Gas Grill

Ok I did it... finally I did it, I have been a Charcoal Grill person for years even a bit of a snob about it sometimes. Outside of the restaurants that I have worked at I haven't ever used a gas grill. I love the flavor that only charcoal or charwood can produce. Plus there is an almost primal component of setting things on fire that I like, there are no dials there is no "high, medium and low", to cool it down you close the lid (and cut down the oxygen) to get a little more heat open the top... there are also vents at the top and bottom of most grills that help with the temperature in smaller ways. Maybe you want it a little warmer or cooler, or move food to a hotter place or a cooler place to adjust cooking time/temperature. To smoke something you throw a handful of wet wood onto the coals. You really have to be in touch with what you are cooking, which I like.

A few weeks ago we went to Menard's to get some storage bins to put toys in, Kris wanted a few minutes to see what they had and the kiddos wanted to play a game called "Doors" regretfully I introduced the game a few years ago, it involves going to the door display of Menard's or Home Depot and making each set of display doors your home. Then while the other participants pretends to be bible sales person, political pundant or (my favorite) traveling anvil salesmen the other one becomes a grumpy home owner. I convinced my only son (3) to sell doors and windows to my youngest daughter (7) who would be at home and GRUMPY while I took a few minutes to look at the gas grills... they are clean, sleek and use descriptive terms like "BTUs," "two burner" and "optional refrigeration" I have to say some of them caught my eye like a sports car might.

A few minutes later Kris showed me the storage containers that she found and mentioned that we had made $50 selling a lawn vac on Craig's List. I have only turned on a lawn vac once to make sure it works before some guy picked it up, think if it as an internal combustion powered vacuum for the yard. I started to think "hey we sold that thing on Craig's List, I'll bet someone else is selling a grill right now." Here is that part when I mention all of my "reasons" for wanting a new cooking toy:

1. I am the only person living under my roof that likes to eat fish and the smell of it cooking... well I risk spending the weekend alone when I cook salmon while everyone I am related to might spends the weekend in a hotel.

2. it is almost winter, I live in the Chicago suburbs, lighting charcoal grill during an ice storm is uncomfortable at best.

3. I live in the suburbs.... SUBURBS

4. Did I mention cool descriptive words like "BTU" and "Two Burner"?

I started to look for a grill that night, Kris of course, found one the next day about a half an hour from our house using Mapquest directions which means really an hour to get there. So we started on the trek across miles of cornfield to another suburb to get the grill. Luckily the seller was not too time conscience and was great about helping us put the giant thing in the car. So far I have cooked a few things on the grill, I do have say that it is working well but is taking some getting used to.