Memorial Day weekend is the official start of the backyard cookout season.
There was a time when backyard cookouts took time and planning and quite a bit of both. You start ‘em cooking and then you are constantly checking 'em, basting 'em, turning 'em over and then a little while later this routine would start all over again. It could take nearly half a day.
Not any more -- that's the difference between the Southeast and the West Coast, between barbecuing and grilling. Now it’s more of an instant event. No more charcoal -- takes too long. It’s gas or propane.
Now that America's been super-sized and SUVed, it's no longer enough to build a better mousetrap. The mousetrap has to be huge, with enough room to display an entire wheel of cheese and execute not only the mouse but also its immediate family, extended family and all of their friends.
And so, a tour of a local barbecue grill purveyor's offerings starts with the model that's almost 6 feet long and has five burners powered with enough BTUs to cook a chicken coop in 10 minutes.
There is an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, found here, that says meat cooked on a charcoal grill tastes the same as meat cooked on a gas or propane grill. I disagree. It’s hard to beat the unique char taste when food is slow cooked on a charcoal grill.
The West Coaster’s can have their instant cooking $1,000 gas flame backyard SUV’s. I’d rather eat something from the slower cooking $30 Weber charcoal grill.
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