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!

Top 10 Barbecue Cities by Blue Rhino - 2009

Blue Rhino top 10 Cookout Cities for 2009 are:

1. Los Angeles, CA
2. San Francisco-Bay area, CA
3. San Diego, CA
4. San Jose
5. Sacramento, CA
6. Eugene, OR
7. Spokane, WA
8. Fresno, CA
9. Reno, NV
10. Salt Lake City, UT

You may be wondering how these cities were selected. First, cities considered had populations of 99,000 or more. Second, these areas have the most ideal grilling days in terms of weather as gathered through the National Weather Service. Good grilling days were those days under 90 degrees with no precipitation.

Clearly the west coast rocked this test, but if you look on down the list of 100 cities, you’ll find others closer your neck of the woods. So, check out the full list of great grill cities.

Also, feel free to add your own city or town to the comment list. No rules here. If you’re grilling great where you live, let us know.

I’ll start with Salisbury, NC. Population is around 27,000, and we have a lot of days over 90 degrees plus that southern humidity. Don't guess we'll ever make the official list. But, we do enjoy some great grilling.

As a side note, be sure to check out the Blue Rhino recycle program. Keep those old tanks out of the landfill. Be nice to the earth.

Salisbury, North Carolina Barbecue Competition - May 1, 2009

North Carolina Smoked Barbecue Shoulder

Yehaw! We're having a barbecue cook off right in my back yard - or practically. Salisbury is hosting a Cultural Arts Festival over the weekend, and tomorrow (Friday May 1, 2009) includes the pig cooking contest.

It's quite possible that Salisbury, North Carolina is the birthplace of Lexington-style pork barbecue, although I'm sure folks from over in Lexington will be glad to argue that.

The basic story is that Sid Weaver set up shop with a barbecue tent near the courthouse in Lexington in 1909, but John Blackwelder had been serving his chopped pork over in Salisbury from his taxi cab stand starting the year prior. Blackwelder was near Spencer Shops (the state railway hub), and he picked up a lot of business with people passing through on the trains.

Of course, people in the area had been slow cooking pork over wood before there were any places selling barbecue. Barbecue was a popular choice for church dinners and political events. It generally had to be a special occasion, because it takes a long time to smoke good pork, and you've got a lot of meat when you're done.

In any case, Lexington got the credit for the Carolina cue as reflected in the name. Lexington-style BBQ is the piedmont (or western barbecue) in contrast to eastern barbeque which is whole hog and with no red in the thin vinegar sauce. Piedmont pitmasters typically smoke down shoulders and add catsup or tomato sauce/paste to the vinegar sauce which is tangy with hot peppers and occasionally other spices.

If you want to get a heated debate going in North Carolina, just bring up barbecue. You will get an ear full and a lot of suggestions about which style is better and which specific restaurant serves the very best NC barbecue.

For a flavor of the South, the festival will feature several barbecue masters ranging from 2 Men and a Grill to the Holy Pig team.

If you want to sample all the different barbecues, you can get a sample card for $10. Try out all the pork and vote for your favorite. They'll have a people's choice winner as well as having a panel of judges who will blind taste test the entries.

There's also an option to try a single sample for $2, a sandwich for $4 and full plates are available after 5 p.m. for $8.

If you miss the festival, there are several great barbecue joints in the Salisbury area. One of my favorites is Richard's Barbecue at 522 North Main Street. My Dad always loved to go there, and the owners and servers are very friendly.

Small Town Rowan County Fair - A Yearly Family Tradition

Rowan County Fair - Salisbury NC


I never win on these county fair games, so I just take pictures now (-:


I've outgrown the rides too. My stomach can't handle the spins. But, it's still fun to see the lights and hear the screams.



Our county is agricultural, and the farmers always bring cows and other animals.


The exhibits are fun at the county fair. Farmers bring in crops. There are canned goods, art, flowers and even hand made clothing.

If you've never been to a county fair, you should check one out. They really are a lot of fun. There are carnival rides and games but also lots of contests and exhibits. You can also find some great food at county fairs ranging from the traditional carnival food fare like funnel cakes (elephant ears) to local organizations make local favorites like chicken and dumplings.

When I was a kid and in 4-H, I always entered things in the county fair. It was fun to win ribbons and a little cash for cookies, crafts and canned goods. I was always scared of the canner, so I never did many canned goods. When the canner would start blowing off steam, I'd run and hide. I still want to do that, so I don't can. I always think it is going to blow up and cover me with hot green beans.

Local school kids get free tickets around here. Our school night was always Tuesday. For some reason, it always poured the rain on Tuesday. This year the tickets were were Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, and we actually hit a sunny evening. I kind of missed getting soaked and plodding through the mud. Well, just a little anyway.

County fair food is always so yummy. Most of it is not healthy, but it's just one night of the year. I like to try out new foods at the fair and especially any new barbecue booths. I also love to get elephant ears right before we leave. It is a tradition in our family to arrive home covered in powdered sugar and to have to wash and vacuum the car the next day.

I used to play the games, but I was never too lucky. My boys seem to have my luck, so they learned (after a few years) that it's simply hard to win anything much. One year I did win a goldfish. I named the goldfish Lucky, so I guess I can't really say I never won anything. It was kind of hard to juggle Lucky and get her home, but she did fine and lived a couple of years.

Now that there are so many big amusement parks like Carowinds down the road, the county fairs seem to be a little smaller. Perhaps it's just that I'm bigger. In any case, I really like the small town feel and seeing people I know and not just a lot of strangers waiting in lines and looking bored. The county fair is kind of like one big local party. This year I saw my dentist and his little girl as well as a lady from work and some neighbors. I even made some new friends - like the guy with the traveling barbecue stand. Every year is different but always fun.

There are big state fairs. Those are fun too. But, I think it's hard to beat a little county fair. Everything is pretty informal, and it does not take hours and hours and loads of walking and waiting. It's just a good time and a few hours to forget about everything you ought to be doing.