The Science of Grate Grilling- The Super Weber Kettle

Another key aspect of GrillGrates is the added protection they provide from excessive flame and dry scorching heat. When BBQ Legend Mike Mills first saw GrillGrates sitting on my Weber at a BBQ contest he called it a 'flame shield' and asked if I'd ever done ribs on it? I sheepishly had to tell him no. Mike told me that one of the toughest questions people ask him is how to do ribs on a Weber Kettle? It's darn hard for most people. Hell, I never even tried! He challenged me to go home and barbecue (not grill) ribs his way. Mike also figured out quick that we were from 'Up North' and had little barbecue experience. That meeting in Douglas was another milestone as we were introduced to the wonderful world of Barbecue from one of the best. Mike Mills was just inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame at last months National Barbecue Association Conference which was a real treat to attend. I am honored to be friends with Mike and his gang from 17th Street. Mike has taught us a lot about GrillGrates and has been generous in his support and help.

Now we're introducing custom GrillGrates for the 22" Weber Kettle and it made me think of Mike.

The Greatest Gift of All (Part 2)

Now that I look back on it, I gave and received the same gift last year! Peace Love and Barbecue by Mike Mills and his daughter Amy. I met Mike and Amy at a Barbecue Competition just over a year ago. Mike, a legendary barbecue champion and restaurant owner comes by our stand and takes an interest in GrillGrates. He was anxious to try it and I gladly gave him a set. Next thing I know Rocky Danner (another colorful Barbecue Ambassador) is in our booth asking me for several more sets for he and Mike!

It turns out that Mike and Rocky were doing a series of demonstrations. Rocky was grilling bacon wrapped pork tenderloins and Mike was explaining how to do his championship ribs and had a stack of his books. He signed one for me and gave it to me in exchange for the Grates. Amy handed me a card and told me where to send more GrillGrates for Mike to “play with”. We received the gift of Peace, Love and Barbecue, last October and we gave the book as a gift this past Christmas to all our grilling friends.

Our friends loved Mike and Amy’s book! The 5-bean side has become a staple in our circle, as have Mike’s ribs. Peace, Love and Barbecue is a fabulous gift and really conveys the spirit of the industry, the people in it, along with some fabulous recipes. The book also provides a history of the American BBQ tradition alongside colorful encounters with local barbecue haunts. It was a great gift last year, now what to give this year?

1. Instant Read Thermometer- This has got to be tops on my stocking stuffer list. I need to upgrade my cooking by temperature skills as evidenced by my half-cocked turkey on Thanksgiving! Glow in the Dark from grillfriends.com $6.99
2. BBQr’s Delight Gift Pack- This just might be the ticket for this Christmas. Craig Meathead Goldwyn of amazingribs.com called BBQr’s Delight and GrillGrates- "Peanut butter and jelly because we go so well together." These all natural wood pellets impart just enough smoky flavor- and work fabulously on gas grills—especially with GrillGrates; just lay a few in the valleys of the GrillGrates and they smoke and smolder in natural wood flavors. The gift pack comes with a cast iron smoker box too. $19.99 with free shipping thru 12/19.
3. KCBS Membership- The Kansas City Barbecue Society delivers a lot of bang for the buck. Contest and cook-off updates, product reviews and discounts and monthly Bull Sheet is packed with information and team competition updates. The Bull Sheet is up there with Salt Water Sportsman for me! $35 per year.

   

4. GrillGrate Gift Bag- Our best value and a Grate Gift in its own right. Use the KCBS discount code and save 25% on all GrillGrate products through December 18th. $75 with KCBS discount.

Keep your grill and your griller warm this holiday season!

NBBQA Members Join the GrillGrate Restaurant Trial- limited quantity available

Two weeks ago we made the trek to Murphysboro IL to visit with Mike Mills, Amy Mills, Becky Streuter and their staff. 17th Street Barbecue was named The Best Ribs in the USA by Bon Appetit Magazine and we just had to see and taste for ourselves! AND Mike has been using GrillGrates in his kitchen since we met last October. We finally produced the custom 20” lengths he wanted for his char-broilers and flat tops.

We did not want to simply ship these new commercial grade GrillGrates to Mike and Becky. It was all we needed to say—road-trip! Spending a half a day in the kitchen with Mike working with GrillGrates will be a highlight for Susan and me for a long time. We also visited one of the 17th Street locations in nearby Marion, IL to meet with their kitchen staff that had already been working with GrillGrates; and then back to Murphysboro for a family style dinner at the original 17th Street location. Full racks for both Susan and me ended a really great day. The southern Illinois area is a nice place to visit with a thriving wine for the industry along with scenic countryside and small towns. We’ll be back September 24-26 Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off, if not before!

Join 17th Street and other restaurants who are evaluating GrillGrates for their flat-tops and char-broilers. We have a limited supply of 20” GrillGrates at discounted pricing for you to use in your restaurant. The width is 5.25”. Four Interlocking Professional GrillGrates create a 20" x 21" grilling surface. Please contact me directly for pricing and immediate shipping. NBBQA members enjoy a 15% discount on all GrillGrate products, use NBBQA in coupon area of the GrillGrate web store.

I've become a Barbecue Groupie!

We had the pleasure of spending 4 days with some of the most passionate, authentic and colorful people at the annual National Barbecue Conference in Austin. The NBBQA is a not for profit organization that serves anyone serious about BBQ: Restaurants, Competition Teams, Caterers and enthusiasts. I took our copy of Peace Love and Barbecue to gather signatures from many attendees who were in the book. I've become a barbecue groupie!

This gang's passion for barbecue is equally matched with their genuine desire to help each other by sharing techniques, recipes, business practices etc. The conference curriculum was outstanding with topics ranging from bottling and marketing your own sauce, branding, pitfalls of running a family business and of course judging and competing in barbecue competitions.

We had the pleasure of grilling BBQ pizzas and quesadillas for lunch one day and had a blast trying out different sauces made by other members. We used a lot of award winning sauces so I'll duck from playing favorites, but the most unusual was a jalepeno ginger jelly from Joy Peppers that we made quesadillas with. They were coming out of the building to taste this delightful treat. Does anyone have any pictures of these grate creations we were grilling? We were so busy grilling and selling :) that I only pulled the camera out once!

I'm excited that many of the attendees purchased GrillGrates for their restaurants and their backyards. We're looking forward to hearing back from you! And a special thank you to the NBBQA judges for The Award of Excellence that GrillGrate received as the best overall specialty product. I am proud that we'll have the NBBQA logo and the award on our product label! We grately appreciate the hospitality of the NBBQA staff: Joe, Ashley and Tyva, and the many new friends we made. The SHED BBQ & Blues Joint put on a diner the last night that was over the top. The cheese and crab grits were to die for. You must visit THE SHED if you are anywhere near the Mississipi coast. Funny thing is my wife has never been a big fan of barbecue, but she sure loves the barbecue crowd! Peace, Love and Barbecue! Great book, great people, great industry. Now we have more friends to stop and visit.