“Admit it: Grilling is Bad” Response by a Grill Company
We recently stumbled across an article by Business Insider contributor and absolute killjoy, Josh Barro, titled “Admit it: Grilling is bad.” The op-ed stated that “just because you can cook outside doesn’t mean you should” and that “indoor cooking is better – which is why that’s the main way you cook.”
The article was met with an onslaught of angry grillers who couldn’t understand why someone would want to “cancel” grilling. We’re starting to think that this guy is either really good at trolling or has been seriously jaded by charcoal grills in the past, but the fact of the matter is that Josh Barro is cooking on the wrong grill.
Gas and charcoal grills have always been the top dogs when it comes to grilling. Gas grills are a fan favorite because you can control the heat and charcoal because of the smoky flavor. However, the biggest buzz this year was about pellet grills. Pellet grills are the best of both worlds offering both full control of the temperature with added enhanced flavor from wood pellets. The pellet grill from Coyote Outdoor Living has next generation features that really revv up the grilling experience so it feels like you have transported your indoor kitchen outdoors.
Let’s break down Josh Barro’s top points and dispel the rumor that grilling is ‘bad’.
“Your grill is filthy”
Every time you grill, you’re putting your new food right on top of the burned old food from last time, so it crusts onto your new food. Ew.
You’re going to have to try harder than that to convince people that the rich, juicy flavor of last week’s burgers doesn’t make this week’s asparagus that much better. Think of it as you would the griddle tops at your favorite breakfast diner. The eggs of today would not be the same without the potatoes and bacon of 1970. In all seriousness, most people clean their grills after every use by scrubbing the hot grates with a brass-bristle brush. The laser cut grill grates on the Coyote Outdoor Living pellet grill can be cleaned with a brush and, once cool to the touch, can be scrubbed down with a mild detergent making it just as clean a surface as the pans in your kitchen. Our pellet grill takes more upkeep than your average gas or charcoal grills but maintaining it is extremely easy to do. If you’re worried about the “filth” of the grill, we can assure you that you won’t have that issue here.
“Your grill has poor temperature control”
…Grilling is more likely to lead to overcooking or undercooking your meat than cooking in the kitchen.
We’ll give him this one. Your traditional gas or charcoal grills really don’t compare to the indoor stove when it comes to temperature control. However, skilled grillers know that having a good temperature probe is key when it comes to cooking outside. Additionally, you can open dampers and adjust the vent as you go. We know for a fact that our pellet grills have excellent temperature control seeing as they were built with an intuitive digital touch control to literally bring the temperature up from 175 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit and everything in between. Most pellet grills don’t go beyond 500 degrees. We also use Smart Drop™ technology to increase fuel efficiency and burn an average of 1lb of pellets per hour of grilling making it easy to cook your food evenly. We also have three inputs for food probes so that you can actually read the internal temperature of the meat. If you’re under or overcooking meat outside on the pellet grill, you’re probably going to do the same in your kitchen.
“Grills have the heating element under the food, which is stupid”
Unlike skinless chicken, fatty meats can withstand the grill’s heat because the fat keeps them moist. But there’s a problem: Grease from the meat drips down into the heating element, causing flare-ups.
We understand how someone could run into major flare-ups during amateur hour, but real grill pros know how to deal with drippage. When grilling, it’s important to know these three rules:
- Keep the lid shut
- Move the meat
- Do not poke the meat
By keeping the lid shut, you cut off any oxygen from the fire causing the flame to die down. Moving the meat to a more indirectly heated spot can also help to avoid any additional dripping. Not only does poking and prodding meat cause the meat to dry out, it also seeps the juice directly into the flames. Don’t touch it. But while we’re on the topic, we should probably also mention that our pellet grill has two drip trays below to catch any juice that could potentially be an accident waiting to happen. Our pellet grill hood also has a gasket seal all the way around the lid to ensure we keep in the smoke and heat. And so you don’t completely lose the thrill of searing your food on direct, high heat like you might with gas, charcoal and even other pellet grills, we have an additional sear grate that you can put on your grill to ensure your food comes out exactly how you want it.
“You secretly agree with me about grilling”
You may talk a good game about how you like to grill, but where do you do most of your cooking? Almost surely in the kitchen, where cooking is easier and cleaner and produces more consistent results.
Apparently this guy’s never met a die-hard griller before who will grill their Christmas ham outside in 20 degree weather. Plus, those who live in warmer climates tend to grill a lot more than those who live in colder weather. However, one of the truly amazing things about our products is that they were designed to make your backyard feel like your indoor kitchen. Our pellet grill has interior lights so that you can continue to cook into the night, and we have three different levels for cooking just like your indoor stove. We give you options to smoke, grill, or sear from one place and you have full control over all settings. You could say that we took the heart of the home outside to the grill so we could ignite the fire inside us all.
So Josh, grilling’s not ‘bad’ – some grills are just built differently 💪. We’ll keep a pellet grill nice and hot for ya whenever you’re ready to admit you’re wrong.
