The changing of the grill

[derekl_1963]

The warmer weather of late has really got me thinking of summer, and starting to get ready for it... Brenda and I are trying to make some plans so we don't simply slouch through the summer and miss the whole thing like we usually do. This is an extension of the philosophy that has come about of all my/our traveling and visiting over the last couple of years: I hate wasting days just hanging about. Its not that hanging about is bad - but that defaulting to it because you never get organized is bad. But that's all a topic that should be detailed in another post...

Anyhow I was out inspecting the grill yesterday, and the prognosis is grim. Both burners needs replacing, all three grills (the two inserts and the warming shelf) need replacing, and one side shelf is busted. (The movers did that, but since the grill went right into the garage for the winter, I missed it until spring and too late to make a claim.)

This ended up longer than I expected, so to save my friends list:



Our first grill aged and deteriorated without seeing much use, as the porch in our first apartment was difficult to get at. Mostly because we had Too Much Stuff in that tiny apartment, a problem we still have today despite living in a place many times larger and having heaved quite a bit both when we move here and more over time.

This grill was bought for (I think) our second (or third) Annual Spring Barbecue (A habit we should return to) about ten years ago, as the tiny and aged grill it replaced was simply not up to the task. Because the porch at the duplex was much more accessible, we used this grill on much more. When we got in the summer habit of cooking frozen burger patties for dinner rather than grabbing McBurgerwhopper it saw even more use. The excess fat is still not so good for us, but having a burger and a salad is healthier overall than having a burger and fries I think. I really learned to grill on this one, using it for a variety of dishes that I'd never even considered trying before and learning new grill cooking techniques.

We discussed it over dinner last night and decided the damage and my growing skills added up to buying a new grill. The varied infirmities and idiosyncrasies of the old one are simply too limiting for advanced cookery, and it is barely up to the task of day-to-day grilling without a significant investment in repairs and replacement. (Of course Chuck, grill wizard that he his, can manage fantastic things on it despite all that.)

So, pondering on the matter, I've come up with a list of what I want in a new grill:

• Three burners, running front to back rather than side by side spot burners, for zoned cooking and better temperature control.

• Enameled cast iron grates either stock or available aftermarket. Cast iron because they hold heat well for searing and grill marks, enameled so food is less likely to stick. (Also so I don't have to sweat maintaining a season on them.)

• A proper (IR?) rotisserie burner. We've had such great luck cooking semi - rotisserie chickens on our improvised reflector cookers at June Faire, I've been eager to try rotisserie cooking at home.

Other factors to be considered:

• A side burner is nice, but is not required.

• If possible, a cast aluminum body is preferred over one of stainless steel sheet, because an aluminum body holds heat in a little better. (I really don't hold out much hope on this one, medium high end grills tend to be fashionable stainless steel rather than practical aluminum.)

• Try to avoid busting the budget, but this is an investment that will return many fold in enjoyment so don't be too parsimonious either. All a cheap grill will accomplish is to piss me off - we might as well keep the current one.

• Also on the topic of budget, the more I spend on a grill, the less I'll be able to spend on a smoker - but I think our unexpected travel these last six months means I'll have to choose one or the other. With that, I choose the grill as we use it a great deal and will defer the smoker to the fall or next spring.

• I need a proper charcoal grill to make Lexington Style BBQ - Lowe's sells the exact one I need, so the decision in the fall/spring may come down to choosing between it and a proper smoker. So I really should look at the grill I choose and see how it might function (slightly and suitably modified) as an interim smoker. A gas grill won't work for Lexington Style, I've tried several times and failed miserably. I've concluded that it is not a matter of technique, but that the heat/smoke characteristics are simply wrong.

• Brenda knows full well that given the slightest encouragement I'll fill the garage with grilling equipment, but continues to give me more than slight encouragement. (She quite clear she does that for her, not for me - because she enjoys my cooking!) So, when we build the shelves in the garage proper this summer I'll have to plan on grill storage.

Wow, the 'other factors' ended up much longer than I intended. But, writing is like that - you write until you are done, regardless of length. You can always edit later, but it's not needed this time I think.

Of course... Last fall Lowe's had a grill on sale that almost perfectly matched what I want. As the perversity of the universe tends towards the maximum... this means that model has either been discontinued or sharply raised in price over the winter.