History

I’ve always had a passion for cooking outdoors and, throughout my adult life, the equipment I used is just as diverse as the food I cooked - from kettle grills to tri tips, from turkey flyers to short ribs, and from bullet smokers to briskets.

Over time, I realized I was spending more time babysitting the grill, smoker, fryer, etc. than I did visiting with family and friends. I also noticed that the results were far from consistent. In fact, “overcooked” would be a solid description of the food I prepared. 

Flame-ups, inconsistent grill temperatures, food placement, shaken confidence…these all led to the awkward presentation of “overcooked” meats. I’d try to convince myself that it was just the cut of the meat and that it wasn’t really overcooked, but I knew better.

Growing more and more frustrated, I tried cooking using indirect heat. A dear family friend named Lizzie Powell was one of the first to show my father and I the fine art of cooking this way. The results were, in fact, an improvement over the hockey pucks that I used to serve, but I was still spending more time with the grill than with my guests and loved ones.

I started spending more time on my back deck thinking about different ways I could cook moist and tender meat with smoke flavor while still using indirect heat - Dutch ovens, enclosed pig smokers, etc. Eventually pen was put to paper and the first sketches of The Gobbler Grill® were created. After countless prototypes and months of testing, The Gobbler Grill® hit the market.

Although I enjoyed success selling The Gobbler Grill®, some pretty significant changes needed to be made. After careful consideration, the name of the cooker was changed to the Orion Cooker®, and other improvements were made to its design and attachments.

With the changes in place, it was full speed ahead! Since that time, we have added retail partners such as Ace Hardware, True Value, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s – to name just a few. Our end user consumer base has experienced substantial growth as well, and I firmly believe we have the strongest, most loyal customers around.

If you own an Orion Cooker®, thank you for the business; it is greatly appreciated. If you do not, please take a minute to look around the site. Hopefully you’ll like what you see and join the Orion family.

Lastly and most importantly, we believe strongly in supporting the men and women who serve and have served this great country, and who defend our freedom. Without their service and sacrifice none of this would be possible, and for that we are forever grateful.

Many thanks,

Christian Fitzgerald