The RainyDayKitchen's FirstGrill event over the weekend was just amazing.  All the grills performed well.  Both the Kobe beef from Morgan Ranch and the sausages from the Buffalo Guys were a huge hit. 

The grills were arranged in a triangle so we could compare them.  Both the Weber and the Coleman had wheels for easy rolling.  The Thermos was light and easily carried, although once the legs were extended, it was more awkward to move around.

The guests at the RainyDayKitchen's FirstGrill of The Season event had a chance to sample some new sausage offerings from the Buffalo Guys and some American Kobe beef from Morgan Ranch.

We got the following Kobe cuts from Morgan Ranch: 14 oz. ribeye/delmonico steaks, 8 oz. sirloin filets, tri-tip sirloins, kabobs, and ground.  The kabobs were marinated overnight in teriyaki sauces.  We mixed in some red and white onions to half of the the grounded Kobe.  For everything else, we left well enough alone.

We were told the key to cooking the Kobe beef was to: let the meat warm up to room temperature before cooking, cook on high heat to get the grill marks, and serve medium rare. 

Jay was in charged of the charcoal grill and the cooking of the Kobe steaks.  The guests were encouraged to cook their own Kobe burgers and Buffalo sausages on a either of the gas grills.

Most of the guests who tried grilling their own hambergers and sausages did not have a preference for a specific grill.  Some liked the look of the Colemen better.  Some liked the closed griddle surface of the Thermos more.  A few guests did comment that the Thermos' grease draining depended on the proper leveling of the grill...the rear needed to be level or higher, with a slight tilt toward the left.  Both grills would have been even better if they had a slightly higher edge on the back to keep the burger from going off the edge when using the spatula.

We followed the instructions for cooking the Kobe beef and the results were SPECTACULAR!!!  Everyone was totally blown away by the taste.  Even Steve (a vegetarian) broke from his diet for the day and joined in the feast!

The Buffalo Guys' sausages (Polish,Bratwurst, Andouille, and Hot Dog) went over equally well.  Andouille was the crowd's favorite, followed closely by the Polish.  There were NO leftovers.

All the guests had a chance to try their hands on the various grills...as well as some of the other new gear (i-Roast2, EspressoPRO, fitness scales, etc...) in the RainyDayKitchen. 

The weather cooperated for the most part.  There was a brief but violent thunderstorm complete with hail that swept through when we were all inside eating.  The wind pulled the tent out of the ground and sent it sailing.  Luckily, all of the grills escaped without any damage.

Some of the staff and guests were determined not to leave until all the food was gone.  We have decided to make that the "house rule" for all future RainyDayMagazine events ;-)

The RainyDayKitchen staff hosted the First Grill of the Season event on May 21st.  The guests got some first-hand exposure to some new and interesting Summer grilling gear.  We have grills from the following vendors:

1. Coleman RoadTrip Grill LXE
2. Thermos Grill2Go
3. Weber OneTouch

These events are also a good chance to try out some new products such as the All-Clad Stainless Steel Wok, the Waterless Cooking System, and the Epicurean wine/champagne preserver.

Some may remember we got in a few fitness scales because we wanted to see if they would be useful in helping us get into Summer Shape.  Some of us have been weighing ourselves everyday.  Others have walked past the scales as if they were radioactive.

We put them out at the FirstGrill event, and surprisingly quite a few of our guests were willing to try them.

FirstGrill Summary :

1. FirstGrill Prep

2. Assembling the Coleman

3. Assembling the Thermos

4. FirstGrill Event

5. FirstGrill - The Movie

A freak thunderstorm zipped through with huge gusts of wind and even some hail.  Somebody noticed the tent outside had been pulled out of the ground by the wind and had started to take flight!  It all added an extra bit of thrill to the event...as if the food and the the grilling weren't exciting enough. 

We caught a little bit of the storm after we got the cover of the tent off the frame.