Weber World

The black Weber kettle that sits in our backyard is no doubt dearer to my husband's heart than anything since he sold his Harley years ago--and he is definitely fonder of it than me and the kids, most days. For anyone but the apartment dweller, this is the way to go--you just can't get that honest-to-god smoky carcinogenic goodness with a gas grill. This is the one to buy whether you're planning to cook anything from Tofu Pups to quail to a good basic burger.

I've used other grills--from the $2.99 flat things they have at Wal-Mart (as unsteady as Jiffy-Pops on legs), to the gas grill my in-laws have, which rivals a Lincoln Mark IV in size--but the Weber is just better. It's big enough to cook for a crowd, but the design is such that a little pile of coals in the bottom can work wonders on a small meal for one or two. The heat is distributed evenly, it's great for smoking, and we even use it in the snow.

We cook our Thanksgiving turkey on it, using the little stand that comes with the grill and catching the drippings in a pan; the gravy alone made from them is worth the price of admission--sweet and smoky and depthful. The recipe for this is in the handbook which comes with each grill. Definitely hang on to this, it's well-written and very, very useful.

Our model was a gift from friends in Colorado who'd moved into a house that had a built-in brick barbecue, and they were sad to see it go. I'd have to estimate that that makes our trusty Weber over ten years old, and it still works like a charm--the thing is indestructible.

Our favorite thing to cook on the Weber is what we have come to call "The Meal," since we make it at least once a week and it's the dinner of choice for us and our local pals.

To make it, marinate a couple of nice thick tuna steaks in grated fresh ginger, good quality soy sauce, and a jot of sesame oil, then press the steaks down in a dinner plate filled with sesame seeds so that it's crusted with them on both sides. We like it quite rare, about five minutes a side, if that.

Serve with spinach wokked with soy, sesame oil, and a pinch of sugar, some nice sticky rice, and sides of wasabi and pickled ginger--easy, fast, and killer good! I highly recommend using real hardwood charcoal for this, as it gives the best flavor. This is available at "better" grocery stores.

I think, frankly, that a Weber should be included with every new citizenship to the United States, as nothing quite personfies the American Dream so well. If you don't have one already, get one. If you are fully Weber-ized, cook yourself up "The Meal" tonight.