Holy Smokes!

I just came inside from taking out the garbage, and as I do every week, I looked at my Weber charcoal grill and said to myself, "I really ought to take that thing inside in the winter." But then I said to myself, again as I always do, "Where would I put it?" No room. No room. So it sits out there, and I feel sad for it, but I also feel confident that as soon as the temperature heats up enough for me to be outside longer than five minutes (in shorts and sandals), It'll be ready for me, still rust-free, still in pretty much the same condition as it was last year.

Charcoal v. Gas

I'm one of those guys who remains convinced that charcoal is the way to go. I'm also one of those guys who hopes the rest of the world uses gas so I won't feel so guilty polluting the air with my charcoal. My neighbor, who uses gas, works for the Department of Ecology. He's an "air" guy. So I know what he thinks of my charcoal grill. He tells me what he thinks. Still, I'll put my ribs up against his ribs in a taste test any day. (Please don't email me carcinogen statistics. I've seen 'em. I'm terribly bored with them. I've come to the conclusion that almost everything, in excessive quantities, will give rats cancer. And I'll make a deal with you--you make the cigarette industry pay for all cancer research until there's a cure, and I'll stop using my charcoal grill. Okay?)

Weber v. Everybody Else

I never thought I was going to be much of a grillmaster. It was a pain. I couldn't get it lit, I couldn't keep it going, and I couldn't cook things the way they were supposed to be cooked. But with a little help from a real grill (this one), and a little research on cooking methods (slow cook ribs, hot grill steak, etc.) I was grilling like a pro. The Weber is perfect for all my recipes--in fact the recipes seem designed for the Weber--so I seldom mess things up like I used to. It cook evenly (when you want it to), can work like an oven or a grill or can be handy for smoke signals (the original cell phone?). So this review is a great big thanks to the folks at Weber, as well as an adoring pledge to always come back to their product, even if I end up buying a gas grill some day.

Now I'm Hungry

Okay. Maybe I'll make ribs tonight. Or Shish Kabob. Or a turkey (yes, a turkey!). This year I'm going to try a few new things, like pizza, and continue with the old standbys. I'll smoke up the neighborhood. My neighbor will fuss and fume. Well, let him. He'll get over it when I take him a big plate of ribs. He always does. And he never fails to lick his fingers afterwards.