CALF_News_April_May_2020

43 CALF News • April | May 2020 • www.calfnews.net GRILL H O T O F F T H E A C A L F N E W S B B Q P A R T Y GRILLIN ' AND CHILLIN ' B ackyard grilling is nothing new but can be exciting with all the new products available for the home griller. Saturday mid-morning, Klaus Wood Pellets and Outdoor Living, Garden City, Kan., is a hot spot for weekend shoppers. All ages are making purchases, from simple season- ings, their favorite cut of meat to a new grill set up. Open Monday through Saturday, Klaus Wood Pellets is a great place to take some time and explore your inner grill master! It all started with a beer and a passion for beef! For years, Ryan Klaus, Kenny Coons and friends enjoyed a weekly Saturday gathering “grillin’ and chillin’.” The grill of choice was a pellet grill because it was easy and always infused a great flavor into anything that hit the grill rack. As a result of Klaus’ love for grilling, he decided to contact Traeger® Pellet Grills to get infor- mation about becoming a distributor. Klaus Wood Pellets was established seven years ago in Klaus’ garage. The busi- ness grew quickly due to the power of social media and word of mouth. In August 2018, Klaus and Coons attended a Kansas City BBQ Society competi- tion as spectators.What they took away wasn’t only knowledge but a desire to expand their business from the garage to a store front.Within a week, they’d found a property to rent. Since its October 2018 opening, Klaus Wood Pellets and Outdoor Living had grown to a one-stop grilling Main Street store! Part of the big plan was to include fresh meats supplied by Buster Red Meats, which received USDA approval in November 2018. Filling the shelves was the biggest concern with opening a retail store. They felt that, to be true to their customers, they could only stock products they had tried and could recommend. Within a year, they had shelves stocked with hun- dreds of different spices and sauces from about 30 different vendors. Who knew that within a year, the store would have one expansion and a second expansion planned for 2020? Buster Red Meats has been a great partnership for Klaus Wood Pellets. The sup- plier is the retail part of the Garden City Community College (GCCC) meats judging team, led by Clint Alexander, Ph.D. Klaus and Alexander met during the 2018 Finney County Fair when they cohosted a public meat tasting. The two obviously shared a love for beef, but also for preparing beef, pork and lamb. The partnership has proven beneficial for all involved, especially the commu- nity of western Kansas who now have a supply of good, quality meat products. In November 2019, Klaus Wood Pellets started carrying Certified Angus Beef® Prime meat cuts, which has been a huge success. All proceeds from the meat products benefit the GCCC meats judg- ing team. Klaus, Coons and Alexander are con- tinually trying potential store products by partaking in steak grilling competitions around Kansas and offering samples at the store on Saturdays. They sponsor a local amateur grilling contest and, this year, are sponsoring a professional BBQ contest at Beef Empire Days. Klaus Wood Pellets and Buster Red Meats offered public cooking and grill- ing classes at Garden City Community College during the holidays, explain- ing how to smoke the perfect ribeye or turkey. The company also has a Traeger trailer that can be rented (or more often donated) for various events. The trailer can cook up to 90 tri tips, 27 turkeys or hundreds of burgers at a time, and is usually spotted a many local activities.  By Gina and Jackie Gigot Contributing Editors Kenny Coons, left, and Ryan Klaus make grilling look easy.