You Have Many Options When it Comes to Grilling
If you are not an avid griller, you are certainly missing out on a gratifying and exciting experience. There is nothing like transforming raw meat, seafood, or produce into a grilled feast with your own hands and a little help from the barbecue grill. I have explored almost every option when it comes to producing a grilled meal but I am always trying to learn more about this cooking art.
Grilling and barbecue is one of the most popular pastimes that you can find especially when the weather is good. I might be considered a freak of nature but I almost prefer grilling when the weather is cold. Since I live in a four season location, during the winter months there is an abundance of snow in my area. That doesn’t prevent me from taking my trusty shovel and clearing out a swath around my barbecue grill so that I can cook outside on a cold wintry night. There is nothing like warming yourself by a hot grill on a cold winter night and creating a grilled feast at the same time.
A propane grill is a very popular option when it comes to grilling. The benefits are speed, consistency, and they also produce a tasty grilled meal. I actually own one of these but I really haven’t utilized it since I jumped into the charcoal grilling arena. With propane, you don’t have to worry about waiting for the briquettes to get warm enough to grill on. To be honest, I enjoy using a charcoal chimney starter and waiting for the charcoal to get up to temperature. If I am going to grill, I am going to allot time for this process to unfold.
Since so many people are used to using the convenient propane grilling option, they don’t really know how to light a charcoal grill with a chimney starter.  Years ago, when I was a youngster, my Dad used to grab the can of lighter fluid and drench the coals. He would then toss a lighted match onto the pile and, in my eyes, it was like the 4th of July as the briquettes exploded in a flash of fire. Well, you don’t have to go through this exercise of adding lighter fluid anymore. The chimney starter is an invention that I find rather miraculous. When I originally heard about these metal cylinders with the perforations, I thought that there was no way that these contraptions could work for lighting charcoal briquettes.
Well, here I am years later and the chimney starter has never failed me. All you have to do is to crumple up some paper, place it under the charcoal in a separate section of the unit, add the charcoal above in its own section, light the paper, and you are on your way to lit briquettes in about twenty minutes. Since I use a Weber Smokey Joe as my primary charcoal grill, I just take off the top grate and place the chimney starter on the bottom one. This makes it easier since as soon as the top briquettes are white, all you have to do is pour the hot briquettes into the grill right where the chimney starter was sitting. This makes the act of pouring the coals much safer since you are simply grabbing the handle and pouring the coals.
Even though I am partial to charcoal grilling, there is another option for those of you who cannot use a charcoal grill. It may be because you live in an apartment or condo in the city with nowhere to grill other than inside your unit. An electric barbecue grill will do the job inside probably a lot better than you could ever imagine. Believe me, I was not a believer until a friend of mine, who lives in a condo, served me a rib eye steak that he cooked on his Sanyo electric barbecue grill. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve believed he grilled it on a charcoal or propane grill. The instant heat provided with electricity got the unit up to temperature extremely quickly yielding a sear that you might find in the finest steak houses. If you don’t have any other option, consider an indoor grill. It is worth the money!
The art of grilling can be manifested in many ways. It may be using an indoor grill, a propane grill, or a charcoal grill. Whatever option that you decide upon, chances are, the results will be delicious and the time spent around your grill will be very gratifying!
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About The Author:
I'm a student in Canada. I like learning new things on my own, but don't like to be told how to learn. I also like writing. Interests: fitness, martial arts, writing, photography, games, psychology, alternative education... and more.
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Posted in: Uncategorized by Logan on June 28, 2012 @ 7:35 pm