The meat purveyor who supplies burger joints and world-renowned steakhouses with his signature beef is shopping a new contraption that, he claims, “catapults the grilling game” — even though it looks more like an Easy Bake Oven than an actual grill.
Pat LaFrieda has teamed up with a German company called Otto Wilde Grillers — which appears to specialize in nothing but its eponymous products, as well as any accessories for use with them — for his Pat LaFrieda Signature Series model.
The grill is advertised as being able to reach 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning it can “theoretically deliver a steakhouse-quality sear,” Bloomberg reported in a first look at the LaFrieda Series.
However, despite looking like a toaster oven’s cousin or some new-fangled version of Ron Popeil’s Showtime Rotisserie, the Pat LaFrieda Signature Series model sells for a whopping $1,195.
But, “it’s a big savings in fuel,” LaFrieda claims, explaining that it uses less propane and gets hotter faster than his 48-inch grill. “And it’s just more efficient.”
LaFrieda, a third-generation butcher and meat purveyor who supplies scores of New York restaurants, as well as every Shake Shack fast food location across the world, only agreed to work with Otto Wilde Grillers after they reached out multiple times, and he had already deleted their email at least once.
According to Bloomberg, even LaFrieda thought the machine “looked nothing like a grill.”
The Pat LaFrieda Signature Series from Otto Wilde Grillers, which debuted in May, has so far sold a little over 200 units. In addition to the current propane version, the company says they plan to develop a natural gas version for customers who prefer that option.
They’ll still need to set up a hibachi for their corn, though.