Thursday, September 4, 2008

Let the Flames Begin!!

Okay, I should have written this on Monday. But I was too busy basking in the glow of a warm fire. Wait, I wasn't basking in the glow. I was standing over a hot grill. And boy, did it feel good! I have been cooking on the grill for about 20 years. My dad made his own grill out of a 55 gallon oil drum in a welding class he took in community college. You should have seen my mom's face when he brought that thing home. We'd never seen anything like it. We were used to those little teeny things that might have held 8 burgers and 4 hot dogs. This thing could easily handle 40 burgers at least. My fondest memory was the weekend he smoked a whole pork shoulder. It took hours. The smell of the meat roasting was intoxicating. The taste was even better. I got to use the grill when my parents moved to this area and I lived back home in southern VA. My friends and I used to plan our own cookouts. Those were some good times.

Living in a condo sure puts a damper on that. So, Monday, DH and I took our food on the road. His mother has a good size back yard and not one, but two grills. Okay, the charcoal one is hers and the gas one belongs to my SIL. I grilled hot dogs (Dietz & Watson) and hamburgers (frozen Bubba burgers), bone-in ribeyes, Italian sausage, asparagus and mushrooms. The food was was awesome. I only wish I would put some chicken on there. Oh well, maybe next time. Since I wasn't in my own kitchen, I wanted to keep things simple. I brought my own seasoning and take home containers (she said I could). I like McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning. It's a good all in one blend that is really tasty on beef and veggies. They also have a chicken blend. That's pretty good, too. I'm glad that I got to use my MIL's grill. We had enough leftovers to last the week and there was no arguing over what to have for dinner or anything. Everyone had choices.

Do you like to cook out? Are you a charcoal person or a gas person? What kind of seasoning do you use? Are you a fan of beef or pork? And is chicken just for wimps? What non-meat items find their way onto the grill? Let me know what you like. Maybe I'll try it next time. Yes, there'll be a next time. MJ and I left some charcoal and some beef behind.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Charcoal most definitely!!! Gas just doesn't come close. :) Non-meat fav thing on the grill is potatoes - with skin on and sliced very, very thin, wrapped in a foil packet with butter enclosed. Ymmm. Some members of my extended fam. like onions in theirs.
beej

AJ said...

Ooo, beej, that sounds good. I took potatoes, but didn't get around to cooking them. I was going to slice a sweet onion thinly and grill with the other veggies. Next time!