Thanks to the professionals at Weber for these great tips for getting your grills ready for some action this summer!A little time is all it takes to get your grill running and looking like new after the long winter. Here are our tips for charcoal, gas and Summit Charcoal grills. Happy Cleaning!  CHARCOAL SEASON TO SEASON TIPS 1. When the grill is cool, brush or scrape off built-up carbon on the underside of the lid. 2.  Brush the cooking and charcoal grates to remove the leftover debris from your last grilling session.3. Use a scraper to chip away any hard-to-remove debris on the inside of the bowl. Use the One-Touch Cleaning System™ to push ashes and debris into the ash catcher.4. Make sure to empty the ash catcher - ashes left sitting in the ash catcher can promote corrosion. 5. Use our exterior grill cleaner to clean the outside lid and side tables of your grill. GAS GRILL SEASON TO SEASON TIPS 1. When the grill is cool, brush or scrape off built-up carbon on the underside of the lid. Then, brush the cooking grates to remove leftover debris from your last grilling session. 2. Brush or scrape the Flavorizer Bars® and Heat Deflectors (if equipped) until they are free of debris. 3. Using a clean brush, clear the burner tube ports of rust and debris by brushing across them, not down the length of the burner. If ports are extruded, use care when brushing around the ignition electrode to avoid damage. 4. Use a scraper to chip away any built-up debris along the sides and bottom of the cookbox. Push all the debris into the slide-out grease tray. 5. Scrape any debris in the slide-out grease tray into the drip pan. Replace the drip pan after wiping out the catch pan. 6. Be sure to inspect all hoses for cracks or abrasions, and leak check all gas connections, including LP tanks, using a soapy water solution. To leak check, dab a mixture of dish soap and water on all connections. With the control knobs off, turn on the gas. If bubbles form, there is a leak. DO NOT USE THE GRILL! Please call our customer service team for assistance: 800-446-1071. 7. Use our exterior grill cleaner to clean the outside lid and side tables of your grill. SUMMIT CHARCOAL GRILL SEASON TO SEASON TIPS 1. When the grill is cool, brush or scrape off built-up carbon on the underside of the lid. 2.  Brush the cooking, charcoal grates and diffuser plate to remove the leftover debris from your last grilling session.  3. Using a clean brush, clear the burner tube ports of rust and debris by brushing across them, not down the length of the burner. 4. Use a scraper to chip away any hard-to-remove debris on the inside of the bowl. Use the One-Touch Cleaning System™ to push ashes and debris into the ash catcher.  5. Make sure to empty the ash catcher - ashes left sitting in the ash catcher can promote corrosion. 6. Use our exterior grill cleaner to clean the outside lid and use our stainless steel cleaner on the side table of your grill.

"Off-grid" simply means there is no conventional electric supply, such as:  Areas where it is too expensive to bring in hydro Isolated or difficult-to-access areas like islands, remote lakes and camps Application where people still need refrigeration, the ability to cook and the need to use freezers for longer stays OFF-GRID LIVING NEVER SOUNDED (OR FELT) SO GOOD Ensure peace and quiet AND peace of mind. The silent and dependable technology of Unique's portables, fridges, freezers, stoves and cooktops allows you to enjoy the subtle sound-scapes of your off-grid experience, without the never-ending noise and smell of a gas-powered engine. Plus, Unique's appliances use much less fuel/energy than generators, making them a healthier choice for the planet. "Personal service and knowledge make us Unique."

Whether it be that your outdoor furniture has rusted, split, chipped or just fallen apart there’s no better time to upgrade your outdoor space. Consider the following as 5 signs that it may be time to invest in something new (and dare I say made of recycled plastics) for your outdoor space.

We will be closed this coming Saturday for a Staff Appreciation Day!Don't worry though, we will be back to our regular hours on Monday :) We will miss you! 

July 6th from 10am - 4pm Come visit us Saturday, July 6th as we have the Demo Crew from Traeger Canada here for a Demo Event.  Traeger's Demo Crew will have an Ironwood and D2 Pro series grill set up to show you the functionality of these fabulous units. If you have been on the fence, have questions or are curious on how Traeger Pellet grills work - come see yourself and be inspired! 

There isn’t a simple rule of thumb on how often to clean your chimney, such as cleaning after 50 uses or one year. The problem is, creosote can form when wood is burned incompletely. In addition, organic, flammable debris can enter the chimney, brought by the elements or by animals. Wind can deposit leaves and twigs in chimneys lacking flue caps. Birds and vermin can nest in chimneys or otherwise bring unwanted materials. A smoky fire without enough oxygen emits lots of unburned tar vapors that can condense inside the fireplace flue and stick to it, possibly leading to a chimney fire. You can reduce creosote buildup in your fireplace flue by providing adequate combustion air, which will encourage a hot, clean-burning fire. Chimney fires begin with snaps and pops as loud as gunshots, progressing to a deep, rumbling sound. Oily, black, flaming creosote rains down into the firebox. When the fire starts, it starts like an explosion. Flames blast out of the top of the chimney and back down into the firebox. Due to thermal expansion, the flue may crack at some unreachable mid-point and shoot flames into the walls from the inside. Chimney fires typically cannot be controlled by the homeowner. Since firefighters have to shoot water from the top downward, the house suffers damage from flooding. In many cases, the entire house is lost. Chimneys should be cleaned no later than the early fall, prior to fire burning season. If you choose to hire a chimney sweep, you can expect a quick turnaround if you have them come earlier, ideally in the late spring or summer. For self-cleaning, late summer is the best time, since you can count on a dry, safe roof and mild conditions.  In addition to scheduled chimney cleanings, you should clean when any of these conditions are present:  Soot and creosote tend to fall into the firebox during a fire Honeycomb textured creosote builds up on the inside of the chimney Creosote is more than 1/4-inch thick You burn a lot of artificial logs You are a heavy fireplace user You burn green or otherwise unseasoned firewood   How to Check for Creosote To check for creosote, shine the light near the top of the firebox, in the smoke chamber and around the damper. And check the fireplace flue, too, especially on exterior chimneys, where creosote builds faster than on interior chimneys because of lower outside temperatures. The easiest creosote to remove is the feather-light dull gray, brown or black soot. The next form is a black granular accumulation, removed fairly easily with a stiff chimney brush. The third type of creosote is a road tar-like coating that is much harder to remove even with stiff chimney brushes, scrapers or power rotary whips. The final (and most deadly) is a shiny, glaze-like coating on the fireplace flue that is virtually impossible to remove. In case you didn't know, we have a highly qualified chimney sweep on staff at Sunpoke! Darren does a very professional and detailed cleaning. He is also WETT Certified, so is able to do Inspections at the same time. 

Check out Dizzy Pig's great tips for a Successful Backyard Barbecue!  Cooking for 20 or more people can be a challenge, and it can easily turn into a stressful undertaking if things don’t go smoothly. With proper planning, you can actually pull off a highly successful barbecue party while maintaining your zen, and make people happy in the process! Here are some BBQ party DOs and DON’Ts to follow without losing your mind… or friends. DO choose dishes that have minimal prep time. For example, cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped jalepeño poppers are delicious, but the preparation takes a lot more time than you may think for a large group. Consider sausage, bacon-wrapped tater tots, or something that doesn’t take a ton of prep. DO barbecue large cuts of meat for big groups. Brisket, whole pork shoulder, beef shoulder clod, or beef chuck rolls can exceed 20 pounds, and make a lot of folks happy without too much work, or breaking the bank.   See our recipe for Competition Pork Butt DO figure out how much BBQ meat you need. We cook for big groups often, and our general rule is to allow 1/3 pound of finished meat per person. Plan on a 40% loss of weight to the cooking process, which means you will have 60% left of what you started with. If you start with 20 pounds of pork shoulder, you will end up with approximately 12 pounds of finished meat (20  x .60 = 12) to serve up to 36 people. DO as much preparation ahead of time as you can. For very large groups where multiple batches are needed, consider cooking your big BBQ meats in advance. When they are done cooking, pull or slice the meat, vacuum seal in bags, and refrigerate or freeze until needed. To reheat, drop bags in a cooler full of boiling hot water until they are steaming hot. Then cut bags open and serve. Huge time saver on party day. DO set up a hot dog bar with a variety of toppings, buns, and a plate full of grilled hot dogs. Hot dogs are so much easier to grill (and much less smoky) than hamburgers – and most people love them, especially kids. DO get your guests to bring side dishes, even if it is just a few people that volunteer. Your guests might have a great dish up their sleeve that they are eager to share. DON’T try to impress people by cooking elaborate dishes. Simple dishes cooked perfectly will preserve your sanity and allow you to relax and enjoy YOUR party. A quick coating of Dizzy Pig seasonings on your food, lovingly cooked over your choice of heat, is really all you need to create wonderful bites of flavor to satisfy even the pickiest palate. Our Little Black Recipe Book has many recipes to jump start your menu planning. DON’T come up short on fuel for your cooker. Make sure you have enough charcoal or gas for your entire cook. DON’T buy too many buns. Not everyone uses a bun, and not everyone can eat bread. DON’T wait until the last minute to get all of your serving dishes/utensils together, and any sauces you will be serving ready in squeeze bottles. It’s summertime and the living is easy. The next time you hang out with family or a big crowd, make your BBQ a stress-free and fun backyard bash.

SMOKED BUTTERY SHRIMP INGREDIENTS 15 large shrimp 1/2 Cup (aka- 1 stick) butter 1 clove garlic, minced 2 sticks Rosemary 1 Tablespoon Q-Nami Rub 1/4 lemon, squeezed DIRECTIONS Rinse shrimp, devein, de-shell as needed Apply Q-Nami In a bowl, melt one stick of butter. Once melted, add minced garlic Grab an 8x8 foil pan, place shrimp in three rows  Pour butter and garlic mix onto shrimp. Squeeze 1/4 of a lemon into pan and place the two sticks of rosemary in between the three rows of shrimp  Get smoker up to 275F with pecan wood. Once ready, place pan in grill over indirect heat for 20-25 minutes. Shrimp will turn an orangish color when finished. Note: The prime internal temp for shrimp to be done is 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It will have a firm bite and will be orange. Going too much over that temp can turn them rubbery to the bite. This recipe was adapted from Learning to Smoke. You can see the original version of the recipe here.