Lose The Tie, Kill The Crackberry, Decant The Wine, Start The Fire, Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

Hola fire & food grilling fanatics!

As always, I am hoping you are all well and taking your ceramic grilling adventures higher and higher with each meal! I thought I would write some random thoughts about the "GTO" lifestyle that came to me while on a spectacular drive back to my home town last week to see my father in the Laurentians. The color's were still beautiful and the autoroute was virtually empty so it gave me great time to loose myself in thought about food & fire.

As the title of the post suggests, at least the first half, we all live pretty hectic lives today. Wether we are married or single, have children or not or perhaps we have stressful work environments to deal with or more than one job in order to make ends meet, one thing's for sure, life these days is hectic and we all need to disconnect and what better way than with family, friends and food cooked over crackling lump charcoal. I loved the fact that while I was on my drive my cell battery was dead, I don't own a blackberry and there was no way anyone could reach me for those few hours and it really felt great! My mind wondered on to thoughts of our next meal or meals for that matter, pork or beef or perhaps some fresh arctic char drizzled with lemon & honey served up alongside some delicious ginger glazed yellow string beans, topped with smoked malden salt, WHOA! ( note to self! keep eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, thank-you Jim Morrison!)

I guess what I am getting at hear my friends is that even yours truly has to disconnect sometimes even though my work, like my life, revolves around food and beverage and the next deck party and as my wife often reminds me that even though I wish it were Friday, it is merely in the words of "The Bangles", another manic Monday and we have to focus on getting to the weekend, I know you can all relate, I hope!

If you all own a ceramic oven like the BGE or Primo or maybe a GrillDome you all know what I am talking about when it comes to wanting and needing to cook, it becomes part of the daily routine that is the "GTO" lifestyle. It is about forgetting what's in or not in your bank account temporarily, forgetting what you were supposed to do for your boss or the fact that the winter tires have to go on the car at some point or even the fact that the dog has been begging you with her eyes to go for a walk for the last two weeks! No my friends, this is about the ritual of prepping what you need in order to take your grilling game higher and to make your family love you even more!

This is about leaving the office, and jumping in the car as you rip that tie off from around your neck faster than a speeding bullet you jam that crackberry into the glove box until morning and as you "reach down between your legs and ease the seat back" as David Lee Roth once wrote, you gently apply ample pressure to the gas pedal and head for home where your ceramic grilling utopia waits for you at the ready for the magic and alchemy to begin.

I know that cooking takes time and one needs to be organized in order to get proficient at having the luxury of mid week grilling/cooking but it can be done with a few simple steps so I have taken the liberty to put together what I have coined The "GTO" Ten Commandments to Easier Cooking and they go like this!

1. have a plan the night before and know your menu ahead of time

2. make sure you are good on charcoal & firestarter

3. light the fire first to heat up your oven, then get on to everything else

4. spice is nice, have it ready to season your culinary creation

5. cold beverages and ice, locked & loaded

6. wine is divine, decant or chill or perhaps both, you decide!

7. keep it simple, cause simple = delicious every time!

8. if using extra smoke, don't forget to pre-soak your wood

9. timing is key! will it be direct or in-direct on this day

10. Like Sly & The Family Stone said " I want to take you higher" so have that ipod ready and loaded with the best tunes to compliment the deck party and then simply welcome your guests to the "GTO" lifestyle.......

Ok my grilling friends, that's another one in the bag and I hope it helps! Until my next creative drive into the country, keep it real and delicious and remember, feed the fire and the desire to take it higher!

Many thanks to Van Halen, The Doors and Sly & The Family Stone for inspiring my drive on that day!

peace, fire, smoke, food.....

The Grateful One

If "Service" Is The Rent We Pay For Living, Then Colin, This One's For You!

Hello grilling friends!

A few weeks ago I received an interesting yet disturbing email from a guy named Colin. In a few words Colin introduced himself, commented and complimented my blog which he checks in with once and awhile ( thanks for that Colin) and then proceeded to tell me that he has been an enthusiastic griller, (understatement) for the last few years since he purchased his BGE.

Colin then explained that one night a few weeks back some really stupid yet I have to admit "ballsy" crooks walked onto his west end Ottawa property in the middle of the night and stole his BGE right out of his back yard! Now, I've heard some crazy things but this is up there, wouldn't you say? I mean, of all the things to rip off, why take someone's ceramic oven that dam near becomes part of the family once you own one, ( yes I realize I'm talking about an inanimate object here) but for those "grateful griller's out there, you all understand where I'm coming from. It pains me to think the crooks probably totaled it as well or maybe threw it into the Rideau river to see if a BGE actually floats as opposed to getting to their hide out and actually using it for what its intended, great food to be savored and enjoyed by kind hearted friends and family, go figure.

I promised Colin I would say my bit on the blog as these blogs go viral and hope that perhaps somebody would have a lead or two as to the whereabouts of his oven but part of me also knows I'm grasping at short straws. What ever the case, let it be a lesson to those of you with any one of the better ceramic ovens in our marketplace that there are people out there who care less and who will do their part to ruin your day let alone your next cook out. So start getting creative with the way in which you secure your property so this kind of thing can't happen. Booby traps, trip wire and rabid German Sheppard's who haven't eaten in awhile could work but realistically and kidding aside, now would be a great time to seriously think about locking down your oven in order to make it that much more challenging a feat to anyone considering a potential heist.

For the record, Colin's BGE was a large model, well used with a distinctive medium sized chip out of the dome just above the thermometer and if anyone has any info please contact yours truly and I will get the info back to our grilling friend Colin asap.

Colin, my heart goes out to you and your family man but I know you will get another oven unless yours in fact shows up and if we ever do get the chance to meet and cook with each other, let's make it your place so I can admire the artistic, medieval not too mention razor sharp cast iron spikes you've installed on your new fence!

Chin up brother and here's to getting back on the "grateful grilling" road.......

The Grateful One

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN & THE Jenson Button REGIME!!!!

This post is dedicated to Jenson Button, Team Brawn and Andrew & the gang at Absolute Authentic in the UK! Keep doing what you guys do so well!!!!

Hola Grilling Friends!

Well, where do I start and how do I explain the connection between my passion for fire, food and ceramic cooking with my other obsession, F1 racing! To hell with it! I'll just spit it out and for the record, it has nothing to do with the "Sex Pistols"! Yesterday, history was made in F1 racing with the World Championship title going to my favorite of racers being Jenson Button of England at the Interlagos Circuit in Brazil. JB raced to a sixth place finish but was able to clinch the title based on the overall points spread and what a day and season it has been!

It's a family tradition in our house and has been for the past 11 years since I got married to my wife Eva to gather every other Sunday around the tele, spark up the Primo and in most cases the BGE as well and indulge in a real english breakfast, fried tomatoes and all. BTW, grilling note, seared/marinated field tomatoes over charcoal is simply to die for! All this and a few pints of Guinness while our eyes and ears are glued to the screen hoping that our favorite driver will pull out a victory.

For me and every other true JB fan, it was special indeed because I, like millions of other fans around the world have waited almost a decade for this to happen and gone through the highs and many lows that come with the sport. I can remember in the painful B.A.R. Honda days getting laughed at in the Montreal grand stands dawning my BAR hat which has seen better days and on many an occasion almost getting into fist-a-cuffs with more than a few wannabe fans flying their typical, trendy, on the day prancing horse colors, no offense Equipe Ferrari, but it's true. No my friends, this is about raw talent, passion, loyalty, sticktoittiveness, guts, sweat equity and pure faith in a driver that has what it takes and always did and finally the universal powers and karma that be have come together and granted this champion his day on top of one of the most sought after podiums in the world of sport.

From the first drive at BMW to Renault, BAR and now Team Brawn, I say, Ross deserves to get the lead role as Gandalf in Lord of The Rings 4, not that its going to happen but technical magic like this with a new team in their first year, going toe to toe in the Piranha pool that is F1 is beyond magic, beyond wizardry, it's GENIUS! Yes indeed folks, it would be a blast and an honor to sit around the table or better yet, grill up a storm "griller" style for this entire team and toast them all from Canada with love for what they have accomplished for loyal fans like me around the globe for the last decade.

In Sir Frank William's words, "talent like JB's is not extinguishable". "It is a part of the man's spirit and part of his soul".

Here's to you Jenson! You deserve it and when your in Canada next, the steak's on me, thanks a million mate! Feed the fire and the desire to take it higher..........

The Grateful Griller

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Inside the Dragon's Den lies a DragonFire of a Cooker!

Hello Grilling Friends!

Dedicated to some fine Canadian musicians I have been listening to lately!

I hope this latest post finds you all well and ready for cooler weather because like it or not winter's coming and quite frankly it makes me salivate thinking of all the low & slow sessions I intend to partake in with my family, friends and favorite foods as we all wait for snow to fly!

Over the last year and half or so I have had the pleasure of getting to know a gentleman by the name of Jack Hobbs from Louisville Kentucky USA, principal owner and creator of a kamado cooker called the "DragonFire". I had the pleasure of meeting Jack thanks to some fine folks south of the border who connected me with him while I was conducting my personal research as to how much if any competition "The Big Green Egg" had in North America. You see, anyone who knows me or is a client of mine knows that my passion for this cooking medium started thanks to the BGE product and I got so "stuck in it" as Jamie Oliver would say I never looked back. Now I take great pleasure in making sure that people everywhere know as much as humanly possible about all the cookers and respective companies that exist before making their final decision.

Presently, there are only three kamado styled cookers available in the Canadian marketplace, Primo, known for their oval shaped ovens (that rock for the record), BGE, (the big green machine that owns the lion's share of the market in North America) and a relatively new company called "Kamado Joe" who have recently found a distribution partner out of western Canada called "Pacific Specialty Brands". I have yet to test the product but at first glance it looks like a direct spin off of the BGE but in a reddish, orange like color but more on these guys later.

Enter the Dragon! I have tested this cooker for about six months now and take it from me folks, its a force to be reckoned with once it officially hits our soil in 2010 if all goes well! Dragonfire Kamado's, produced in Asia, come with a lifetime warranty on all ceramic components and 1 year warranty on all other parts. Its spacious 19.25 inch stainless grill is impressive and all other steel components are 304 stainless as well. It's charcoal/black baked on glaze is pretty stealth to look at and the overall shape of the DragonFire is more bulb like than anything else out there currently and in discussion with Jack on more than a few occasions he has made reference to the shape being more efficient when lighting it up and after many a fire, I see his point. The internal ceramic components fit neatly in place and a wide flanged cast iron fire grate has a no nonsense esthetic about it. The seal is the thickest I've seen to date and works very well in tests conducted thus far and whatever the adhesive is I hope they don't change it anytime soon.

DragonFire has been shipping product within the USA since 2006 and could very well be the first Kamado cooker of its kind to make people turn their heads once it gets into Canada and here's why! I figured I would save the best for last. You see, the DragonFire will come pre-assembled and complete with a 304 stainless steel stand ( and you all know how I feel about stands if you've been reading my posts) which goes together in a cinch with a few turns of an allen key plus a greener approach to foldable bamboo side tables and a stylish bamboo handle to boot! All this and more will be retailing at around $999 Canadian funds!

There's no doubt in my mind that as this cooking medium gains momentum and gets more mainstream/popular in North America in the years to come, there's going to be more and more innovation and ceramic cooking options for the public at large to choose from and after all doesn't that make things exciting? So, stay tuned for update's on this great product and if you see a dragon out there, remember, they like their steak RARE! Until next time,

be passionate, be creative, be grateful.....

Griller

The Boys, The Bacon & a belly dancer too.......

Hello grilling friends!

What a few weeks it has been indeed! From the indian summer ending to the magnificent Fall colors peaking , yours truly has been deck hopping and man handling more than a few fires and in typical "GTO" fashion, they have all been amazing gigs with great food, music and people, but one I must admit sticks out above the rest. Over the past few months I have been in conversation with a client I will call "Juan" about the "GTO" grill package he wants for his deck and at the same time Juan wanted me to throw a small but delicious deck party with a "bachelor" type theme for he and twenty or so of his good friends.

Without hesitating I said, Juan, you name the time and place and I will bring the soiree! Done deal he said and that was that and the soiree happened a few weeks back in the beautiful Gatineau Hills and what a night it was! I rolled my rig into his driveway right on time and as I approached what looked like a very retro yet modern house nestled on a beautiful wooded lot I couldn't wait to see where the deck was located.

I jumped out of the truck, inhaled some refreshing fall air and proceeded down the stairs to case the joint and see what kind of grilling area I had to work with. As I navigated a rock cut at the side of the house and then rounded the corner I knew right away that not only the grill but the space was perfect for this number of guests who would be rolling in by 7ish or so. I wasted no time and got down to setting my stage, a few chairs here, a few chairs there, the table here and finally the grill table and oven right in the corner, a perfect fit I might add. I had met Juan halfway up the road going the other way to pick up some last minute party snacks and such and as we rolled by each other he said doors unlocked, make yourself at home, I'm back in ten minutes.

Seeing that my outside arranging was done, I unloaded the rest of the truck and cooler full of the evenings eats and made my way back down and into the house. Upon entry I was instantly intrigued by the homes angles, decor and retro vibe. Unusual artifacts and intriguing artwork hung from the walls while Miles Davis played in the background. Built in the seventies by a well known local architect, Juan had decided to keep it as it was built and change very little. The kitchen, my favorite place, reminded me of the kitchen I grew up in back in the Laurentians and every view from every window was epic. When Juan got back he was kind enough to give me the quick tour and we shared a good few laughs over stories about family, life and work and then we proceeded to get down to having fun.

I whipped up and dished out the fresh appetizer's which consisted of home made tzaziki, brushetta and grilled pita chips. Juan got the bevies organized and I proceeded to hit the deck and put fire to charcoal and declare the party started! Within moments, cars started arriving and friends started congregating on the deck as if it were a staged film shoot. One by one I was introduced to Juan's guest's all curiously throwing stares at his new prized ceramic possession and my prep table full of the evenings fare. I could tell almost instantly that this crew were close and had long lasting friendships with each other.

Wine started flowing and Cohiba's were being lit and savored as the aroma's of assorted cheeses and baguette were being smoke infused and crusted up for my guests. One by one I had the pleasure of engaging in conversation as I normally do at these events with some of the guests who's curiosity about the oven was getting the better of them. I am fortunate to be able to meet very interesting people from all walks of life doing what I do as "The Grateful Griller".

As the first round of food rolled off the grill and got consumed as fast as it was smoked the next "tapas" style fare hit the metal grid pattern and instantly sizzled as it met its dance partner. Smoke infused, maple glazed pork tenderloin with a light "GTO" steak spice crust was next on the list accompanied by a favorite of mine, maple/balsamic soaked portabellos, to die for and every client learns how to make them, its a must! As our daylight faded and the night sky took over our evening took an intriguing twist as Lady B. entered the scene but more on her later!

As the pork and mushroom medley neared completion I was putting the finishing lemon pepper touches on platter #3, some fine atlantic salmon I had purchased fresh that day. I continued to carve baguette at a bionic rate and I was in full "gto" mode at this point and loving every minute of it. Shortly after the final entrees were being served up Juan came around the corner to announce the main event was about to begin and to please gather in the spacious sitting room. Re-enter Lady B! A tall, slender, beautiful Moroccan woman with eyes as black as her hair. Lady B was hired as the evenings belly dancer to entertain Juan and his friends and no sooner than she made her entrance, the lights went down and I'm certain that the intoxicating sounds of drums and finger symbols could be heard all the way to Hull and back!

As I looked on and took the scene in I prepped dessert, while champagne was poured for the guests, none other than "The Tropical Black Eye", roasted oreo's, vanilla ice cream and seared pine apple drizzled with Calvados and a dash of cinnamon. It occurred to me as it always does that this is what the "grilled to obsession" lifestyle is all about, food, family, friends, music and evidently a belly dancer once in awhile, too much!

Feed the fire my grilling friends and the desire to take it higher!

The Grateful One

Does Size Matter?

ATTENTION ALL READERS! THIS POST IS INTENDED FOR AN ALMOST MATURE, ADULT MALE READER. SOME MAY FIND THE CONTENT OFFENSIVE, SOME MAY FIND IT FUNNY, WHILE OTHERS MAY SIMPLY RIGHT IT OFF AS RIDICULOUS, BUT MARK THE GRILLER'S WORDS MY FRIENDS, SIZE DOES MATTER!

Hello grilling friends!

What a fabulous start to the Fall with the last few weeks of awesome weather! Now then, if any of you guys are like me, the first thing you do in the morning once you wake up is touch it, right? Sure you do, and you probably adjust it a few times and make sure its in the perfect position so no harm can come to it throughout the day right? Right. I spend almost every waking hour thinking about it and what I've accomplished with it. As a matter of fact, if I had a trophy for every time I've scored with mine, I'd need an addition put onto my house just to store my metal. Yup, there's nothing I love more than getting mine right up to speed, red hot, and impressing the Mrs. with it for hours on end, and I'm proud to report that happens almost four times a week, not bad for a happily married man after almost eleven years. My wife prefers when I take it nice and slow and quite frankly I do to and the results have always been outstanding if I do say so myself. I have many friends who like showing theirs off and the various tricks they can perform with it and I'll admit I love performing a trick or two with mine as well but I don't swing this way all the time.

I remember once upon a time my wife thought mine was a bit on the small side and I agreed with her, but thanks to modern day technology and a phone call or two we fixed the size issue and today I feel the most confident I've ever felt and every time I fire mine up it sure feels great to be alive! So, gents, take it from the "Griller", SIZE MATTERS, and you need to be able to utilize every square inch of what you've got, so take control of it, own it, for its yours forever and why should you live with regrets?

By now, you all know that I am talking about something I call "grilling real estate" and making the right decision on how big your ceramic oven of choice needs to be before diving in head first, right? Right. In other words the total size, measured in inches around or across the total cooking surface of your ceramic oven of choice. Its very important that before you invest this kind of money and commit to this "grilled to obsession" lifestyle, you get the facts from a pro like yours truly or your nearest retailer who specializes in ceramic ovens. I remember dealing with a gentleman who was awfully nice and professional but didn't really have a clue about "The Big Green Egg" when I was first introduced to it, hence, I was sold the wrong size oven. Instead of up selling me into the large BGE, I ended up with a medium and for the record I have had many wonderful years of great meals off it but the truth of the matter is that I should have left the store with a bigger model.

I ask all my "Grateful Griller" clients four key questions before they commit to the purchase of a new ceramic cooker.

1. how often will you be cooking?

2. how many people on average will you cook for?

3. what kind of space do you have on your deck or back yard?

4. what kind of budget do you have for the purchase?

Based on the answers I get back I start to offer my clients choices that vary in size for both the oven's and tables and slowly but surely we are always able to make sure the decision on which package to go for is the best package for the client. I remember that feeling well, of thinking that after I had spent close to $1600.00 on my medium BGE package that it was the wrong size but I fixed all that by starting my own brand and company and here I am today with almost every size oven imaginable as it relates to the ceramic cooking world and I get tremendous satisfaction out of steering people in the proper direction in order to make sure their experience is outstanding not to mention exciting for them.

Big Green Egg produces five sizes of ovens ranging from the mini to the XL. The most popular model sold for the folks at BGE is the large followed by the XL followed by the medium. If you are leaning toward anything bigger than the large BGE, "The Grateful Griller's" advice is to take a good look at the XL Primo Oval instead. You will get more cooking surface on the Oval's and due to the nature of the shape you don't lose any depth in the XL Primo like you do in the XL BGE. The other issue in my humble opinion is the XL BGE rear hinge mechanism is very tricky to assemble and not the best on functionality but it does work. Rumor has it that the fine folks at BGE are working on improving this hinge moving forward. The XL Primo Oval has a proper spring hinge and works very well.

Primo produce three models being the Junior Oval, XL Oval ( most popular) and Kamado which goes head to head with the BGE large model and any other round shaped ceramic cooker on the North American market in its size category. I have tested and sold a number of the Primo Kamado's in 2009 and the results have been stellar to say the least from all clients who purchased. A small word of caution on the BGE plate setter if being used in the Primo Kamado. The BGE plate setter is produced to be compatible with the BGE specifically and although it works in other round cookers its not a perfect fit so be mindful before purchasing.

GrillDome are also as stated in past posts a fantastic option if you want to get into this cooking form and the cool thing about their product is that you have five color's to choose from and a 304 stainless steel component package which really takes the bar up as far as I'm concerned. GrillDome's best seller is the Infinity Series XXTall cookers and the SuperDome which goes toe to toe with the likes of BGE and Primo's XL Oval.

So before you rush out and purchase your new ceramic oven, get the facts from the pro's and make sure you ask a lot of questions and with "The Grateful Griller" on your side, you can't go wrong but remember my friends, SIZE DOES MATTER, and besides, in twenty years when your looking at your unit, you don't want to wish it were bigger, do you?

Until we meet again, keep chillin and grillin, "Grateful" style........

Griller

Nests or Stands? Griller says go for the "GTO" Table!

Hello Grilling Friends!

Now that Spring's over and Summer's begun I'm anticipating a great looking September and October and predicting that the leaves should be changing no later than December 1st, wouldn't that be awesome? As we know the reality is that Fall is closing in, like it or not, and quite frankly, I say, bring it on!!! I love the Fall for many reasons but a few stick out above the rest. First off, the leaves up in this part of Canada are nothing less than spectacular and the cool night air puts me in the mood for food, "GTO" style without a doubt. Its also the time of year that we all start to cocoon a bit and get our nests ready for winter, hence my motivation to share a few words about nests. No, no, no, not the ones we live in but the ones that our ceramic ovens/cookers sit in.

Wether you own a Primo or a Big Green Egg you know by now that both companies manufacture and sell powder coated metal stands to house their respective units and I get asked all the time how I feel about them and wether they are worth the investment, and my simple answer is no, and here's why. If a person is about to invest over $1100.00 for one of these fine ceramic beauties in their larger sizes like the large or XL BGE or Primo XL Oval, (which for the record are the most popular models sold) a beautiful hand crafted eastern Canadian cedar table that acts as a great work station and doubles as a perfect place to store all your essential cooking tools seals the deal in my opinion, so why opt for an over priced metal nest or table mates that aren't going to last the test of time?

After all, if you have longed for that special car, wether it be a hybrid coupe, or a soft top two seater or perhaps your the performance sports car type, are you going to rush out to WalMart and purchase some mediocre tires and plastic seat covers that smell cheap to enhance the overall experience? Of coarse not! You'll most likely want performance tires that look and feel great and who can argue about plush leather seats underneath your butt on those long cruising get away weekends.

If your wondering what the Griller's getting at here folks, its simple. Esthetics, nothing more, nothing less and you deserve it when spending this kind of money!. I know, I love looking at my various cookers on my deck and feeling good about the fact that they are housed well, braced well and look beautiful and are complimented by the artistic nature of the wood itself and all this for a fraction more money out of my bank account.

The BGE company as well as Primo do a great job on their cookers for the price and the product that they manufacture for the North American marketplace and I think they all would agree that their metal nests/stands are at best, satisfactory. For the record, I prefer and have more faith in the BGE nests because they are sturdier and come with additional braces unlike their closest competitor being Primo. All this said, both the BGE nests and side tables (now produced in composite material as well) and Primo stands are expensive for what you get, considering you'll be spending just this side of $300 CAN funds when in fact you can currently have a "GTO" Country Classic or Compact Griller table of choice by yours truly starting at $350 and going up from there.

Now, some would argue that they don't have the space for a large table and this could be true, hence if you want to go for the BGE nests, go for it, but just be aware that you have options that are a better value and can be offered in wood. If you happen to be a Primo owner, the "Griller's" words of wisdom, steer clear of their metal stands. They simply aren't made well enough. This whole topic and issue motivated me to create a division of my company solely dedicated to the production of customized Canadian tables made right here in beautiful Wakefield, QC. by my affiliate partner Bizier Inc.

As of 2010, "The Grateful Griller" in conjunction with Bizier Inc. will be open for business across Canada and will be doubling our models moving forward. We will be offering various designs in various wood species and quality control, not to mention our attention to detail will be our top two priorities. If you happen to have the gift of being a carpenter or generally good with wood we would be more than happy to assist you with basic plans to do it yourself.

That's it for me my friends, so have an awesome weekend, enjoy this god given weather while it lasts and keep the fires and "GTO" lifestyle burning like you mean it!

maple planks & salmon too.....

The Grateful One