Good Morning! 

Green Mountain Grills is committed to selling their pellet grills through local dealers. They also have no plans to sell direct-to-consumer. I interviewed Jason Baker from GMG about why they sell exclusively through dealers, their innovative new products, and how they're looking to grow.

Ahead of the 4th of July weekend The BBQ Central Show was packed with great guests. In the first hour Greg Rempe had Malcom Reed and open fire cooking expert Al Frugoni. In the second hour Sam The Cooking Guy joined the show (one of my favorite guests) followed by Rasheed Philips who gave the truth about what it's like to be on BBQ TV shows. Whether you're traveling, or just hanging out in your backyard this weekend, this is perfect to put on.

Sponsored By Franklin Barbecue Pits

Franklin Barbecue Pits, designed by famed Pit Master Aaron Franklin are built from heavy duty USA steel and made by craftsmen right here in the USA. For BBQ beginners and pros alike, its design and construction make it one of the best offset smokers for the backyard. And it will last for generations. Get yours at a BBQ dealer near you, or direct from Franklin if you don’t have a local dealer near you. We love and support local businesses, so if you’re a BBQ dealer that wants to carry Franklin BBQ Pit, please reach out!

Charbroil has put out some fantastic new products this year. I reviewed their Performance Series griddle, which looks great, is designed well, and it's priced right at $399. Plus, it gets really hot with a max temp of 700 degrees F.

Every summer for the past three years the Decoder podcast from The Verge features an interview with someone in the grilling industry. Jeremy Andrus, CEO of Traeger did it the first year, followed by Roger Dahle, CEO of Blackstone last year. This year they interviewed new CEO of Big Green Egg, Dan Gertsacov.

It's a great interview where you can hear how Dan understand the brand and is preserving it, yet modernizing the company at the same time. From the interview, and developing a friendship with Dan, I'm excited to see what the future holds for Big Green Egg.

Speaking of modernizing Kamados, a big brand outside of the outdoor cooking industry has a pretty crazy one-off prototype. In an effort to get people more comfortable with hydrogen in the home, Toyota partnered with Rinnai to make a hydrogen powered Kamado, a pizza oven, and a hibachi style grill. Toyota Times ran an interesting story on it. The byproduct of burning hydrogen is steam, so it's an added benefit for grilling.

Finally, luxury kitchen brand Zephyr has a great refrigeration solution for outdoor kitchens. They released a kegerator that can also be converted to a beverage cooler, when you're not running a keg. It has a bunch of different configurations for multiple taps, a kegerator with beverage storage, even the ability to run nitrogen for cold brew.

Have a Great July 4th Weekend!

Wes Wright

Founder and CEO

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Sponsored By Big Green Egg

At Big Green Egg, we’re not just the best Kamado grill on the market; we are a lifestyle brand dedicated to enhancing outdoor entertaining. The Big Green Egg believes in bringing families, friends and neighbors together to cook over live-fire. Our “EGGhead” community of loyal fans create memories with the delicious and diverse food they can prepare on their Eggs. 

With a rich 50-year history and a strong presence as an iconic brand in the outdoor kitchen industry, we are committed to providing our customers with premium products and a seamless experience, both online and offline. And we are now hiring for our headquarters location in Atlanta!

We offer a fun work environment, with lots of food and BBQ (of course!), as well as competitive benefits, including a 401(k) match, medical and life insurance, to name a few. More detail on open roles in links below and/or click on this link to apply. 

Lead Mechanical Engineer; Lead User Researcher; Distributor Development Sales Manager