The Grateful Griller Is To The Bbq Industry What Punk Rock Is To The Music Scene, Different, Perhaps Even Purple!

What's happening grilling friends and fans!

I'm always so surprised that by the time I get a new story up on the blog about my adventures with "k" four weeks goes by or sometimes six and I find myself saying, where has the time gone and what's taken so long to come up with another ditty from the vault? All that to say things are grand in the "gto" corner here in my favorite village of Wakefield Quebec, Canada!

So!  Lately and for no good reason I have found myself listening to many punk bands of the 70's and 80's from old Ramones to Dead Kennedy's to The Exploited, Iggy, Bauhaus and Pixies, if you want to call them punk, to Sex Pistols, Joy Division, etc, etc.

This got me thinking about my overall passion for grilling, my obsession for the kamado and equal obsession for food, family, friends and you guessed it, music!  It also got me thinking about a great thing that happened to me about eight months ago when I received an unexpected email from a relatively new contact in the bbq industry who happens to live south of the border down in the Atlanta area. The email was short and to the point and read something like this! "Hey, Griller! Did you know that there's a book called "The Purple Cow" and your company/concept is mentioned in it on page 176 and the author of this book is one of America's top rated "marketing guru's"?

At first, I thought, why is someone trying to yank my chain on a Sunday morning about some book I've never heard of, let alone try to convince me that my business has been listed as a "remarkable" idea/concept that anyone reading the book will see in clear black and white! Honestly, I thought, what a load of crap that a little guy like me with the massive dreams I have, not to mention the energy to make them reality and the vision for the amazing kamado cooker would end up in some book by some super star author who's US based, let alone some authority on the topic of marketing. Ok, what's the catch here is what I was thinking at the time! cynical or what? LOL!!!!

Then I found out who the author was, Seth "freaking" Godin! For the record, that's not his middle name! Privately, until now that is, I was, and still am a huge fan and have read and highly recommend a number of his books like The Dip and LinchPin to name but a few. When my new found business friend Bobby down at Kamado Joe in the USA went a step further and took a picture of the caption in the revised version of a book called "The Purple Cow", ( for all you crazy, on the ragged edge, entrepreneurial misfits out there, go buy the book and thank the "griller"and Mr. Godin more importantly later) and sent it to me I was actually speechless for about ten minutes and anyone who knows me well knows that's almost impossible!

All this to say that I was elated but shell shocked at the same time and really, really curious how Seth Godin and his team found out about this small humble guy called "The Grateful Griller" and how my business concept ended up getting approved to get printed in this new revised version of the book. This is where the story gets cool! It started as a call/email to me from thousands of miles away in the USA from a Bobby who was on his couch or in bed on a Sunday morning reading this new book that I believe he purchased for all his employees at his company. I then took this info and within twelve hours purchased the book myself, turned to page 176 and bingo, there's this small paragraph on what makes my concept unique, fantastic I thought! Then I went so far as to email Seth Godin himself thinking to myself at the time, he's never going to get back to me, he's too busy!  Within 30 minutes I get an email back confirming and congratulating me on the caption and it's from the man himself! Perfect I thought, just freaking perfect, you could have knocked me over with a feather!

Yes, the story gets cooler still! It turns out, and I'm hoping I've got my facts straight here that fan's of Seth Godin had the opportunity to submit names of companies who they thought were unique and perhaps even remarkable like a "purple cow" sticking out amongst a pasture of ordinary milking cows. As it turns out, there was such a follower/fan of my blog named Rod who lives no more than a 30 minute drive from my house in Canada's capitol city being Ottawa who was kind enough to submit my companies name into the pool, and what do ya know, it got picked amongst many other unique companies.

Talk about going round the world and back, ok, the continent, I've been known to exaggerate at times but this is what's so amazing about our universe today my grilling friends! You can be located in Canada, America, India, Indonesia or perhaps even Australia and for the record and thanks to the internet I've got great relationships with people in all these places as it relates to my passion and my business and its the internet that I need to thank for it.

I also need to thank guys like Rod and anyone else for reading my content and hopefully enjoying what I have to say about something I am so passionate about, the kamado cooker. For the record, Rod and I have never met in person, ( that's about to change because there's beer involved, lol!) as of yet, although we communicate via email regularly, its his brother ironically whom I had the pleasure of working with at a local television station about a year ago to cut my teeth with television work for the first time on a grilling segment I did for his show on a monthly basis here in Ottawa.

At the end of the day what this entire story and experience has taught me is to keep it real and exciting and raw and edgy and unedited and delicious and most of all, keep it coming from the heart! I've learned thanks to people like Rod and author's like Seth Godin and all my other wonderful clients and family and friends that we have no time to waste on this journey of ours by faking it! As my late Uncle Joe used to say to me, Michael, life is not a dress rehearsal!

  The kamado cooker and all its ingenuity has turned into an incredible vehicle and a great friend of sorts for me over the years and I'm as excited today as I was ten years ago to introduce it to anyone who cares to listen. I used to rely on it for income, solely based on how many units I could sell but now I have found a unique way to introduce it and the lifestyle that comes with it to people everywhere via my"gto" party experience and its far less about units sold and much more about great times had with fire and smoke and ceramics and the extraordinary results that are attained when you combine the three and get your deck rockin! At the end of all this fun and if my client wants to purchase a kamado they just have to give me a call and I'll take care of the rest!

Today in my role as "The Grateful Griller" I strive to be as unique and different and out of the box as I possibly can, always trying to stretch the envelope with tastes and foods and the various ways they are  presented in order to blow my clients and their taste buds away but also keeping it simple so anyone wanting to venture down this path and cook like I do can accomplish it with ease over time.

Thank-you Iggy, Johnny, Black Francis, Joey, Peter Murphy, Jello, Ian Curtis, Rod and Mr. Godin for giving me the courage to carry on with my journey with my friend I call "K"! It's books like "The Purple Cow" that give me hope that people everywhere will sit up and take notice of tiny concepts like mine or more importantly start their own movement's with their own passion. I get such a rush when I get hired for gigs because I know I'm going to make a positive impact in my client's world as well as their guest's and friends by bringing them far more than a simple catered event and I do it in the form of food dancing with fire and taste's that come together that they have never experienced or desired before!

For your next unique party experience, you might want to consider "The Grateful Griller" for the occasion, unless you want to settle for the norm served to you on a white doily by a guy or gal in a tux or tuxette with white gloves who's simply punching the clock or you can request the "purple cow" dancing in the corner  to his own tune for now and evermore.......

The next few lines were inspired by the group P.I.L. and their song Rise and altered by yours truly!

Rise Purple Cow Punk, RISE!!!!!!!!!

I could be wrong, I could be right "K"
I could be black or I could be white.
One thing's for sure, we're gonna to grill today, we're  gonna to grill tonight.
We're gonna demolish these foodie walls cos we've got the balls to take this message all the way!
The time has come to dawn my second skin!
A self propelled vault onto the catapault and another peak on our journey thus far together.
After all "K", we know the valley's all too well, hey! what's that smell?
Your sweet smoke, its no joke, it wraps me like a cloak and gives me strength to carry on singing this kamado song!


I could be right, I could be wrong "K".
I could be white, I could be black, just look at those chips stacked and packed like a wild game of grilling poker with you and me playin the jokers and smokin our way to the stars "K"!
Grilling is an energy!
Grilling is an ENERGY, and the synergy between you and me is forever!
Together we will bare our grilling souls for all to see and savor, all those exotic flavor's born and cured in your belly fire will eventually inspire the masses to follow suit.


Todays kamado secrets will be tomorrow's hottest trend, so let's bend the rules of engagement and pursue that deal we're gonna seal in good time!
Kamado grilling is an energy!
It's a passion!
It's an addiction!
It's a force and with every delectable course you produce, we thank-you for the fruitful abundance we are given!
You are my obsession and my one possession and my confession for my feelings about you "K" are now going global!




feed those fires friends..........


GG

Consider The Grateful Griller Your #1 Kamado Consultant!

Greetings grilling brother's and sister's across the land!

Well now, don't you all love the Fall smell in the air as we head into yet another season, my favorite I might add, as we wait for all those leaves to change color yet again? Even though I am an avid skier and love winter, for me, there's nothing better than grilling in the Fall with friends and family gathered round the kamado as we share stories of a summer past and new aspirations for the cold winter ahead!

Fall for me is also a time to reflect on the year so far and look back and figure out what worked, what didn't and dream of new places to see, people to meet and parties to throw down, "griller" style! Since the inception of "The Grateful Griller" back in May 2008 I have felt really lucky for a number of reasons to be doing what I do as the "griller".

What started out as a simple idea just a few years ago has now morphed into many directions and initiatives for my business and one thing I believe I need to do is explain and perhaps clarify for many people that find out about me or even those who know exactly what I am doing, the view from my vantage point and my plans for the near future. As The Grateful Griller, there has been some confusion out there since I stopped retailing the kamado, particularly The Big Green Egg on how I make a living while inspiring the masses to invest in this great product, and now I intend to set the record straight so everyone gets it and knows exactly what to expect when they contact me for information as it relates to any or all the main players in this niche category that I believe you need to know about.

First off, I started selling the BGE product line back in 2006 and before I launched my company, because I literally fell in love with it, it being the BGE and knew it was a special product that needed to be marketed far better than it was at the time. Secondly, after committing exclusively and building a good relationship with the Canadian distributor of BGE in Canada and selling a pile of units in a very short time I realized through extensive research that I was conducting at the time that there were other products that resembled the BGE out in the world that might be as good if not better than the BGE and hence my home work began in earnest!

It also became very clear to me that the margins involved and the effort needed to make any real financial gain at retail with this particular device were bleak at best, at least with The Big Green Egg product range, so I had to come up with a solution that worked for me and hence "The Grateful Griller" was launched! After all, why work for next to nothing building equity in someone else's brand if you can start your own and that's exactly what I did and I have to admit, I have to thank the Canadian distributors not to mention The Big Green Egg for my passion for the kamado cooker! Not only did I do research but thanks to the internet I was able to connect with various kamado suppliers worldwide and strike up some great friendships along the way from Canada to the USA to the land down under in Australia to as far away as Bali Indonesia where the holy grail of kamado's comes from thanks to my friend Dennis at Komodo Kamado.

Thirdly, I am a sales and marketing guy first and I'm humble to the core but have a huge positive not to mention ambitious vision for the kamado, and the cooking experience to go with it and how it can positively impact your life on the deck with the people who matter most to you. I intend to spread this message around the world as fast as I can and the world wide web has become my best friend on my crusade! I also happen to be a passionate griller and am known for loving a cold pint or two with friends and family when ever humanly possible!

2010 has been the year going back to late January that I set forth with all my information and really started to educate and inspire those people out there that wanted to know and learn more about this device called "kamado" and what their options really were/are. I am fortunate in that I own practically every kamado styled cooker that exists today that I believe needs to be recognized as a product/manufacturer worth considering before you make a move and spend money, and yes, there's a lot to learn and be aware of before you make the plunge and purchase. I know for a fact today that if I had known that Primo existed at the time that I purchased my BGE I would have purchased the Primo for many reasons over the competitor because of their unique oval shape that is more versatile than a circular cooker, end of statement, no debate!

At the beginning of this year and just after the Ottawa Home Show I affiliated myself with less than a hand full of what I consider to be reputable and customer service oriented retailers in the greater Ottawa area and other parts of Ontario who have existing kamado type product on their floors. I made deals with them to be a conduit for this product category and drive sales to their stores in return for a percentage of the sale, cos after all, we all have to make a living and no one in my humble opinion knows as much about this product or category than yours truly, even the retailers! This gave me the chance to eliminate the hassles that come with inventory and other over head and focus on more important aspects to my growing business. So, virtually over night as this post title suggests I went from The Grateful Griller retailer of one particular product to The Grateful Griller consultant to the masses on everything to do with kamado and I have not looked back since!

2010 has also seen the launch of The Grateful Griller modular table that has sold extremely well right out of the gates. My production partner is local and the future is bright for our creation because its home grown, nice to look at, functional, and did I mention that the table fits practically all the major brands on the market today and comes in at a really attractive price, approx. $550-$600 depending where you get it from. Stay tuned for further developments on new designs and other stuff as we head into 2011!

I also launched the Grateful Griller Demo in 2010! This has been great because it has allowed me the opportunity to do what I do best, get on the decks and inspire people everywhere to get their "K" on and invest in this great lifestyle! FYI, I charge $100 per hour for this service and there is a three hour minimum charge, ( food and all beverage is extra) and when I'm done teaching and grilling for my clients they are that much more educated and everyone has had a great time and eats well! The other cool aspect to the demo is that it takes place at your house on your deck where you are in your most comfortable element and the vibe/dynamic is really cool to say the least!

The demo's were so popular this year that it inspired me to create yet another branch of my business called The Grateful Griller tapas test drive party! This is basically my condensed mobile party that I will throw down for up to 12 people in order to give potential clients a chance to test and taste the results that these fine cookers produce before they take the plunge and purchase! The price is $500, with a five hour minimum on site and food/beverage is extra and no need to worry my friends, I bring all my own equipment in for the experience!

On the topic of parties the biggest growth for my concept this year came as a bit of a surprise to me considering that I didn't advertise it at all but evidently word of mouth has spread like wild fire about this guy who calls himself "griller" who shows up at your place with a party experience on wheels for up to 120 people and rocks the deck with a loaded menu consisting of appetizer's, entree's, sides, and desserts that take over your taste buds and introduce your guest's to a magical world of smoke, fire and food that will take anyone's grilling games higher! For pricing simply fire me an email or give me a call!

As I have always said, The Grateful Griller is part sales/marketing and part food entertainment but most importantly it gives people the chance to witness and experience the magic behind grilling/cooking with ceramics and an opportunity to celebrate your best friends, family, food and music to go with it all! 2011 is already being planned so if you have a party in mind and want a totally different, out of the box experience, you just might want to give The Grateful Griller a call to make it happen for you!

The Grateful Griller will be ramping up the blog efforts going forward and the web site and look and feel is being re-branded currently as I write this post. I now have a number of product endorsements with some great companies ranging from Ivo Cutlery Canada, Thule, Epicurean, to name a few! For the record, I am not currently endorsed by any kamado specific brand, therefore, any cooker that I speak or write about at this point in time is inspired from the heart and personal experience and not the pocket book if you all know what I mean, so yes, I am coming at you with unbiased information and knowledge based on my own grilling experiences!

Grateful Griller Productions will officially launch in 2011 and thanks to Kamado Joe in the USA we were able to produce our first video project which you can all see by going to their site www.kamadojoe.com or hitting my blog. It was a great experience with great people and there will be many more projects like it to come in the near future related to the kamado and outdoor grilling!

As always my friends you can follow my activities on Face Book and Twitter and stay tuned for new developments and announcements for 2011 in short delay! As always feed the fire and the desire to take your grilling games higher!

As you all know by now, my passion for music of all genres really inspires me to pen some notes at the end of these posts as a kind of explanation or statement of sorts on what has been a long strange trip with the kamado not to mention an exciting one, which, in a lot ways has only just begun. Now it seems that as every day ends and a new one starts for me, there's no shortage of tunes and artists out there, thank god for that, that don't inspire me in one way or another to keep on keeping on with my journey with you guessed it, "K"!

These next few lines are inspired by the king of punk rock himself, Iggy Pop! I can only hope that I stay as rebellious, raw and forth right in my message about the "grilled to obsession" life and that the inner fires keep dancing with the tunes. As always and with enormous respect the next few lines come from "Cry For Love" and have been altered by yours truly! Feed it folks, just keep feeding it!!!!!!!!

G Love and special sauce!

Griller's Crying for Kamado Love!

Status seekers, I never cared for,

once I found out, they dared not go forth.

To seize the grilling world and shake it upside down.

If I had it my way every homeless man would wear a crown.

Say, I'm cryin tears of joy,

over this new found knowledge I'll deploy.

They must know now that you're not some token,

I'll keep blazin this trail till all the plates are broken and my eyes,

drenched, dusty and soakin!

Every copy cats morning, we know imitation's boring,

but we'll keep cryin for some kamado love!

Bad marketing insults us freely but I'm poppin my own wheelie in a new direction!

I'm always searching for that meaningful embrace.

At times my self respect has taken second place, but still I keep cryin for some kamado love.

Surfers ride for that love and wipe out when it hits'em.

Musicians play for that love and keep going till it almost kills'em.

The Grateful Griller inspires for that love and ignores it when it resists him,

but still I keep cry'in for some kamado love.

smoke and fire always takin me higher!

GG

A Kamado Could Just Seal The Deal On Your Next Kottage Rental!

Hello grilling brother's and sister's across this great land!

Well, Summer's not quite over and it's been great to savour the last few cold pints while hanging with friends and family on the deck! I personally am not going to miss the humidity but as long as my kamado is next to me I'm good to go and go and go!

I had the pleasure earlier on in August to hang out north of Wakefield at a great cottage that my family rented on Lake Pemichangan up near Mont Ste. Marie ski hill and what a great time it was! The water was perfect, the weather was perfect and the family and friends that were up there, well, they were all perfect too! In typical "grateful griller" fashion I loaded a few kamado's in the truck and after a gig I had to do in the city made my way up the country and would you believe it if I told you all that I actually had a dusty old "Canned Heat" disc in the truck and I cranked it all the way into the woods! Yes its true!

This post is actually a heads up to all you avid griller's out there who have a kamado already and even if you don't but you happen to be looking into renting a cottage in the near future you may want to look into wether the place you'll be renting has one on site! It's not only a great introduction into this wonderful grilling lifestyle but it would save you from having to shlep yours to where ever you are traveling to get away! I see this becoming quite a selling point on any property that people want to rent because after all, you all want to eat well while you are away and I can't think of a better perk than to have a kamado on site when you arrive! It'd be like home away from home at least in the food dept.!

My friend Jennifer Heagle who happens to own "The Red Apron" in Ottawa, ( fyi, best dam, not to mention delicious food to go in the city!) owns a spectacular house in the hills, www.gatineauriverhouse.ca not more than 40 min north as the crow fly's right on the Gatineau river! The house has got all the luxuries one looks for if you need to get away alone or with a bunch of friends and family. Golf, nature, water and an incredibly tranquil surrounding in the heart of the woods!

The cherry on the cake here folks is that it comes with a large Big Green Egg on site for all your favorite feasts! While I was up at the cottage we rented cooking up storms of food I thought what a brilliant idea to have a kamado or two on site for whoever is renting. I had to bring my own equipment but take it from the griller, if a cottage getaway week or weekend is what your after in the near future a kamado cooker just might be what seals the deal for you!

Until we meet again people, feed those fires and desires to take it all higher!!!!!!!!! It should be expected by now that I have to throw down some modified musical lyrics as I continue to tell my story on my adventures with "K"! These next few lines are inspired by "Canned Heat" and altered by yours truly, enjoy!

G Love

Goin Up To Kamado Kountry!

We're goin up the country "K", don't you wanna go?

To the land of milk and honey where fire and smoke is gonna blow.

We're goin to a place that we've never been before.

Where laughter and good times radiate from our core.

We're goin to a place where the water tastes like wine.

Steaks seared to perfection, I'll eat yours and you can have mine.

I'm lovin this water, so sweet, so devine,

let's hang out some more and get drunk in good time.

We've gotta leave the city, gotta get away!

All this fussin and fightin, you know we can't stay.

I'm gonna load our leaving truck and with a pinch of Irish luck we won't get stuck,

cos we're goin up the country and the country's where we'll stay.......

Lighting Your Kamado Joe Grill

Care and Maintenance of Your Kamado Joe Grill

Smoking Basics with Your Kamado Joe Grill

Grilling Basics with Your Kamado Joe Grill

Baking Basics with Your Kamado Joe Grill

Assembling Your Kamado Joe Grill

Controlling the Temperature of Your Kamado Joe Grill

Controlling the Temperature of Your Kamado Joe Grill

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Or Are They Saffires?

Hello Grilling Friends!

Ok, ok, ok, ok, how dare I go a month without some kind of update, or story from The Grateful Griller's vault and adventures on my "grilled to obsession" path as I continue to inspire and preach the benefits of such a great lifestyle and product to those who want into the "club". Don't worry, there's no membership fee required and I do sincerely apologize for my delay in getting new stories up but the good news is that over the last few months I have been collecting so much data and fun times from my travels and parties that I don't think I shall be running out of any new material for quite some time!

So, this latest post has been on my mind to write since the Orlando BBQ Show back in March/10 when I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Steve Benson, owner of Saffire Grill Co. in the midwestern USA. I got a lead on him after testing yet another kamado called "DragonFire that appears to have all but gone away and has never really launched in Canada officially, pity because I liked it and it tested well but more on that later.

As most of you if not all of you know by now, I am and have been passionately on the move absorbing as much knowledge and expertise on this rapidly emerging niche category for almost ten years and what do you know, another potential player has entered the kamado ring for all to see and experience and if you don't know Saffire Grill Co. yet, take note grillers, this cooker might just be here to stay and can be yours at least in Canada for approx. $999.00!!!!!!!! For those of you who have followed me for awhile now you'll remember me stating last year that the competition is gonna get thick and pricing will come down to enable a broader audience the chance at entering into this wonderful world and low and behold, this validates my point but remember friends, buyer beware and know what your buying, that's partly why I'm here!

Saffire comes to the table and the market with a great product that looks as good as it performs and it really takes on the esthetic characteristics of a few other known kamado's I have on my deck being Kamado Joe and DragonFire as I stated at the top of the post but yet still is able to deliver its own charm without fail.

Here's what I like!

1. Start up tests have been superb! 15-20 min max every time. Saffire maintains a consistent temp throughout most cooking sessions.

2. Stainless steel grill with trap door for chips, perfect and the color coded thermometer makes it easy to read your cooking temps!

3. The gasket is well made and thus far has tested really well, very similar to Kamado Joe.

4. Bamboo side shelves and handle are smart and enviro friendly!

5. Stainless hard ware looks great and is an added feature of quality often missed with other brands particularly BGE and Primo.

6. Spring Hinge is simple and doesn't squeek, I hate squeeking parts! LOL!

7. The cart is stainless and looks identical to DragonFire cart and comes with locking castors and apart from being really light it looks great and assembles in minutes flat! If imitating is the highest form of flattery, this cart proves my point!

8. Color options are red and black and the exterior finish is baked and glazed, not painted which I feel is key for our harsh Canadian climate and color options are nice to have!

9. Saffire offer their kamado cookers with optional cart and side shelves or on their own, ready to insert into a table of your choice and the best part is they come pre-assembled which is huge in my books, besides, who has the time to assemble these days?

10. Warranty is great and in line with all other top kamado companies and I can't stress enough folks, look for 20 years minimum on ceramic parts and you'll know your dealing with a company that takes their product seriously! Also, read up on the intriguing 1/2 price lifetime warranty offer and bravo for upping the ante Steve with 3 months on gaskets!

11. The two main accessories that I have tested are carbon copies of what Kamado Joe are selling and promoting with their kamado's which are the heat deflector with metal stand and grill extender/expander. Great products that work and make sense but make sure to purchase updated heat deflector stand and ceramic deflector or at least ask before purchasing because the newest version Kamado Joe product works far better than the original that didn't last too long in the market before being upgraded.

12. Congrats Steve on a basic but easy to understand printed owner's manual! Its all there in black and white and although the internet is where its at today, I suppose there are still people out there who like reading an actual hand held manual. I say let's save some trees and go right online with this kind of info!

Here's what I don't or didn't like when I first came across Saffire!

1. Original chimney top was cheap and felt weak but that has been modified and improved 100% with the new steel version which is great!

2. I can't stand little micro adjusting daisy wheels on this product or any others that exist. I personally think they're a waist of time and confusing to new comers to the kamado grilling lifestyle.

3. Although this part and point isn't a deal breaker for me I do hope it goes away but I honestly detest the wood chip portal mid way down the base of the cooker. To me it looks like another piece that can and will get lost or eventually fall out and the very strange wood chip feeder reminds me of a visit I took to the London Dungeon in England where I got to see what dentists were using in the 16th Century to pull teeth! OUCH, NO THANKS! I shall continue to use the trap door on the main cooking grill for all my wood chip needs. The other thing that makes me nervous here is the potential for air seepage around the hole where the portal knob fits, just a thought and I'll bet it disappears soon at least I hope so.

4. Although the Saffire cooker looks and performs very well I wish the ceramic dome could be just a bit higher in order to fit bigger cuts of meat and or vertically placed birds but frankly there's a way around almost anything as I have come to learn with this cooking medium and you will adjust in no time at all to its shape and design.

In conclusion, this kamado really did impress me in many ways above and beyond mere pricing and I firmly believe that all companies in this category today or almost all are striving to produce a better product that will last the test of time and grill/cook consistently delicious meals day in and day out.

If I wasn't any the wiser I would swear that some of these products come out of the same factories kinda like the ski industry where by there's really only 2 or 3 factories globally that produce 90% of the world's boot molds but who knows and really, who cares?

What I care about is that people get a great kamado product that makes sense, works well and is backed by a company who stand for something, especially the customers who are paying good money and a lot of it to gain entry into this great lifestyle and learn how to master it! Don't be fooled by just any knock off that you see out in the marketplace or perhaps on Craig's list or EBay. At the very least give the Griller a call and let's chat!

I want to personally thank Steve Benson for his time, product and passion to keep on grilling and producing Saffire and be confident The Grateful Griller's officially in your corner and I wish you huge success on the path ahead!

As the post title suggests I'm a potential Beatles fan but honestly I only ever really got into two albums, Sgt. Pepper's and The White album, ok, now I'm speechless! (pause, big sigh, move on.....) I loved Lennon's solo years, can you say "Double Fantasy"? Enough said grillers, I leave you not with inspirational musical poetry taken from the Beatles but instead some more 80's alternative and Modern English for now, forever!

Feed those fires and until next time, keep life's sparks flying........

"K", I'd Stop The World & Grill With You!

Moving forward using all my might and breath,

grilling with you was never second best.

I've seen the gas world thrashing all around this place,

never realizing that slow and steady is gonna win this charcoal race.

I'll stop the world and grill with you,

I've tasted the difference and its getting better all the time.

There's nothing you and I won't do "K",

cos I'll stop the world and grill with you.

I could never dream of a better life,

one where you don't exist, no smoke, no fire, no artistic desire to create and perhaps

inspire those who have never experienced bliss.

It would all be for not, an opportunity gone a miss like a kiss released to the wind.

I'm making myself a promise to save this starving human race.

I'll keep feeding the fires and driving this kamado pace and let all the others behind us take

up the chase.

I'll stop the world and grill with you,

I've tasted the difference and its getting better all the time.

There's nothing you and I won't do "K",

cos I'll stop the world and grill with you........

GG

Grateful Griller Asks, Why Are So Many Gaskets Being Gassed?

Hola Grillers from East to West!

I hate to admit it but this summer is flying by! I am hoping as always that you are all enjoying serious deck time and grilling up storms of new food creations on your kamado of choice! I apologize as always about my delay getting my next post up on the blog but I have been as most of you would guess, rocking many a deck and grilling as much as possible myself. Now that the first Grateful Griller Production has been completed for Kamado Joe down in the USA I have had a bit more time on my hands to cook. For any of you interested in seeing those video's just go to Kamado Joe's official site and click on video's or check them out on You Tube by searching Kamado Joe Video's and voila! You will be able to see what's been keeping me pretty busy of late as I continue my kamado crusade around the globe! Links to my FaceBook page and blog will be up asap!

So, today I thought it would be a good day after enjoying a wonderful meal off my neighbors BGE last night to get the message out there to you all and to a few companies, namely BGE and Primo that this gasket scenario/issue has gone on way too long and I'm hoping that it can be fixed in the near future because after all, when a customer wants to put down lots of hard earned cash for a quality kamado the last thing they should have to experience is "gassing a gasket" in the first few days cooking and or grilling on their new kamado! For all of you new comers to this cooking medium the gaskets I refer to are the felt like, fire retardant strips that essentially seal the lids of these kamado's to the bases and also act as a cushion between the lids and bases. They don't look all that important but trust me friends, you need one in order to properly cook and I personally am not happy and have not been happy for a few years now with the gaskets that come with BGE or Primo units and I wish both companies would either produce a better adhesive backing to these felt gaskets or improve the quality control and application process at the time of production.

Now, it is a fact and true that sometimes people can get distracted or lazy and fire their kamado's up to 800 degrees when they are new and just out of the box ( not a good idea) and BANG! You have successfully "gassed your gasket"! Then, there are the times, where the gasket has simply peeled of the unit itself and the cookers have only been fired to 300 degrees which I have also witnessed with my very own eyes but honestly not that often. Not cool at all as far as I'm concerned! It is also a fact that both BGE and Primo recommend breaking your new cooker in by not exceeding 400-450 degrees for the first 3-5 cook outs in order for that gasket and adhesive backing to really adhere to the ceramic surface. I will also point out that both these companies have been pretty good at taking care of their customers needs if they are new to this type of cooker and in most cases have replaced the first one free of charge but after that it'll cost you approx. $25 to replace them every time, OUCH!

My issue after selling these cookers for the last few years is that the bottom line here is that the adhesive backing on these particular models produced by BGE and Primo are sub standard and can or should be improved asap. I also got a great tip from the Canadian distributor for BGE about a year ago that when applying a new gasket one should invest in a substance called Permatex first. It is sold at most big box hardware stores, costs about $8 a tube and by carefully applying this red like substance to the rim of your cooker and then applying the new gasket on top of it it will adhere far better than anything else and you should be good to go for many years to come. I also want to caution everyone that uses this Permatex product to where a latex glove when applying it and store it in a cool dry place away from the children. For the record, it works really well but its the fact that this shouldn't be necessary which pisses me off when this amount of money is being spent but then I get grilling and realize how great the food is and all my youthful angst goes away! LOL! Please also take note that this Permatex product can be used on any kamado styled ceramic cooker.

To date and with all the testing I have done I have been really happy with GrillDome's product and Kamado Joe's not to mention Saffire Kamado who have all done a good job at not only providing a thicker gasket material but it would seem as if there's a contact cement of sorts that keeps their gaskets on and so far so good in the testing department. The other thing I want to point out is that with round kamado cookers specifically BGE who sell their plate setter accessory in order to convert your cooker into an in-direct oven its specifically causing issues with blown gaskets because when the BGE is fired past 500 degrees for interest sake, the very hot internal air travels up the side gaps of the cooker and around the plate setter and has tendency to melt or burn the gasket in three specific places which I have also witnessed a number of times. In my humble opinion the BGE plate setter may need some altering to prevent this from happening but on the other hand at lower and slower temps this device has worked flawlessly for me for years. Whatever happens we will all have to wait and see!

Well, with this mid morning sun starting to intensify, I think I had better get outside and get prepped for yet another day in grilling paradise with "K" and I'm thinking fish will be nice with a freezing cold glass of rose on the deck later today! Until next time my grilling friends I thought these words were fitting and they come from Francis Mallmann, and the book "Seven Fires".

"When it comes time to sit down and eat, it doesn't matter to me how people dress or speak, how they look or sound or even smell. They're all beautiful if they share one simple quality: respect for the meal, the moment and one another- those who cook, those who serve, and those who eat. Such people are always welcome at my table."

Feed the fire........

GG

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

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