Saturday, November 30, 2019

Backcountry & Beyond, Salisbury, NC - Traeger and Outdoor Gear - Thumbs Up



 Good Eating Today at Backcountry & Beyond, Salisbury, NC

My son spotted a sign that said "Traeger." Hum. Interesting. I've long been a Traeger fan, but I'd not known of a place in my town to shop for their pellet grills and accessories. Life is changing. I may not have to live mostly online when it comes to outdoor cooking, although I've loved the last decade plus of "roughing it" in a small town and being an outdoor cooking freak.

Of course, I had to check this out, so my son stopped. Well, he followed the signs. Backcountry & Beyond is a bit tucked away. Not a bad thing really. The location is 1301 East Innes Street, Suite 101, Salisbury, NC 28146. That's right beside the FedEx store, and you can GPS it of course.


Traeger Country in Central NC

We happened to discover Backcountry on a Saturday with grilling and samples. That's a lucky day (even if we were headed to get wings and a skillet chocolate chip cookie).

 Eat More Chicken or Beef - Both Taste Great

Mac and Cheese on the Grill - Yes You Can Do That

I tried out the chicken that Grill Guy Jeremy had grilled. The rubs were Traeger rubs - Summer Shandy and Fin & Feather. Both were delicious. I'd pick Summer Shandy if I had to pick. It had a citrus flavor with spicy pepper notes. Eli (my son) had the beef, and he said it was delicious.

I also had a chocolate chip cookie that Jeremy had made on the Traeger. It was crispy which is what I love. My son is a soft and chewy cookie guy, so he thought the cookie was okay but not the type he goes for. I told Jeremy he's got to try putting some bacon in his cookies, and he is planning to do that. Bacon in grilled cookies is awesome.

Jeremy Smoking Mac and Cheese

The mac & cheese was still on the Traeger, and that's not one of my favorite dishes to be honest. Plus, I needed to get my son to East Coast Wings for his late birthday cookie I'd promised. It was time to head out, but this was good news - finding Backcountry & Beyond almost in my back yard. Okay. It's a half hour drive, but that's a big improvement.

If you are around Salisbury, NC and love outdoor stuff, then Backcountry & Beyond is a great stop. They have lots of outdoor gear and very nice brands. There's the Traeger grilling line and then excellent quality accessories like the Thermopen thermometers. I've had my Thermopen about a decade now I think and love it. Coolers are Yeti. They have some great looking tie down straps that I was looking at, and my son checked out the backpack cooking stoves and hiking socks.

Although I am a happy online shopper, it was a treat to see some of these excellent products up close and to test drive and test taste in person. I'll have to stop back in when I'm in town again. Hope to see you there!