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Christmas Guide 2018

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It’s that time of year.  That’s right it’s time to make all your Ho’s Merry and Bright or something like that.  Way more important than that though, is that it’s time for me to sit down and come up with a list of stuff that I really liked over the past year.  Yes, I know this is done under the auspices of being a “Christmas Gift Guide,” but if we are being honest this is just Shane’s favorite things that I would buy no matter the time of year.  

Once again before we get started as a full disclosure, I may not have paid for all of the products in this list, but I do pay full price for the vast majority.  You know my number one rule though, if I wouldn’t pay full price for the item or if I did not get a year’s worth of enjoyment from the product then it just doesn’t make the list.  Does that mean every item I include I’ve had for a year? No. It does mean though that I expect it fully to continue as a key part of my daily life and I rely on it extensively even though I may have only had it a short amount of time.   Secondary disclosure, I consult for Grilla Grills and have worked with many companies behind the scenes over the years and my thoughts, recommendations, and opinions are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of any company I work with or for in any capacity.

Now, let’s get started.  The items below are in no particular order.  They appear completely random in the list, so do not mistake order of appearance for value or preference on my part.


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I spent an insane amount of hours in my old orange 2013 Dodge Ram (still love this truck, can’t imagine life without it) this year traveling for Grilla Grills in support of the television show Bama-Q (now airing every Saturday on Destination America).  Each day when I set off early in the morning to drive the 5hrs to Alabama I made sure I had a couple of things. 1 – Coffee (see last years list for my favorite coffee, it still is by the way). 2 – Supplies for the Bama-Q teams.  3 – Most importantly, my Maui Jim  Lighthouse sunglasses. It is rare you will find me outside without my Maui Jim’s on. I love them so much I have had 4 different pairs (Breakwall, Ho’okipa, Lighthouse x2). I know right….I have a problem and the cure isn’t more cowbell sadly.  So why do I love these sunglasses over all the other brands?  Simple…they disappear. I don’t realize I am wearing them. They make everything just a bit sharper and cut through glare and haze better than any brand I have ever used. No, they aren’t cheap…but they are great.   The link above takes you to Amazon because that is one of the cheaper places I have found to buy them.  It also takes you to the exact pair I wear while driving. 


Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 9.27.32 AMMusic is such a crucial part of my creative process that I literally have dozens of little Bluetooth speakers around the house.  I even travel with a couple of them.  I just love to have music wherever it is that I am working on recipes or cooking.  Last spring I saw an Indiegogo campaign for what amounted to an Apple Air Pods competitor.  Given that I was already a fan of Mobvoi and their watch (see last years list recommendation, the watch is still going strong and I still really like it) I thought I would give the Tic Pods Free a chance.  Well, fast forward many delays and I finally got these around the middle of October.  At first, I was on the fence about them.  Then I started using them moving around more and more and it was then that I fell in love with them.  The sound quality is decent, but not amazing, but keep in mind I’m a Navy veteran who has lost about half his hearing lol.  The ability to skip tracks by tapping on them, turn the volume up or down by sliding a finger along them, the way they stay in my ears, how fast they pair up with my phone, all of these little things started adding up them being one of my favorite listening devices.  The case is small enough to hide in a pants pocket and it recharges these earbuds over and over and over.  All in all, I am really glad I backed the campaign for these and did not pay full price. The standard street price is $130 for these, but I have seen them on discount for $100 on Black Friday deals.  I hate to say that I think they are worth that kind of coin, but if you travel very much, HATE cords and just want stuff to work, I have to recommend these little jewels.


Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 9.41.40 AMLast year I recommended a square Lodge cast iron pan.  My love for cast iron has not waned over the past year if anything I have a new appreciation for what cast iron can truly be.  One night I was watching the TasteMade channel on Philo and I saw an advertisement for this crazy artisan crafted cast iron pan made by Smithey Ironware.  It was BEAUTIFUL first and foremost but what made me take a second look and then pay the penalty for ownership was that the inside of the pan and the sides had been polished smooth.  I was awestruck that someone would take the time to do this first off.  Next, I felt like I had been told a lie my entire life because I never even considered the possibility that cast iron could be SMOOTH!?!?!?  Well, there was no stopping me, I had to have this pan.  So I went all in and ordered the 12in and I LOVE that pan.  I don’t love the Lodge less, I just love the Smithey an order of magnitude more.  I plan on ordering a second one this year so I can pass on one to each of my boys.  This thing is just that nice and well built.  Yes, the 12in pan really is $200…I know…I know.  The good news is that if you order through Tastemade the have a first timers coupon that is good for 10% or 15% off if memory serves.  If you need more convincing check out the BBQ Beat podcast episode where Kevin sits down with Isaac Morton of Smithey Ironware.  It’s a great listen. 


I get asked almost daily about knives and I have spent the better part of this year beating the living crap out of just about every knife that Dalstrong makes.  You would think that having access to so many styles and different kinds of blades that one would get confused as to which is your favorite.  Believe it or not, I had the opposite experience.  I tried every knife and I loved everyone for a period of time and then would move on and try the next.  There were only three that I just kept coming back to over and over again.  They were the perfect balance for me of handle, edge retention, size, etc.  In essence, I found these to just be the best of breed for me.   This process also reiterated my stance that most people only really need 3-4 knives as they will use them for all the tasks they routinely perform.  So what are those 4 knife styles for those of you who are shopping for knives?  1 – an all-purpose chefs style knife.  2 – a boning or filet knife.  3 – a larger format slicing knife.  4 – this one is optional but I do love a really good paring knife. 

Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 9.57.29 AMSo let’s start with my overall favorite chef’s style knife.   I love this knife for its perfect size.  I find some chefs knives a little too big and gangly and not balanced.  The Dalstrong Omega Santoku just keeps me coming back time and time again.  It’s just perfect.  I love the kiritsuke shape it has and the point it comes to.  The 7in is perfect for me for chopping veg but just well rounded for all tasks.  Now, I know you guys are going to say “of course you love the Omega series it’s the most expensive.  It really isn’t about the blade finish and the things added for beauty, it’s more about how the balance is between the handle and the blade.  Now I will say that I still reach for the Shogun Kiritsuke 8.5in and really like it, but I’d like it more if it was about an inch shorter.  That knife comes in about $10 cheaper.  If you are looking for an even cheaper option still in that same design check out the Gladiator version.  It rings in at around $60 and is still a fantastic blade.

Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 10.11.28 AMNext on the knife list is a great boning knife.  I use a boning/filet knife mostly for trimming up briskets, but they are my go-to utility blade.  I will use them to debone chickens, turkey and of course fileting out fish.  I know, here I go again picking an Omega series knife.  I can’t help it, again it comes back to balance and just being that little bit better in my hand.  The Omega 6in Boning knife just works and I love it.  Before I got this knife I would have told you that my favorites were the Shogun 6in Filet or the Phantom 6.5in Filet.  I still really like both of those knives but I just prefer the point that Omega has and the super slender blade for getting up under that silver skin and helping me get the fat out from between the flat and the point of a brisket.  If you don’t want to pony up the cash for the Omega that shape on the Phantom is really nice to use and super quick in your hand.     

Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 10.17.49 AMMy favorite slicing knife really isn’t a slicing knife at all, it’s a breaking knife. What’s the difference?  The arch in the blade to me makes for a better knife to draw across things like brisket.  I have the both the Shogun 10in Breaking/Cimitar and the Shogun 12in Slicing knife, but I reach for that breaking knife more times than not.  For me, it’s just faster and delivers a better draw across the meat. Nevermind it just looks really cool and comes in usually about $10 cheaper than the slicer.  If you don’t have one of these knives, definitely check it out and give it a shot as you slicer I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you like it compared to traditional slicers.

Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 10.29.36 AMOk, last on my all time favorite knife list is the utility or paring knife.  Again, I don’t think everyone needs this one, but if you’ve gone far enough to pay good money for the other three you may as well get the best paring knife you can find.  That one for me is once again an Omega series knife.  It comes back to that handle shape feeling great in my hand and that point it has.  I just love this little knife.  The Omega 4in Paring knife is like a mini santoku / kiritsuke with that point it has.  That point is great for getting into tight places or puncturing packages of meat.  I will say though, I still have much love for the Shogun Birds Beak knife when it comes to peeling veg and reach for it often.  It is a bit cheaper than the Omega and is a knife you will use more than you think once you have it.  If you are looking for all out value though, for the same price as the Shogun you can have a 3 knife paring set with the Gladiator Paring Knife Set.  It’s a fantastic value for the money.     

Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 10.46.59 AMEvery year I recommend some books and this year is no different.  Each of these books really helped shape me this year and I think helped make me a better person and get me mentally ready for challenges like the World Food Championships.  I wish that everyone could or would read these books frankly because I think it would help us all be better to one another.  The first book is Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath.  We all know the Biblical story…or do we.  This book really breaks down some key things about what it really is to be an underdog and how what looks to be our massive strengths are often our biggest weaknesses.  It’s a pretty quick and easy read and I think its great for Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 10.49.41 AMany age to read but especially those in the business world.  The next book was very responsible for me taking first place in the opening round of sandwich at World Food.  I think more people should own this book and it was recommended to me by Chef Sean Vodden.  It really helped me think about the balance of flavors and find the puzzle pieces to balance out the dishes I created there.  The Flavor Bible should be on the shelf of any good cook who is looking to become great.  It will open your eyes to new flavor combinations and expand your horizons.  Book number three on my list is by Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 11.38.22 AMJordan Peterson.  I came across Dr. Peterson’s work a little over a year ago when I started listening to his podcasts.  This explanation from his point of view of the Bible was profound, to say the least.  He has taken all of these teachings and compiled them in 12 Rules For Life An Antidote to Chaos.   This is a great book that really delves into discipline, freedom, responsibility and how we can better set our footing to deal with the chaotic world we live in.   Dr. Peterson does not pull punches, he’s very direct and forthright in telling it how it is and what we need to do to bring order in chaos.  I honestly wish that more high school and universities covered these topics and better prepared our young people for the Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 11.51.45 AMreal world that they find themselves in.  I believe this so much that I am requiring my 16yr old to read this book.  More need to understand the responsibility we have on in this world and how we affect others.  The last book I will recommend is The Dichotomy of Leadership and dovetails nicely with 12 Rules as it is all about leadership and finding a balance between leading and following.  How to decide when its best to move aggressively or sit back and let things develop before making a decision.  If you have not already read Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin that I recommended last year, read that one first, but come back to this one.  I love this book because everyone assumes being a leader is about being hard and unwavering, but the reality is the best leaders are servant leaders.  People who understand humility, caring for those they lead and putting the good of the team ahead of themselves end up being the best leaders.  The world needs a bit more of that right now. 


Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 11.57.01 AMWhat would Christmas be with getting socks?  Ok, stick with me, I promise these are socks you are going to actually want.  I found these last year and if I’m wearing actual shoes and not sandals you can bet these are on my feet.  I’ve tried several types of the Darn Tough but I find the ones listed as having “light cushion” are just about the perfect balance of being warm when it’s cold and cooling you off when its hot outside.  They are super supportive and get this, they are guaranteed for life.  I’ve had mine for just about a year now and they still look and feel absolutely brand new.  Again, they are spendy, but they are like a constant hug for your feet.


IMG_20180812_214112I don’t usually just blatantly recommend a band or tickets to a show since I know my music tastes may not jive with all of my followers.  That said just stop what you are doing and go find tickets to the closest show for Big Head Todd and the Monsters.  If you have ever wondered what is on Pitmaster Shane D’s Spotify or playlist, its pretty much BHTMs whole catalog.  Some of my all-time favorite tracks include Tower, their cover of the Rolling Stones Beast of Burden, I Get Smooth, Black Beehive which was written about Amy Winehouse, Wipeout Turn, Long Coal Train, These Days Without You, and If You Cant Slow Down.  My wife and I finally got to see them live this summer for our anniversary and it was amazing.  We got to see them on a beautiful night in an amphitheater just outside of St. Louis.  It was one of my favorite concerts that I have been to.  The shot used here I took with my phone, yes we were that close to the stage.  It was a great night and I love that I got to experience it with the girl I love on our anniversary.


Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 1.27.12 PMLast but not least.  I am going to get on a soapbox a little bit.  Those of us in the competition world all but have to compete with wagyu briskets any more.  One company, in particular, has become the defacto supplier of this product.  For a long time, I have been less than overly satisfied with the pricing versus the product I’ve been getting.  Based on that I started looking for another supplier.  I was lucky to get to work with The Butcher Shoppe in Pensacola, Florida earlier this summer.  This one interaction changed my interpretation of what a relationship with a meat supplier should be.  Kevin Green and his son Jordan go so far above and beyond for their customers and hand picking meat for each shipment that it is nearly insane.  Dare I say it is as close to Grilla Grills level customer service as I have seen.  It is not uncommon to get a picture of the actual meat you are trying to buy from Kevin or Jordan as they go through the hand selection process.  Add to that, the briskets are A9 wagyu and they carry everything down to choice.  Their briskets are already mostly trimmed of fat and you the customer are not paying for pounds of product that you are going to trim off and throw away.   Think about that, they are pretrimmed so you aren’t paying $10+ a pound for trash that has to be shipped to you.  If you want to get the most premium product available you owe it to yourself to give them a call.


Screen Shot 2018-11-28 at 11.41.33 AMThe last item I will add is a pet project of mine.  I’ve been asked to do some shirts with the Pitmaster Shane D logo on them.  I did one back in the summer and just released the 2nd in the series.  I don’t keep these in stock and I only run them on limited runs at this time.  The current shirt is the PitmasterAF shirt.  Yes, it’s a little brash, but it’s all in fun.  Orders will be open until December 19th when the shirts start shipping.  So don’t wait around on this one with the idea that it will be available later.  I don’t know that I will run this design again.  This shirt is available in 3 different styles with several colors in each style.  I, of course, appreciate your orders and can’t wait to see these out in the wild.


As Forrest Gump once said, “that is all I have to say about that.”  It has been a big year for me personally and looks to be just as big heading into next year.  Hopefully, you will get to see my smiling chubby face on tv more and more as a few projects that I continue to work on start to surface.  I do want to take a minute though and recommend one thing to all of you out there that has really made a difference for me the past few years.  Find yourself a cooking mentor.  Someone you be frank and honest with and who will do the same with you.  Someone who won’t completely laugh at your half thought out ideas, but also won’t cut you any slack when they know you aren’t bringing your best to the table.  I know for me being able to consult with guys like Sean Vodden, Ben Wilson, Chris Grove, and Dylan Lipe just to name a few has been the difference in my success.  I have a lot of people in my corner and I am grateful for those relationships every single day.  Let me be clear, that just because you want someone to be your mentor doesn’t mean they have the time.  Equally true is that many times someone you consider a mentor might consider you one as well.  When you start standing on the shoulders of giants you start to realize that it’s a tribe that stands just outside the view of the audience that actually is keeping the giants upright and unswaying in the storm.  Don’t be afraid to be apart of the tribe.  Don’t be afraid to be the giant.  Don’t be afraid to show the world that they should probably know your name and the names of those closest to you.

Thanks for reading and following along with this journey that has become Pitmaster Shane D.  God bless and best wishes to you and yours.

Shane

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 


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