In the past few years with the patent on the Traeger Wood Pellet Smokers expired, the BBQ Community has seen a big increase in pellet smokers hitting the market. The designs of these smokers and the concept in what makes them work have generally been the same.

Some have even followed Traegers lead and have there products made or produced in foreign countries in an attempt to cut costs on manufacturing, parts and labor. In most cases this has been a major sticking point with both your backyard BBQ enthusiast and your competitive BBQ’er.

Over the last 3 weeks I have had the privilege to cook on a new pellet smoker to hit the market, its nothing similar to the pellet smokers I have seen or cooked on in the last couple of years. The workmanship is second to none, the thought of design that went into the product is head and shoulders above the competition, and most important to a lot of BBQ’ers in this day we live in, this smoker is made right here in the Good Old USA!

The smoker I’m talking to you about today is the “Grilla Smoker/Grill made by Fahrenheit Technologies out of Holland Michigan. Fahrenheit Technologies, Inc. was officially formed in 2006 as a separate corporation dedicated to developing, manufacturing and marketing Renewable Energy Solutions. They have been at the forefront of wood pellet and corn burning furnaces. Coming from this type of background looking in, it’s easy to see why the Grilla was manufactured and designed the way it is!

One of the initial thoughts upon unpackaging the Grilla when we received it was best stated by my youngest son. “Dad, this smoker looks kind of like a ceramic egg cooker, but on steroids!” Yes the Grilla is a round design with a swing lid/door instead of the lift up lid.

By designing this type of lid you’re able to keep the heat in the smoker where it belongs instead of releasing all the heat out the top of the smoker. You can EASILY manipulate the Grilla swing door with one hand to place items in the smoker instead of propping the door!

The design of the Grilla, its round shape was done to help eliminate hot and cold spots in the smoker allowing the smoker to cook more evenly. This point was easily understandable when I smoked a large pizza. When done, the under crust of the pizza was nicely browned with out any type of uneven cooking observed on the crust.

The Digital Control Panel, which comes standard with all Grilla Smokers, displays current temperature and smoke settings. The Grilla Temperature ranges from 180°-550° Fahrenheit (F) with 16 smoke settings. This allows the user to adjust temperature for Smoking. The Grilla, unlike so many other smokers comes fully assembled! Just plug it in and load your favorite flavored wood pellets and after a short seasoning session your good to go!

I really enjoyed having the Stainless Steel Side Trays They are conveniently located on both sides of the smoker, attached to either side of the Pellet hopper. They are easy to clean, will not rust. Utilizing these surfaces allows you to place plates and grilling utensils with in your reach when removing them from the smoker

Other unique features of this smoker is the never flare up disk which helps prevent grease from entering the firepot of the smoker causing grease fires or flare ups, the wrap around chord attachment on the rear of the smoker. Just below the chord attachment you will find EZ Fuel Change Out door. When you open this door to the pellet hopper, your able to switch wood pellets easily for different flavor profiles

The 18 gauge Steel body of the smoker is very  Solid, with one of the better finishes that is a  Construction Powder coat that was made for a long lasting finish.

The fully enclosed auger and motor maintenance panel in rear allows for easy access to the auger motor and fan for replacement or other maintance when required. The Fire Pot and Igniter remove easily for quick cleaning which are found in the center of the smoker. The pellet hopper holds 20 lb of pellets, helping your smoking sessions to last a little longer then most model. The Grease catch holds standard cans which can be easily accessed and removed during the smoking sessions

.The front viewing glass that allows a quick check of the inside fire of the smoker and allows for great viewing ambience during the cooking process for guests to enjoy, and of course the handle and 5 inch rubber wheels that allow for easy maneuvering and placing of the Grilla during smoking and storage sessions.

The Dimensions are very similar to some of the ceramic cookers on the market, except in most cases the Grilla has more surface cooking area of 488 square inches. The rest of the dimensions are:

Height: 44″ inches
Width: 31.5″ inches
Depth: 29.5″ inches
Weight: 145 lbs

Now unlike most reviews you may read regarding this new smoker, Bossman Bar-B-Que wanted this review to be different. So we used the Grilla at a backyard cooking school to get the reaction from a backyard cooker, which we felt was important. Second, we used the Grilla in the Lake Havasu City Music-Brews-and BBQ Contest! We decided as a team to cook our 14lb Whole Packer Brisket on the smoker and also our Chicken for this contest.

Our backyard BBQ School was held in Phoenix Arizona and we had several different smokers on display. But the Grilla was the talk of the class. What appealed to the majority was the size of the smoker, that it didn’t take up a lot of room, and the amount of cooking room you have seemed to be perfect for most of your Backyard Chefs.

For this class we chose to smoke pit beans for the class. We also smoked Brisket, Pulled Pork and Sausage and Peppers. The Smoked Pit Beans were a huge hit. People commented on how much smoke flavor they could taste in the beans which surprised them.

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The one issue we did experience was the price of the Grilla at $1495.00 which does include shipping. After going over the other smokers we had on hand, looking over the quality of workmanship and the fact that if you were to go and purchase a new propane grill you would be looking at spending $600 and up, a lot of individuals in the class stated they would gladly spend the asking price of the Grilla, seeing and tasting first hand the quality of product you can expect to get for the money. The reviews for the Grilla were all positive!

Over the next couple of days we put the Grilla to the test at the KCBS Lake Havasu City Music Brews and BBQ Contest. Shortly after setting up our spot we started cooking right away for the afternoon Wine and Cheese get together for the cook teams. Just the look of the Grilla itself was an immediate attraction from both the competitors and crowd walking the venue.

Ryan Grob with Backdraft BBQ, and a team Captain of Bite Me BBQ-Team Colorado  was DYING to cook on the Grilla. He chose to try out some of his Bacon Wrapped Pretzels with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. (Video too follow!)

Needless to say the appetizer turned out great, and of course was the first thing to be gone at our get together. Everyone commented on the taste and flavor of the appetizer. This was a great start of our contest cooking on the Grilla!

Bill Maes was our Brisket cook for this contest. At first Bill was concerned that the Grilla was not big enough for the 14lb whole packer brisket that we had planned on cooking. So we placed the brisket in its crovac in the Grilla to see and guess what we had PLENTY of room!

Our end result, the Grilla did what it was supposed to do and produced a good quality product with consistent results. We were able to show many individuals and teams the Grilla and had more  requesting more information to order a Grilla for themselves!

To conclude this review  after cooking on the Grilla and being able to show it twice with different groups of people with one common passion, that of being BBQ that I give you my opinion .

I own both a Traeger 75 and a Louisiana Grill Whole Hog Smoker. I’ve also cooked on other smokers as well as FEC100, Green Mountain Smoker. From my experience I believe the Grilla is one of the best thought out, built and  operating pellet smoker that I have had the privileged to smoke on. I’m excited for Grilla, and am anxious to see what new products and designs will come in the future!

If you’re interested in purchasing the Grilla  or are looking for further information please visit www.mygrilla.com Grilla is still looking for distributors as well. If you are in a  position to be a distributor please contact regarding this opportunity as well.

In the next few days Bossman Bar-B-Que will be posting some videos of our cooking school as well as footage from our competition using the Grilla in the next few days, Stay Tuned and Enjoy!! Until then, Remember to BBQ as much as you can, Smoke On!!

I still remember the saw dust on the floor (which the health department has ruled unsanitary) the smell of cool fresh meat having been stocked in the meat case and the sound of knives and band saws going to town in the meat department.

I think I remember now more then ever because of our involvement in competitive BBQ contests and having to be more familiar with cuts of meat. The key for us has been finding Butchers and not just “meat case stockers”. At one point I truly felt that the art of Butchering was all but a memory.
In recent years The art of Butchering and being able to find a TRUE Butcher have made a resurgence, for that I’m very grateful.

So for me it wasn’t a mere coincidence to come across a book on the subject of Butchers with the book cover looking like it was actually made out of the red Butcher paper they would wrap meat in! That in and of itself sold me on the book! The name of this book is: Primal Cuts: Cooking with Americas Best Butchers! By Marissa Guggiana.

What Marissa Guggiana, food activist, writer, and fourth generation meat purveyor, did was travel the country to discover fifty of the most gifted butchers and share their favorite dishes, personal stories, and cooking techniques.

What I learned from this book was how to cook conventional and unconventional meat cuts, how to talk to their local butcher, and even how to source and buy whole animals for their home freezer. What I really enjoyed were the animal primal cuts diagrams included in the book. But you will also find:

• 100 Meat Recipes
• 50 Profiles and Portraits of America’s Best Butchers
• Practical Advice on Techniques and Tools
• Hundreds of Diagrams, Illustrations, and Photos
• Home Butchering How-To
• Tons of Trade Secrets

Unlike a lot of books out on the market, what I felt was truly unique was visiting the Primal Cuts website (http://www.welcomebooks.com/primalcuts/) they have a section on the website where your able to read from the pages of the book, see the pictures, recipes and diagrams Before you purchase it to ensure it is what you want. There are also plenty of reference tools for readers. One of my favorite’s links on the site is to help you find Butchers in your area locally, someone who truly will know what it is you are looking for. How cool is that!

For BBQ fans this is a must have book! It has made its way to my all time favorites and is the book I often grab to read and look at unique recipes and prospective from the men and women who have devoted themselves to bringing us QUALITY meats.

You will find as I have that this is Truly an art form, and one because of individuals like those interviewed for this book will stay around for years to come. Thank you to author Marissa Guggiana for hitting a home run with this book, and letting us all know that we still have knowledgeable, true butchers who have mastered there craft and can provide us with the quality cuts of meat we want locally! Smoke On!

This product is being tested as we speak! I plan on sharing my experience, including pictures and over all results! We are also doing a video of the whole process and will also post it here on BossmanBBQ as well as YouTube!

Stay Tuned, but in the meantime Please Visit http://www.drybagsteak.com for a in depth product information and an awesome forum!

 Spices have little resins in them which will release when marinating with meat, when allowed to blend with the food it can make the world of difference from the average tasting BBQ to that which separates itself from the rest and is worthy of being an award winning BBQ meat!

  When you find a product that makes such a big difference in aroma and taste of not only BBQ meats, but sides and deserts you have to share it and let others experience it. THAT is what this article is about, that one product that can make a big difference in taste, flavor and aroma.

 A lot of individuals on the west coast have not heard or experienced Maple Pepper®, but if you have ever been in a kitchen in the morning and woke up to the smell of maple smoked bacon being fried in the kitchen, you can only imagine what maple flavoring can do to meats that are smoked!

 Highland Foods Maple Pepper® was first made in a country kitchen in Northern New England over 20 years ago. This family owned business uses only the finest natural ingredients, combining the age-old flavor of maple sugar, the zest of black pepper, and ocean fresh sea salt to bring you a deliciously versatile seasoning. There seasonings are pure and simple. Highland Foods, LLC is a family owned and operated business, offering its customers the personal attention you would expect and deserve.

 One of the most popular side dishes we make for both competition BBQ and catering is smoked beans. For this article we decided to include a recipe for smoked beans including the addition of Highland Foods Maple Pepper®.

 To make the best smoked beans known to man I would highly recommend the following recipe. This is my personal version of a popular recipe commonly found on BBQ forums. My wife and I have won a few awards with this recipe, and were sure you will be happy with it!

 Bossman’s Smoked Apple Beans

3 or 4 slices bacon, diced
2  28-oz cans Bush’s Baked Beans – see note below)
1/2 c. Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce (or other sweet-spicy favorite)
1 lb. leftover smoked pulled pork or 1 lb crumbled cooked pork sausage
1 can apple pie filling (chop up the big chunks some)

1 Tbsp.Highland Foods Maple Pepper® (or more to taste J)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Mustard (prepared)
1 Tbsp barbecue rub
Brown bacon, and sauté onion and green pepper in bacon grease. Mix in remaining ingredients. Smoke for 1 hour-2 hours or until the beans begins to bubble and a nice crust has built on the surface of the beans. Serves .15-20 people

I know once you try this recipe with Highland Foods Maple Pepper® you will be hooked! For those with adventurous taste they also produce a Habanaro Maple Pepper® and a Garlic Maple Pepper® which is just as good as the original Maple Pepper®!

 A link will be established on our website in the next couple of days (our webmaster is out of the country..) but until then please click on this link to order directly from Highland Foods. http://www.maplepepper.com  The cost for a 3oz bottle is $5.50 ea for the original Maple Pepper® and Garlic Maple Pepper® and $6.65 for the Habanero Maple Pepper®

Please let Highland Foods know you read the article here and that the Bossman referred you! Until next time Smoke On!!

 Every once and awhile you do find a simple tool that does as it advertises and makes your smoking and BBQ cooking a lot easier. One of those items I wish I had seen or knew about is called the Frogmat. I first heard of Frogmat on the BBQ Central Show with Greg Rempe.

  I contacted Mike Riblett, creator of Frogmats and had one of his mat’s sent to me to see if it does what it advertises to do.

 Frogmats is a non stick, odor free easy to turn mat that is used on your smoker to help prevent food from cracking, sticking to the grate, falling through the grate mat. It’s designed to last for years with easy cleaning. Simply clean with warm water its ready for your next use. What I really like is that this simple mat will NOT pick up odors from the foods your smoking like fish. For me, wanting to use this for competition cooking and catering is HUGE.

 I decided to put Frogmats to the test and use it on one of my foods that sometimes sticks to the grill or tears as you take it off the grill. I tested the Frogmat with not only 1 Bacon Explosion but 3!

                                                     Bacon Explosions

 The above Bacon explosions were smoked on my Louisiana Whole Hog Country Smoker. The Frogmat was not sprayed with Pam or anything else, I wanted the test to be as real as it gets to see if Frogmats does what it advertises

 About 1 ½ hours later the Frogmat and Bacon Explosions were doing well. When they were finished the Bacon Explosions were able to be moved off the Frogmat with NO issues!

    Finished Bacon Explosion using the Frogmat

                                 First Bacon Explosion removed from the Frogmat

 Sliced and Ready To GO!!                

 As you can see from the pictures above, the Frogmat does exactly what it advertises to do! I was able to make a finished product that didn’t stick to the grill or Frogmat and it helped me in creating a product that looked great. Just from this test, I know I will be using Frogmats with my Smoked Chicken during this years KCBS Contests.

If you’re looking to smoke food on your smoker that you have had trouble with falling thought the grill, tearing, ripping or failing apart I would highly encourage you to contact Frogmats at http://www.frogmats.com/Home_Page.php. 

I know that by using Frogmats as a BBQ tool to help with a intact finished product I will have no worries or issues and my investment is one that when cared for and cleaned as directed will last for many years. Contact Frogmats and let them know the Bossman sent you, I promise you will be happy you made this investment! Smoke On!!

I love Smoked Turkey; it’s probably the one single meat that I love the most smoked. That being said there are times when I just don’t feel like heating up the smoker and yet I want a good turkey. Well I have the answer for you, the Butterball In-Home Turkey Fryer!  In my opinion the next best thing to a smoked turkey is a fried turkey. Here is my review of this awesome product.

When you first see this unit it will remind you of an oversize bread maker, at least that’s what it reminds me of. Its light weight, attractive and easy to use! What’s more, you can use this unit to fry ANYTHING to include wings; fries, onion rings and the list of possibilities are endless!

I have had a large Cajun Turkey Frier that has been in hibernation for several years. The reason is the amount of peanut oil you have to use is crazy, plus what do you do with the oil afterwards? Sure you can store it, but that’s a giant pain in the tush.

What I like about the Butterball In-Home Turkey Frier is that it uses only 2 gallonsof peanut oil or your choice of cooking oil! My recommendation is to use the peanut oil it has a higher burn point but if you have people who are allergic to peanut oil I would recommend the Canoila oil. The end result is a very moist, tender and delicious turkey with a wonderful and flavorful crisp skin!

  You can cook a turkey as large as 14 pounds. A plus is the non-greasy taste as and clean-up is a cinch as they have installed a drain in the back of the unit for quick and easy disposal of the oil.

 The unit is well built, made of stainless steel and has a digital display with a cook timer and all kinds of power and safety indicators. The porcelain inner pot is an easy clean as well. A full owner’s manual that is easy to read is included.

If smoking a turkey is not an option for you this year, and you’ve been scared to fry a turkey because of all the rumors and horror stories you’ve heard of morons having mishaps with a Turkey Fryer, Butterball has come out with one heck of a product that you can use again and again, and use not only for turkeys but endless cooking items and Ideas. For me, I’m using this bad boy to fry up some Atomic Buffalo Turds!!

You can purchase the Masterbuilt Butterball Turkey on line at On Amazon.com for $117 or you can find it in other outlets for as much as $179 at Best Buy.  Check on line and find the best buy for your dollar. But I would order one soon to avoid supplies running out!

I hope you enjoyed this review and have given you an option if you’re unable to smoke a Thanksgiving Day or Holiday Turkey! Happy Holidays and remember… Smoke On!!

I’m happy to report that I have come close to the perfect brisket in the past year with winning a couple of awards for my brisket in KCBS contests. But the one thing that always drives me crazy is trying to ensure that the brisket is moist and juicy. It seems that no matter what you do, once you slice brisket, in only a matter of seconds it seems to dry out. Until now that was a major concern.

Last week I received a sample of Butcher BBQ Beef Brisket Marinade. Now I have injected briskets before and I’ve marinade briskets over night for as long as 12 hours, so I wasn’t unfamiliar with this, so I was a little skeptical that an inject able marinade put out by Butcher BBQ would make a significant difference compared with what I was already experiencing. How wrong I was!

The first thing I did before opening the packet of marinade was of course read the instructions of use which seemed pretty simple to follow. You’re told to start out by using ¾ of a cup of marinade to 2 cups of water, beer, apple juice, cola or beef broth on a 13lb brisket. The following is an excerpt from the directions:

“All taste palates are different, so strengthen to your taste. We recommend starting with 3/4 cup of marinade to two (2) cups of water. Other options are to split 1/2 the water with beer, apple juice, Cola or beef broth.

Place your brisket on a cookie sheet with edges to help catch any excess marinade. Now, using a checker board pattern, inject in every other square, keeping the injecting needle in the center of the brisket meat. This amount should be enough for two thirteen (13) lb. briskets.

Butcher BBQ recommends you allow the brisket to marinade for as little as 4 hours and no longer then 8 hours. Upon opening the packet the smell is a very definite beef smell. I followed the directions, and being nervous that I was going to screw it up; I only allowed the brisket to marinade in the Butcher BBQ Marinade for 4 hours.

For this smoke I used a combination of Oak and Mesquite. I separated the flat and point as well to have some burnt ends. The brisket I chose was a 12lb brisket.

I followed the directions and injected both the flat and point and allowed the marinade to do its magic for 4 hours. On this smoke the brisket actually was done 2 hours earlier then normal the results from the marinade and smoking session? Well, judge for yourself:

Brisket

Brisket Flat Sliced

It was pretty evident in doing this experiment with Butcher BBQ Beef Marinade that it does exactly what it advertised to do, it gave the brisket and point a great, moist beefier flavor then past briskets I’ve done. The consensus of my family after tasting this brisket, Butcher BBQ Marinade has to be included with our cooking arsenal in preparing brisket wither for contests or catering.

I would highly recommend contacting Butcher BBQ at www.butcherbbq.comand order yours today. I know that once you use it and family and friends taste and see the difference this marinade makes you to will be adding Butcher BBQ to your list of ingredients needed to have smoked brisket. When you order let them know the Bossman sent you, Smoke On!

I told David that it was easy to say his tool was better then “The Chili Twister”, but until I tested it and used it I couldn’t agree with his claim of supremacy. With that David sent out the Jalapeno Corer for my opinion.        First off I could tell this was a tool that a lot of thought went into its design and feel. One of the comments that David had made was that compared to “The Chili Twister”, the Jalapeno Corer made little or no mess when preparing Jalapeno’s. I was also told that in his opinion The Chili Twister tore Jalapenos, were the Jalapeno Corer did not do this as often because of the design.With that said I put the Jalapeno Corer to the test. Here are a couple of pictures of my experience with it:     So did it live up to the hype? The Jalapeno Corer did in fact live up to the claims that David stated. I was able to core my Jalapeno’s with little effort and little or no mess. I did how ever have a couple of Jalapeno’s that tore during the preparation, which I contribute to my inexperience in using the Jalapeno Corer.I guess the bottom line is which is the better tool? I think like my analogy in the beginning of the article of which hamburger is better is probably the best answer I can give. In this case both tools do exactly what they claim to do. Both are great tools. But in using both tools, putting them to the test and seeing what they can do, I have to agree with Dave, the Jalapeno Corer did the job with less mess and was more effective in my opinion, in coring out he Jalapeno’s for preparation of ABT’s for the smoker.  

Just as I found the Chili Twister and thought I found the answer, along comes Iron Desert providing a product that I found to live up to its creators claims and, in my opinion is the better of the two.

 I would highly recommend that you take a look at the products Iron Desert offers including The Jalapeno Corer. You can order it from Iron Desert (irondesert.com) direct in either a wooden handle or stainless steel handle for a cost of $4.00 plus shipping and handling.

Chuck Marting (Bossman)