Inside Ferno Grills, and the firewheel that’s changing it all. (AKA: Don’t f*ck up your food anymore.)
Since the gas grill was invented, very little has changed. There’s the tank, the grilling surface, the body of the beast. Some have fancy side burners or rotisserie attachments that are the grill’s version of the home treadmill (you know, that thing you never use). But, they’re essentially all the same: you turn it on, you pick your temperature, and you hope for the best; most of us enduring a stage fright-like performance anxiety when cooking for a crowd, hovering over our grill to make sure we don’t serve them the burnt-to-a-crisp version of what we’d intended.
For those who know what a high quality range, an exceptional set of pots and pans, or an amazing knife can bring to the table (quite literally), it is ironic that we often sacrifice some of our best foodstuffs while grilling on a traditional gas grill. Why is this? Quality shouldn’t stop at the kitchen door. Enter Ferno Grills.
For the last few years, the idea that there must be a better way to BBQ simmered within filmmaker Peck Euwer. A grill is an essential cooking tool – but it had to be better. Peck’s wheels began to turn when he saw his neighbor’s ancient charcoal grill that had an adjustable firebed. And thus the firewheel, and Ferno Grills, was born. It’s brilliant. It’s a game-changing, “WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?!” idea. Entertaining should be fun. Food should be good. Food should not be burned. There’s an inherent lack of control with a traditional gas grill: you must always be watching, flipping, moving your food around from hot spot to slightly less hot spot. Ferno solves this… and then some. Overcome your grilling fears once and for all.
Ferno’s creation went through various form and function iterations, beta tests with some hard core grilling, and yes, a patent on what makes a Ferno Grill truly revolutionary: the firewheel. The placement of the firewheel was the result of amazing industrial design by the team formerly known as Matter, headed by Max Burton, but it was Ferno’s engineering that resulted in the perfect mechanism to raise and lower the gas burners: turn right to raise the burners so the flame is close to the grates (ideal for searing), turn left to lower the flame away from the grates (ideal for slow-cooking). This unique ability, and being able to adjust the temperature, means you can finally grill with the confidence that you will not burn your food. Sear, then lower the wheel for your steak, put it all on medium for perfect fish, set a timer and walk away. You may want to look back, but only because a Ferno Grill is that good looking.
As we all know, heat is crucial when grilling (and cooking in general), but until now, the control of it was limited by turning a temperature control valve only. The Ferno firewheel gives you control. And no detail was left unobsessed over, so you’re not getting a killer idea with a subpar execution, you’re getting the whole grillable-enchilada. The grates are steakhouse-quality made from 50lbs of cast iron, meaning they retain heat better than the typical stainless ones, without hot and cold spots. No more moving your food from one side to the other, and like your favorite cast iron pan, they season, getting better with every use. (Plus: awesome grill marks.) That tri-tip has never tasted – or looked – better. It can even replace your oven – low and slow means you can put two 18lb turkeys on there for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Not content to just revolutionize the grill, the team at Ferno set about improving all the little things that drive us nuts about the traditional BBQ. The swing out tank holder means you don’t have to sacrifice your lower back or reach into a tangle of spider webs when you swap out tanks. The large cooking footprint and the uniform hood height means you can cook more food at the same time. Ferno’s singular hood design amps up your cooking space exponentially – and modernizes the look of the beast, to boot. And when you go to close it, it has a soft close, because, well, it’s better that way. That’s the central theme of Ferno. BETTER. All of it. The grill. Your food. Your social life. The way your backyard looks. Better. So much better.
Amenities continue, as no detail is overlooked: the side tables are removable commercial-grade serving trays made from Mapletex, an NSF rated cutting board material. LED lights are integrated into the hood, bathing your work space. Oh, and that sacrificial pepper or shrimp or asparagus that always seems to fall through the grates into the flames below? Ferno has addressed that, too, narrowing the gaps, so nothing falls through (seriously – why hadn’t anyone else done this?!). The grates are also reversible: traditionally angled on one side, flip them over (flipping tool included – cast iron is heavy) and they’re flat. Now you have a pizza oven, or a surface perfect for cooking delicate fish, veggies, or a heaping pile of shrimp.
Having never worked in the grill industry, Peck was free to consider, explore, discard, and innovate. “I got to think inside and outside the box, so to speak”, says Euwer. “Coming at this from the solution, and working our way backwards was incredibly rewarding – and challenging. The firewheel is a complex design – raising and lowering burners, while also allowing for temperature adjustment – there’s a lot under the hood of a Ferno. I know so many folks who, like myself, really like to grill, but grilling for a group with a traditional gas grill always felt like a gamble – I’d be trapped at the grill, unable to hang with my friends. Ferno empowers you – that wheel literally changes the way you grill – our apologies to your current grill – everyone we know who cooks on a Ferno just a couple of times is completely hooked.”
At $4200, a Ferno Grill is an investment. But, there’s a reason why the best kitchen appliances and tools cost more – it’s because they’re designed and engineered better, built to last out of better materials. Quality over quantity is a real thing – instead of buying five or six grills that last only a handful of years, buy one Ferno, it’s in it for the long haul. A Ferno Grill is built to last, designed to be the best of the best, and will hook you from that first sear. And, in case you’re wondering what to ask for – or give that special someone – for the holidays, Ferno is the gift that keeps on giving. Delivery is complete with white glove service, which is why, for right now, Ferno is currently only available for sale in California. Expect to see these grills around the country soon – but for now, California is a great place to be grilling and chilling.
Visit www.fernogrills.com for more information, call 1-888-800-1688 or email [email protected] with any questions you may have. Apologies if you’re giving your regular grill the side eye right now.
Image credits