A look back at the year 2021

Phew! 2021 is over. If I had to sum up this year in 1 word, I would say that it is the year of "perseverance". It started "rough" and it ended "rough", but we kept our heads up and we charged into the challenges she sent us. I am really happy, because despite everything, we were able to grow our team and our community, so for that, I want to say a big thank you for being there. (Seriously, I had a blast doing "lives" under different themes and interacting with you about the content. That's my favorite thing of the year! :))

Now that 2021 is behind us, I would like to take a moment to look back on my discoveries of the year and the notable releases that took place. Because, yes, let's face it, 2021 was not an easy year for everyone, but there was some good that came out of it in the world of BBQ, so I think it's important to talk about it.

So here are, in my opinion, some highlights of the year:

Cast iron products: beautiful inventions

In 2021, I discovered cast iron grills and pans. I knew about them, but I didn't use them and now I've really become a "fan".

The special thing about cast iron is that it stores heat. There is a little learning to do because you have to know where to place the meat since the heat is more difficult to control, but cooking with cast iron is really a charm. It's like finding a little prehistoric side... (In the sense that, for example, stainless steel grills are smooth, they are worked, but cast iron grills are "rough" and they are raw.)

My advice: if you want to cook with cast iron grills, choose those made by a recognized manufacturer like Weber or Napoleon . To maintain them, you only have to clean them, scrub them, then put oil on them. "That's it", life is beautiful.

The improved All-in-1

We are constantly in "research and development" mode with the All-in-1 and we are always listening to our customers. With all the feedback we have received over the years and after using it over and over again, we have perfected it to our liking so that it is perfect.

It does all the same things as before, but better. So it was more popular than ever in 2021!

The Summit Kamado offered at a more affordable price

Last year, we weren’t the only ones listening to our community. Weber did the same for its Summit Kamado cart and cartless models by removing several features that people were less interested in.

By doing this, the Summit Kamado became much more accessible while still being just as effective. This allowed Weber to REALLY get into the Kamado Joe "game".

The release of Weber Connect

A great innovation came out in 2021: Weber Connect technology. This is crazy, because in the morning, you can start your connected Genesis to cook a pork shoulder, then make sure it's ready via your cell phone. You can't control your BBQ remotely because it's a gas BBQ, but you have access to the ambient temperature inside the appliance and the internal temperature of the meat via the app. It's very practical, because you can preheat your BBQ, then prepare the rest of your meal while waiting for the notification that your BBQ is at the right temperature. I think there are a lot of BBQs in the coming years that will become like this too. A technology to watch!

The BBQ Quebec ticket from Loto-Québec

It was a source of immense pride for me and our entire team that a state-owned company approached us to collaborate with us. We really had a lot of fun participating in this project: giving people the opportunity to win $1 million, it's not nothing!

The customers were also super happy to be able to support us, so everyone came out a winner from this experience. I would be happy to do it again. ;)

In addition to its novelties, I have also noticed some aspects that are becoming more and more important over the years:

Equip yourself well to extend the life of your BBQ

A trend that I notice more and more is that now, people are more inclined to invest in better BBQs and therefore, want to keep them longer. And because they want to pay more attention to their machines, they increase their maintenance frequency. So there are really good tools to consider and let's face it, in 2022, it's a "must" to be well equipped to clean!

The Napoleon Gas Grill Cleaning Tool Set was recently released and I think it's perfectly designed. With it, you can "fix" any issues your grill may have without scratching it. For example, the super stiff plastic scraper can strip metal surfaces and remove grease without breaking anything.

The fashion of “returning to the sources”

Another thing I've noticed lately is that people are relaxing more and getting back to basics. They want to play in the fire and do something instead of just letting it go on a gas or pellet grill where everything is done by itself. A lot of people are choosing an open concept grill, like an Argentinian grill , and just want to BBQ all day long. And that's really a growing interest for everyone, it's not just the wealthy who want to do that.

2021 was also a great year for BBQ Québec. We launched quite a few businesses…

Large format bags

We started the year by releasing large bags of our most popular dry rubs, the Montreal , Kansas and Argentina dry rubs . Over time, however, we realized that there was a lot of demand for us to make large bags for our other spices as well. Don't worry, eventually, we would like to release them all in large format. We just have to wait a little bit... :)

The new Discovery Format

Many people aren't familiar with some of our dry rubs, so we created a trio of flavors that go with everything. In fact, the three little jars in the set complement each other, because the Texas dry rub is perfect for pork and beef and the New Delhi is great for chicken, fish, vegetables and grilled cheeses. The Booster flavor enhancer enhances the flavor of anything, so no matter what you're cooking, you can do it all with this kit.

Two new types of charcoal

A few years ago, there was a shortage of charcoal. So we started testing a lot of different types to offer more variety to our customers and to be able to meet the demand. In 2021, we released two. “Oh yeaaah!”

So we chose to go with oak charcoal and guayacan charcoal (which we called exotic charcoal). Slightly different from sugar maple charcoal, oak charcoal is really very strong. It burns for a long time, it has a full-bodied aroma and an “American” flavor. You know me, I’m a Texan at heart: I love steak, “brisket”… all your cuts of beef will go great with this. ;)

Otherwise, guayacan charcoal gives food a taste that we are not used to, a little something different, exotic… It is a charcoal that is dense and burns for a long time. You can grill as well as slow cook with it.

Three rugs to protect your yard

I think our mats are "cool". We found a Quebec manufacturer and we came out with excellent quality rubber mats, with beautiful, understated designs that don't clash with concrete or wood. We made three models so that everyone can enjoy them: a round one for those who have a kettle, a rectangle for those who have a gas or pellet BBQ, and a "jumbo" rectangle for those who have a big BBQ. I'm happy, because we were able to save a lot of patios last year with that. :)

Ready-to-grill sausages in two flavors

We love developing new ready-to-grill products, so we decided to make our own sausages. We often added our dry marinades to original sausages, so we thought putting them directly inside would be better. ;)

Made in Quebec and made with Quebec pork, our sausages are available in two flavors in the same package. Some are seasoned with Argentina dry marinade and the others with Tex-Max dry marinade. Seriously, they are super fun to work with, you can add pieces of sausage to your pizzas or even take the meat out of the casings and create burger patties in the Stuffing Machine!

Sexy butcher paper

We worked for three years on the development of our butcher paper . And since there are now more and more smokers and people who trip on butcher paper, we allowed ourselves to release it last year.

What is butcher paper used for? It allows you to make the "Texas crutch", a famous technique in BBQ competitions. Basically, it is used to wrap meats while they are cooking with a little water, juice, beer or wine so that they are more tender and juicy in less time. It allows moisture to penetrate the meat and allows it to keep a nice crust.

Our paper is really beautiful. And let's be honest, when we have a BBQ we eat with our eyes first and we take pictures. So it's much better to use a really beautiful rustic and sexy paper with pictograms on it than a "mushy" aluminum foil. I'm saying the same thing here... ;)

Rachelle Béry's ready-to-grill meals

Personally, I am "tattooed" by Rachelle Béry. That's always where I go to do my grocery shopping because I can quickly choose what I want: everything is organic. And just like me, there are a lot of people who come in there because they are in a hurry. So offering them products that are already ready and that don't even need to be seasoned is a really good idea. It's not complicated, they just have to remove the packaging, put it on their BBQ and BOOM! It's ready!

Our salmon steaks and multiple types of shrimp were difficult to create because we had to adapt our dry marinades so that they wouldn't chemically "cook" the food, but in the end we are very proud of the result. (Between you and me, I ate a lot of salmon and shrimp to make this!! ;))

Vegeat Meatballs and Sausages

When the founder of Vegeat approached us to create plant-based and natural burger patties and sausages together, we thought, "Let's go, we're going to make everyone happy," so we went for it. Our goal was to create something that both a vegetarian and a meat-eating dad would find delicious and enjoy eating and... seriously, the taste is really there, so we're happy to have succeeded.

The “party” sauce: Nashville sauce

In the Tennessee area of ​​the United States, they are very strong on vinegar sauces and whiskey. We had been wanting to have a thinner sauce to go with our meats for a long time and after being in Nashville, Tennessee, we decided that's where we wanted to bring it.

Nashville is a very festive city where you feel good. We added Jack Daniel's (Tennessee whiskey) to our recipe and you really believe it when you take a bite! On pulled pork it's really great.

The “full sharp” lined shirt

When we create products, we always think about BBQ. So we made a shirt especially for that, which is just as practical in summer as in winter. No more big coat to go check on the cooking in the middle of January or the gigantic cotton fleece to sit by a fire in summer, this shirt takes like two seconds to put on and is super comfortable! (Seriously, this shirt is warm! It's my winter coat and I roll around in the snow with it, so don't worry about being cold with it! ;))

It really looks great and it suits both guys and girls. I'm glad to see that it's very popular and that many people are wearing it.

Oh well... we got out a lot of other stuff too, but I'll stop there, otherwise I could keep you for hours more. :P

But hey, enough about 2021! The present is now 2022 and I assure you that we are preparing lots of hot stuff for you to have even more fun this year!

My brother (JP) and I's number one goal this year is to bring back in-person classes and hold events with you. I can't tell you too much, but know that we're preparing a completely crazy concept that will merge virtual, in-person and events. It's going to be our biggest launch "EVER"!!!

Otherwise, this year, we hope to experience even more success in the other provinces of Canada and internationally with our House of BBQ Experts brand (don't worry, BBQ Québec is staying here!!) by growing the brand.

And you, what are your plans? Is there a product you would like to have soon?