I have always approached the wood burning grill business as a restaurateur, not an equipment manufacturer. Most existing popular grills still continue to be constructed along the designs I developed in the 80’s. They all do a great job on the product, but at what price? As a restaurant owner, the negatives for me were the same as for all operators. I accepted the high operating costs: time consuming training, high heat kitchen environment, and high maintenance costs, annual firebrick replacement, and greater wood usage for the initial fire start up each day, in exchange for the superior hickory or mesquite wood-grilled menu items preferred by customers.
Just as it was the case in the early 80’s when I designed the Aztec grill, my objective in building a new grill started with ideas for my own use. As it evolved, and we saw it was a significantly better grill, we decided to patent the innovations and market the grill as the TUFF GRILL.
Based on my years of research and “trial by error,” here are some of the design features to look for in a wood-burning grill.
Top Features to look for in a wood-burning grill:
1) A simple gas log lighter that fires safely every day.
It saves a lot of wood on the start-up fire, and the start-up only takes thirty minutes. In addition, cooks don’t over load the grill because they know they can hit the timer switch for a couple of minutes if they let the fire get too low. Training is also significantly reduced.
2) Air-cooled jacket and door.
The outer grill surface and door remain cool and do not generate an excessively hot work area at the grill. It is also more durable because it eliminates heat stress cracking and warping.
3) No Firebricks.
Look for grills without the old style firebrick liners as these hold the heat and radiate the grill heat into the kitchen work area affecting nearby refrigeration units and creating discomfort for employees. In addition, this material tends to break down and needs to replace periodically. Not replacing firebricks lead to dangerous conditions with nearby gas lines, cords, and other equipment operations. Better heat retention designs can eliminate the need for pizza oven firebrick.
The TUFF GRILL meets all of these design features, improving the grilling process for chefs and reducing costs for restaurant owners. If you are interested in our grills check out our complete product line.
