Canadian Grilling Trends
Fri, May 7, 2010
The chill of an early May snowfall in Edmonton has not prevented me from cooking on my gas grill. Just like 43 percent of the 1009 consumers surveyed in this year’s Weber Canadian Grillwatch Survey, I choose to grill year round. I am proud to admit that I fall into the category of hardy Canadian grillers (32%) who brave the elements when the mercury drops below zero to fire up the old “Q” and rustle up a grilled meal. The “to grill” meal chosen by most of the survey’s respondents was supper (96%).
May is National Barbecue Month. And what better time to consider the latest survey information regarding the grilling habits of Canadians. The 21st annual Grillwatch survey, conducted by Toronto-based Leger Marketing on behalf of Weber-Stephen Products Co., probes the habits, knowledge and performance of Canadian grillers. According to the Weber survey, Canadians most often grill hamburgers, steak, chicken pieces and hot dogs. Steak still reigns supreme as the all time favourite barbecue food item. Rarely mentioned (1%) by survey respondents? Whole turkey, lamb roasts and scallops.
Despite their year-round love of the grill, survey results also indicate Canadians would like to increase their grilling expertise when it comes two particular items: beef roasts and pizza. One in seven Canadians enjoy cooking pizza on the grill. Mozzarella cheese and mushrooms achieved the highest grades as toppings. Out here in the West, pineapple ranked the preferred topping. My husband considers himself quite the gourmand when he tosses his special Saturday night pizza onto the grill. Unlike the survey results, which report that men wield the tongs as primary griller in most households (64%), this is the only occasion my husband takes control of the barbecue tools. I was happy to hear that 24% of the respondents claimed grilling as a shared activity in their households.
When it gets down to regional food choices, Quebec grillers like to cook chicken more often, in Ontario backyard chefs have a hankering for ribs and Maritimers prefer steak.
Do your grilling habits match the survey or was your favourite flame-broiled item ignored?
Written by Barbara Barnes. Barnes is an Edmonton home economist. Currently, she presents food segments for Sobeys on the CTV Edmonton Noon News.
Photo © alisdair. Published under a Creative Commons License.
Beef steak has always been my all time favorite dish and i am always looking for some new recipes that has steak as the main ingredient.~;-
If you are looking for new steak recipes, check Weber’s new book from their On the grill series, Steak and Sides.
And try Weber grills, too! You won’t regret it. I have no complains with my Weber grill.
i still prefer gas grills over electric grills because the smoke somehow improves the flavor of the meat~*,