It’s a Smokeshow Out There

With Covid 19 raging through the world and slowing down the pace of life, we are seeing a surprising increase of barbecue related posts flooding social media.  I too have jumped on that wagon, however my love for the BBQ world started a while back.

I’ve been a Traeger owner for over 6 years now and it has upped my taste buds and culinary skills to the next level.  I’ve been in some local competitions and have even gotten a perfect score front the Kansas City Barbeque Society for my dessert (molten chocolate lava cake with smoked caramel and fresh pralines) all made on the Traeger.

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A little while back, we posted a picture with a practice run of our chocolate dessert for the upcoming @capitalbbqfest. @jocelynnwheeler pioneered this recipe, and together we built the best dessert of the weekend. . This chocolate lava cake cooked exclusively on @traegergrills earned us top spot in the category – and more importantly a perfect score of 180. . Turns out we were right. We have a winner! Congrats to @whiskeyncleavers for a delicious looking 2nd place Nutella Cheescake box. . @traegergrills @traegergrillscanada #traegernation #traegergrills #traeger #traegernorth #bbq #dessert #Ottawa #kcbs #chocolate #chocolatecake #lava #forkyeah #certifiedgrilllover #traegerpro #mytraeger #teamtraeger #foodie #foodiegram #foodphoto

A post shared by Drew (@bbqwithdrew) on Aug 7, 2017 at 9:10pm PDT

Set it and forget it

With many different methods to smoke or barbecue, I chose a pellet grill. What can I say, it’s the “crockpot” or “easybake” of smokers. Most newer models of pellets grills, Traegers especially are now equipped with Bluetooth and wireless connectivity. This allows you to monitor and even change the temperature from just about anywhere using the app.

https://www.traegergrills.ca/app.html

Why cook with wood you ask?

One of my favorite benefits from cooking with wood is that it’s natural and free from chemicals. Oak, hickory, maple, mesquite, pecan, apple, alder and cherry are some of the most popular types of hardwood used in cooking. The different types will release a variety of aromas in turn, slightly altering the flavor of your meats and other foods. Cooking with wood also allows an acidic coating to build around the desired meat creating a crust that holds all the natural juices in. All I can say is that you’ ll never eat dry meat when using wood as your primary heat source.

https://louisiana-grills.com/beyond-the-grill/7-premium-benefits-of-smoking-meat

It’s fun!!

Who doesn’t like a good excuse to invite over a small group, plan a menu and spend the day outside breathing in the yummy scent of smoking meats? It’s the simple joy of a classic summer barbecue that in times of isolation we crave so badly. With social distancing in full effect, why not take advantage of the time we have and use your outdoor space to it’s fullest. Dust off the cornhole boards and get outside.

Photo by Anna Guerrero on Pexels.com

So if you are on the fence of what grill or smoker to buy, do your research and find what style suits you best.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/barbecue-smokers-by-type-and-function-336210

Happy grilling.

Is it Fakebook or Facebook?

We all have those “friends” on Facebook. You know, the ones who portray the perfect little life with their perfect little family. Or maybe, its the ones who feel the need to share every healthy meal and workout they’ve done today. All too often we shake our heads in disbelief, knowing they are unhappy in their marriage, can’t stand their misbehaved children or “fell off” the wagon and eat nothing but junk every weekend. Either way, it seems like the greater part of society and Facebook users only want to share the “good side” of their life. They stretch the truth to somehow make them look better to their friends and followers to in turn make them feel better I guess.

With over 2.6 billion users, Facebook is still one of the most popular platforms of social media but does it still have the same organic purpose as mentioned below? That is the real question.

Our full mission statement is: give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. That reflects that we can’t do this ourselves, but only by empowering people to build communities and bring people together.

Today at the Facebook Communities Summit we changed our mission to focus on bringing the world closer together. I've…

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, June 22, 2017

I’m sure I am not alone when i say, the falseness of society has me questioning the integrity of humans as a whole. Unfortunately, our ability to continue to interact in this fashion is terrifying for our future generations. You may have 1000 friends from your couch, but who can you call if you are in a pickle.

Whether you are just hopping onto Facebook to waste some time or find yourself scrolling for hours, many experience some deep negative feelings. They start to compare their lives to the lives of others, creating jealousy and envy just to start. That’s not to mention cyber bullying, FOMO (the fear of missing out) and what is being called Facebook depression.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/30/a-run-down-of-social-medias-effects-on-our-mental-health/#4ad740a12e5a

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-social-media-is-ruining-relationships#1

Contrary to the current Facebook mission statement, not only is it NOT bringing people together but destroying human contact and communication at a fast rate. Bottom line, if you are looking to lighten your soul, watch some puppy videos and avoid the blue and white face staring you down from your phone.