The first day of Spring gets the outdoor griller’s heart all pumped up. Many of us are “year-rounders” but it is nice to have warmer temperatures. The Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association has released their annual State of the Barbeque Industry Report which you can read below.
I also thought I’d point you to a company I recently became familiar with that makes barbeque accessories. Raggitty Ass Redneck Equipment make some great quality stuff you won’t find anywhere else. Here’s an interesting story about them that involves ZimmComm client, Southeast AgNet. RARE doesn’t have a website and so, thinking creatively, Southeast AgNet’s Gary Cooper just did an extended post on his website for them and voila, they have a website. Granted it’s just a page for now but I think it shows one way you can creatively use the tools we now have in this new media world.
State of the Barbecue Industry Report
The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) has conducted the HPBA Barbecue
Lifestyle, Usage & Attitude Study* on a biennial basis since 1983. The following is
select information from that study for the State of the Barbecue Industry Report.
A Sizzling Industry
• More than 16.7 million grills and smokers were shipped in 2008, marking an 18
percent increase since 2003.
• Nine out of 10 (95 percent) grill owners used their grill in the past year, an
increase of 4 percent over 2003.
• Nearly eight out of 10 (77 percent) households own an outdoor barbecue grill or
smoker, a 5 percent increase from 2003.
• Sixty-eight percent of households own a gas grill, followed by charcoal (37
percent) and electric (2 percent).
• LP gas grills continue to be the most widely owned type of grill, with 94 percent of
all gas grill owners owning an LP gas grill.
Grill Usage
• The majority of grill owners use their grills year-round (58 percent), and 45
percent use their grills one to two times per week during the peak grilling season
(May through September).
• Traditional summer holidays top the list of the most popular grilling holidays: the
Fourth of July (69 percent), Memorial Day (56 percent) and Labor Day (50
percent).
• Nearly half (43 percent) of grill owners see their outdoor grilling area as a
functional cooking area of their home, while a third see it as a place to rest and
relax.
• Forty percent of consumers have a large moveable grill system on a modest
patio/deck, with some outdoor furniture and an informal place to eat.
• Consumers say an easy ignition system (72 percent) and large grilling surface
(55 percent) are the most important features of a gas grill, followed by durability
(52 percent), ease of cleaning (47 percent) and safety (42 percent).
• Multipurpose utensils such as long-handled tongs (80 percent) and forks (64
percent) are the most popular utensils used by gas grill owners, followed by a
grill-cleaning brush (74 percent) and long-handled spatula (58 percent).
• Among charcoal grill owners, the most popular utensils are long-handled tongs
(77 percent), forks (64 percent), grill-cleaning brushes (63 percent) and long-
handled spatulas (59 percent).
Tasty Trends
• Meats, including burgers (82 percent), steak (79 percent), chicken parts (72
percent) and hot dogs (71 percent), top the list of the most popular foods
prepared using a grill.
• Charcoal grill owners are most often prompted to cook on their charcoal grills by
their desire to eat good-tasting food (77 percent).
• Four in 10 consumers who cook on a charcoal grill (39 percent) normally use
barbecue sauce to add flavor to their dishes. Most popular flavors include hickory
(65 percent), mesquite (49 percent) and honey (49 percent).
• When charcoal grilling, over half of consumers (56 percent) use marinades.
• Dry meat rubs are popular among consumers. In fact, dry rub usage has
increased among gas grill owners to 59 percent in 2007, from 21 percent in 2003.
Household Roles
• The male head (52 percent) normally makes the decision to cook, lights (65
percent) and cooks (59 percent) on the charcoal/wood grills.
• When entertaining and cooking outside, the male head normally cooks on a grill:
specifically, 67 percent on a gas, 62 percent on a charcoal and 56 percent on an
electric grill.
• Whether male or female, the primary grillers in the majority of households
considers themselves to be average or above in terms of cooking skills.