Barbecue season is officially open, and the question on the table is whether convenience has taken the soul out of lighting one up.

The team is at a crossroads on this. One host has switched from natural gas to a wood pellet grill and discovered that a Wi-Fi attachment can control temperature from the couch without stepping outside. The food comes out basically perfect every time. That, it turns out, is exactly the part that bothers everyone at the table.

The counterargument is the lighter fluid can, the briquettes, the smell, the sound of the squeeze bottle. A generation of people grew up with that ritual. The charcoal barbecue taught you something about patience and the cost of not paying attention. The Wi-Fi version does not have that lesson built in.

Topics: barbecue, wood pellet grill, long weekend BBQ, charcoal briquettes, cabin season

Originally aired on 2026-05-14

Pellet smoker season is here, and whether you're new to the grill or years in, there are fundamentals most people skip. Ted Reader has been cooking over live fire his whole life. He's got the tips that change everything.

The smoke mistake almost everyone makes: too much wood, too long. Reader says all your flavour penetration happens in the first 45 minutes. After that, you're just making it bitter. One good piece of wood to start is enough. Fruit woods, hardwoods, and nutwoods work. Birch does not.

The other two tips land on health and accuracy. A clean grill is a hotter grill, Reader says, and cleaning it right after cooking while it's still warm is the move. A thermometer is non-negotiable: 160 for burgers, 195 to 203 for brisket.

Topics: pellet smoker tips, BBQ grilling tips, barbecue wood selection, grill thermometer, Ted Reader

GUEST: Ted Reader | http://tedreader.com | @‌godfatherofthegrill

Originally aired on 2026-05-14

Dunkin' Donuts expanding into Canada is not just a brand story. It is a bet that Tim Hortons is more vulnerable than it looks.

Tim Hortons has been slowing financially and leaning on celebrity marketing at exactly the moment consumers are walking away from the $20 fast food burger in favour of fast casual dining and proper sit-down meals. That is the opening Dunkin' is walking through, and the analyst who tracks this space says the Tim Hortons empire is under real threat from this new arrival.

Shake Shack launched a GLP-1 menu about six months ago as customers were already drifting from the brand. Whole chicken is up 39 percent year over year. Beef is climbing too. Any restaurant whose identity is built around meat has very few places to hide right now.

Topics: Dunkin' Donuts Tim Hortons, fast food Canada, Shake Shack, GLP-1 restaurant trends, chicken prices Canada

GUEST: Dr. Sylvain Charlebois | @‌foodprofessor

Originally aired on 2026-05-14