By Deborah Smith
I can remember the exact day I fell in love with grilling. Okay, wait, I must clarify. I don’t actually cook the meat on the grill. That is my boyfriend, Peter’s, job. (Far too messy for the Queen.) So when I say that I “fell in love with grilling” I am referring to the luscious smoky taste of meat cooked over hardwood charcoal, not the square, lighter-fluid-infused stuff.
“Hello?”
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, how late are you open?” Oh, I forgot to mention, it was Sunday on Memorial day weekend. Hey, the queen needs her grill dammit.
“That depends, what do you need?” good old Bill.
“I’m looking for a grill”
“I’m not scared yet.” exact words.
“Great, I can be there in 10 minutes.”
“We’ll wait.”
Don’t you love small towns.
So, off I raced to the hardware store. When I got there Bill was waiting to escort me to the grill section. He asked me quite seriously, “How serious of a griller are you?” Geez, I’d never thought about it before. Grilling was flicking on the gas grill and throwing marinated meat on until it was done, no? But, being that I love to cook and it appeared this man knew something that I didn’t know about superior outdoor cooking, I was going to find out all that he knew.
Bill proceeded to show me the different types of charcoal (huh, different types of charcoal?) and the basic Weber grill. Seeing that I was planning to spend about $20 bucks on a throwaway grill, the $150 version sent me reeling. Looking back, had I known that I was going to fall in love, I would have spared no expense. But, being a cheap Queen, I bought the baby Weber for $75.
I also invested in a Charcoal Chimney, which is that rusted thing sitting inside the grill above. (Note to you: do not leave chimney out in rain.) The chimney helps get the coals going quicker and with less lighter fluid. Once they are all glowing red, dump them (carefully!!) into the bottom of your grill. This last time we also threw in a hand full of hickory chips. Just soak in water for 1/2 an hour and chuck them in with the hot coals.
There is nothing tastier than ribs, pork chops, steak, burgers, you name it, cooked over real wood charcoal. If you don’t believe me go ask Bill or try it for yourself. There will be no turning back. (Damn, I should have bought the bigger grill.)





I do most if the grilling at our house. By most I son’t mean all, but it comes close. I was actually going to run down to Shop Rite for charcoal today to grill the seasons first burgers, and have decided to hit Point Hardware instead. My husband and I love our Weber grill and I believe this will add some fun flavor to our summer favorite. Love it! I was looking something different! Let you know how it goes!