Viking Ultra-Premium T-Series VGIQ5304RT1
24 February 2010
“Swing Low”
I have written about Viking Outdoor Kitchens before, and I expect to write about them again, for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who looks at these pictures. I certainly have. Actually, it’s just as well that you’re viewing these pictures on the Internet, as opposed to leafing through my personal album, because I have to tell you I’ve drooled on them quite a bit. I know that lots and lots of guys who get the barbecue with all the whistles and bells really don’t do much more than burn the steak, but I actually made my living as a cook for four years altogether, so I’ve been around this stuff quite a bit. And I love it. And the thought of moving the whole shooting match out into the yard is really quite a concept.
My wife and I love the Academy Awards, and we always watch as many of the nominated features as possible. One of those we saw recently was “The Last Station,” which is about the last days of Leo Tolstoy, but what particularly caught my eye was the scene in which they dined alfresco. Now granted, being a Russian count, Tolstoy had people to run back and forth a with all of the items needed to arrange dining outdoors, but really, it doesn’t come to much when you think about it. All they did was set up a table and chairs, unfurl a tablecloth and sit themselves down; and by that simple act they created the most glorious, family-orientated thing in the world to do.
So, the thought of also being able to cook that meal outdoors, chatting all the while with one’s guest just has to be a ticket. And that, in turn, leads us to Viking, which must have a whole staff of people who do nothing all day but fantasize about what would surely be the neatest items of all to put outdoors. Then when these impractical romantics have had their fill of unrequited dreams, other designers go to work and actually make all of this stuff happen.
This Viking Ultra-Premium T-Series barbecue we’ve featured here is shown with a cart, which is sold separately. Put both of these things together, and what you have is actually a stove that has been moved outdoors. It even has an oven! So, I guess now I could try my hand at making my own hamburger buns, which I could make outdoors along with the barbecue. That moan you just heard was my wife. I’m not sure if she’s thinking about the prospect of homemade bread or what this kind of setup would set us back!
But, c’mon now, a barbecue like this makes every kind of sense. It’s not even a barbecue. I mean it is, but with an oven and all, it’s not. Actually, it’s more, a lot more. The barbecue itself has just about every feature barbecues are known to have these days, one of which is an Infrared Burner. I’ll tell you, if you’ve never barbecued with Infrared, you’re in for a treat. This particular one can generate as much as 30,000 BTUs, and that intense searing heat does marvelous things to anything you put on it. It caramelizes the outside of the food, which locks in the food’s natural juices, and when you finally serve it, people think you’re the chef of all times.
Viking has also come up with a new and improved grease management system which consists of full-width removable stainless steel drip tray with individual removable trays within the main tray. This keeps the drippings away from the burners, and when it’s time to clean up, it’s simplicity itself. You merely roll out the drip tray on its stainless steel ball-bearing rollers, remove the trays and take them to any sink. I’ll tell you, I’ve scrubbed a few barbecues in my life, and it has always been the one factor that keeps me from barbecuing as much as might otherwise be the case.
But, wait, there’s more. Because, heckfire, if I’m go to break the budget, might as well break the budget, right? And the other must-have is the Viking Professional Series Portable Outdoor Half-Keg Beer Dispenser with Stainless Steel Dispensing Tower. Oh, man, did you notice the way that elongated name just trips off the tongue! It’s just gotta be because this is the one item that most completes any backyard paradise, which is the only possible description for a yard in which there is alfresco dining, outdoor cooking, and a nice, long, cold one on draft! Oh, swing low, sweet chariot, that’s a ride I most definitely want to get on!
Joseph
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