wee hours of the night and morning in some cases whereby any one of my cookers was ticking over with some new delicious creation inside of it for all to taste and savour!

I am, as you all know by now, obsessed with this beautiful device called kamado! I am completely mystified by its shape, its parts and its simplicity, not to mention how they work in general. I love the fact that its so simple but yet so complex and all this while be so forgiving to the enthusiastic novice just entering this world of smoke and fire with food cooked this way for the first time. I am, as some of you know a self confessed kamado jedi, knower of all things ancient and ceramic based! LOL!, not at all!!!!! I simply love the investigative path I've been on to find as much information on this topic as humanly possible and I take tremendous joy in asking a lot of questions to the right people on the subject and then simply translating that to the world at large who are interested to know! I've been in sales my entire professional life and have finally found that perfect product that doesn't require any hard sell tactics whatsoever, parish the thought all together! No friends, this is far more than venturing out and simply buying another product that's going to last a few years and then end up curbside, destined for the landfill site. This is about opening a door and stepping through it and entering an entirely new world of pleasure with food cooked, grilled, smoked and even roasted to perfection every time, a world and lifestyle I have coined "grilled to obsession" !

Within this world you will learn entirely new ways and techniques to prep and cook some of the best food you have ever made using natural lump charcoal. Its a process that can last anywhere from 20 minutes to 20 hours and over time one can't help but be drawn into the practice of cooking this way until one day you wake up and realize that you are now part of this club of sorts. Not a snobby or pretentious club, simply a club and or group of people that enjoy great food and great times deck side with a product that makes sense! I have found over the years that the kamado has slowed me down in a good way and helped me see the world in a different light and has also trained me to enjoy and appreciate the process of prepping food day in and day out.

As this post title suggest, you don't need a kamado, nobody needs a kamado, myself included, but when you get to taste the results from these fine vessels, you will want one forevermore! What started off as a passion for one particular cooker being The Big Green Egg has morphed into my obsession for an entire category of cookers that are percolating to the surface at various specialty retailers across North America today and I encourage everyone to do the homework necessary to find the best cooker to suit your grilling/cooking needs because once you invest in a kamado be it Grill Dome, Kamado Joe, Primo, or even Big Green Egg you are investing in a lifetime of food pleasure!

99.999999% of all my existing clients have come from a gas world as it relates to their bbq'ing experiences and I get asked all the time if I'm anti gas and I always reply, not at all! I am a believer in having your entire enchilada and being able to eat it as well and what I mean by this is that I have noticed a trend emerging over the last few years whereby people who own gas grills are craving that unique taste that goes a miss with their gas range, however they have read or experienced the marvel of natural charcoal in combination with a kamado and have to have it! Solution to the problem I say, keep your gas range for convenience and an added heat source and invest in a kamado cooker but don't blame me if you never go back to the gas!!!!!!!

As always friends, keep the fires red hot and enjoy your deck time and perhaps we will get to cook together someday soon but whatever the case, remember there are no limits to what can be created with your kamado! Until next time, let the music play and keep those recipes flowing! This past week has been about re-tracing my 80's obsession with that special decade of alternative music and I happened to be listening to an old Cult album when I realized that their song "Fire Woman" had the makings of another Grateful Griller's saga with my partner "K" in there somewhere so as always the next few lines have been taken from Ian Astbury and the boys and altered by The Grateful Griller himself!

You Are My Fire Woman "K"

Wound up, can't sleep, can't do anything but eat so well since I set my eyes and hands on you.

I'm tell'in you the truth "K", you are my fire woman.

We are twisting like two flames in a slow dance baby,

you drive me crazy!

Come on little honey, let's go make some money,

grilling and smoking our way to the highest peaks, it time we left these valley's behind.

I've savored your beef and sauced that rack,

you've got me trancing like a cat on a hot tin shack!

Lord have mercy, you're my fire woman "K"!

Come on little sister, its time we played some kamado like twister as we dream of parties and food to come.

Your smoke turns to fire, as our grilling games go higher,

look at those balls of fire dancing into the evening sky!

Burn'in out isn't in the cards as we play hop scotch into yards across this great land,

come on and take my hand so I can welcome you all to the promised land of plenty!

Your smoke turns to fire and will travel faster, longer and higher until the message is clear for all to see on the global horizon.

They'll be freakin in France, ecstatic in England and crazy in Cairo!

Off the hook in the land down under when they all get to experience some Grateful Grill'in thunder!

All this time they've been missing while we've been busy kissing our days away!

Chilling, smoking, grilling and blissing over a lifestyle we are preach'in and lesson's we are teach'in for all who care to listen!

Forever feeding this fire and the desire to take our story and game higher,

every minute, every day, every hour, can't you feel the kamado power?

GG

The Lowdown On Lump Charcoal!

Hola grilling brother's and sister's!

I'm hoping as I write this next post that all of you from far and wide are keeping those kamado fires burning in the name of food, family, friends and music and that all your culinary creations have been memorable ones to date! I have been literally grilling my way around Ontario these days between parties and weddings and everything in between. I've been grilling so much in fact that I got thinking just how much great charcoal I get to use and test and all the great flavors I am able to create thanks to some of the most interesting and exotic woods I cook with. On a recent trip to Toronto to hook up with Ted Reader, ( self professed King of the Q in Canada!) he was kind enough to show me the inner sanctum of Casa Q in Rexdale and what a spot he's got apart from all the amazing gear in his backyard! I was actually delivering one of our famous "Grill Rovers" to him for his BGE and Primo XL that he cooks with all the time.

I couldn't help but gravitate over towards this 1200lbs. Oklahoma Smoker that was loaded with I'm guessing about 50 lbs of pork shoulder that smelled sooo good and as it was ticking over at around 210 degrees I was examining it from head to toe and took a quick peek into the wood drawer and low and behold there was a beautiful mix of hickory, cherry and maple if I remember correctly and the smells were heavenly but the best part about this was it was real wood that Ted was smoking with. Now, not everyone cooks/smokes or has ever smoked this way before but wether you are using real wood or all natural lump charcoal the key to the flavor and experience over all is using the real thing, WOOD! Free of tars, toxins, chemicals, additives, preservatives and anything else bad, wood in its natural state takes longer to fire up and cook with but the results are incredible and lump charcoal is a wood bi-product that has been fired in large vats or kilns with the absence of oxygen for long periods of time hence its charred and then cooled and bagged for distribution.

Over the last few years there has been somewhat of a renaissance in natural lump charcoal cooking going on around us and its awesome to experiment with various lump as I do to explore all the wonderful tastes you can come up with every meal you cook! However, buyer beware! Don't just assume that just because a bag of charcoal looks cool and seems to entice you with big bold letters and flashy colors making it sound like you are going to have purely orgasmic grilling experiences, (although I have had a few over the years, LOL!) you have to know what you're purchasing and are you getting good value for that purchase?

Case and point! As it relates to the kamado world two of the market leaders being BGE and Primo have what you would think to be their own branded charcoal that's supposed to be that much better if used with their cookers but the truth is, its good charcoal, not great, but good and last time I investigated the topic it was and perhaps still is being produced by Royal Oak, by far one of the biggest producers globally under what's called an "SMU" or special make up bag/package in order for the company to promote their brand of cooker and the mark ups are steep and take it from me the savings aren't ending up in your pocket at the end of the day. If you like Royal Oak and you live in this country go to the big box store and pay somewhere between $18-$20 per 20lbs. bag but don't whatever you do think that the charcoal coming in the bags advertising the cooker itself is anything more than it is and if it is, ask the question, why? You'll soon get your answer and if you happen to be speaking to someone who knows what they are talking about all the better!

This brings me to another point! If possible, shop at a specialty store that has a variety of charcoal brands where you can do your research and deal with a pro. I have tested many brands over the years and to date I have really liked the following products.

1. Basque "Nature's Own" is a great product! Canadian to the core, this charcoal consists of a maple/ yellow birch mixture and doesn't burn too hot but imparts a great taste on anything you cook, grill or smoke.

2. Ono Brand is an all natural product rich in tradition and its from Hawaii and consists of a very hard wood called Kiavey which burns hot, hot, hot and takes more time to get up to temperature but when you do, you shall love the results and the smell from the wood is so sweet!

3. Groveland Brand is an all natural product of Mexico and is made up of orange tree wood and believe me you can actually smell and taste hints of orange on most things you cook especially meat unless my minds playing tricks on me its wonderful stuff!

4. Kamado Joe Brand is in fact an all natural branded charcoal that comes from the company that produce Kamado Joe cookers but where they are different is in the content or product itself. This charcoal is made up of an exotic blend of oak woods from Central America and also burns quite hot and takes a bit more time to fire but the results have been outstanding considering its the new player on the block. They also have their own non toxic fire starters that light up fast and are very convenient!

5. Maple Leaf Brand also comes out of Canada and frankly I've only fired it up 5-6 times and although its not my favorite by far, many people I speak to and who are clients of mine like it and like the price and the fact you can get it at big box locations for a bargain! Your call but the best in Canada in my humble opinion is Basque and no, they don't pay me to say that! LOL!

6. Big Green Egg and Primo brands are good but there's a price to pay for them! So if you believe in paying a premium, knock yourself out but before you do that you may as well get yourself dialed up with a bag of Royal Oak for close to $10 bucks less at least in Canada!

7. Cowboy Branded all natural charcoal from what I hear based on a new relationship I have with a store here in Ottawa's east end is also well worth its money and although I haven't tested it to date my gut tells me as well as the fine folks at the store that its great stuff and anything food and fire related coming from Argentina is worth its weight in gold for sure! All hale Francis Mallmann, one of my favorite chef's from that great country!

As I close this post out the most important thing to remember folks when and if you happen to enter the kamado world of cooking or simply happen to be grilling over charcoal is keep it a natural and chemical free experience and what ever you do, never use lighter fluid's or harmful products that could be bad for your health or Mother Nature. There are great non toxic fire starters out there that will run you about $6 per box and just recently a marvelous and safe electric product called the LooftLighter landed in Canada and although it comes with a price tag of around $90 Canadian its the best thing to happen to the bbq industry in years and no, they don't pay me for saying that either. When you factor in how many fire starters you'll go through in a year the math leans in favor of this new magic device which is going to literally light the grilling world on fire!

On that note my grilling friends I want to wish you all a wonderful Summer filled with fire, smoke and food for all to enjoy! May your glasses always be full and the memories of all those deck parties with the ones who matter most to you be remembered forever!!!!!!!

Over this past weekend I spent some great time with family in Montreal and as I walked through the streets of the old city it reminded me of my time spent with my wife and business partner walking the streets of Paris together and that brought back a time I visited Jim Morrison's grave site in Pere Lachesse Cemetery which I'll never forget! You can probably guess that since the weekend I have been spinning a lot of old Doors tunes so the final few lines sticking with tradition on these posts were borrowed from Jim Morrison and company and altered by The Grateful Griller.

Feed the kamado fires people!

"K" You Really Light My Fire

You know that it would be untrue "K"

You know that I would be a liar,

if I was to say to you, that we really couldn't get much higher,

when the truth is that what we've created is just about to catch fire!

Come on "K" let's light that fire,

and take our global grilling games higher.

The time to hesitate is done,

we're gonna show the world some kamado like grilling fun!

Try now we can only lose but we'll still get the chance to choose,

to continue down this ancient path together, forever........

GG