Grill Next Door
Posted By Kristabella on June 2, 2010
Up until last night, I had never grilled in my life.
I’ve always been afraid. I mean, the closest I’ve come to grilling is putting a chicken breast on my old George Foreman Grill. I preferred that because there is no FIRE involved. There are no visible flames. I am not in jeopardy of burning my eyebrows off, nor burning my house down. It suited me just fine.
In my old apartment, I had a grill. It sat in pieces in the kitchen for years (no really, YEARS) because I didn’t want to put it together. It was used and dirty and I am lazy. I finally put it together. And then I was afraid to get the propane tank filled. Because EXPLOSION! So I just had a put together grill that made me look cool if you saw my balcony.
Last Labor Day, I invited my mom and Gram over. I wanted Gram to see my new place and I wanted to cook out on the grill for them. So I got the propane filled and got the grill all ready to go. And then when we went to light it, the damn thing didn’t light. (Come to find out I put it together wrong. Because I gave up waiting after YEARS of my brother promising to come over and hook it up for me.) So since we had food all prepared to go on the grill, I went to Home Depot and bought a Weber grill. And then my mom grilled the meal and I sat on my couch because FIRE! SCARY! RUN!
And there my grill sat. Until yesterday evening. I FORCED myself to cook on it. I went to the store and bought meat and veggies for skewers. I soaked the wood sticks so they wouldn’t burn. I marinated the chicken and steak. I was going to cook with OPEN! FIRE!
I ran into a few hitches. One, the charcoal I bought last year, that already had the lighter fluid on it, dried out. So it wouldn’t light. So I ran to 7-11 to get some lighter fluid. In my pajamas. Which is just shorts and a T-shirt, but this particular t-shirt happened to say “This shirt would look a lot better on your bedroom floor.” (It was free. And is so soft and comfy.) I’m nothing if not klassy.
I finally got it lit and let the fire burn over the coals. I was also making sweet potato fries (Moose’s AWESOME recipe), but they took forever to cook and didn’t get crispy, so I gave up and threw them in the oven. I ended up losing quite a bit of time, but finally got the skewers of meat on the open flame.
Ain’t that a sight? Mmmmm, meat cooked on fire. Caveman proud.
When I cook at the beginning of the week, I make enough for the whole week. So I had 12 skewers to grill. I ended up overcooking the chicken just a tad, because I freak out about raw chicken. It still tastes great and has that nice grilled taste. But it took forever to cook and I finished up about 9 PM and didn’t eat until late and well, basically I woke up with a tummy ache. But it was worth it!
And now I’m not afraid! So I’m going to be a grilling machine! Watch out Gabe!
About the author
GO, YOU. I used to grill a lot, but now I leave it to Bill because he is a Grill Micro-Manager.
Also, good job on the Weber! They are the very best.
It is such a great feeling the first time you successfully grill. I remember the first time I was able to BBQ.. I was so proud of myself. You would have thought I invented fire! This may have stemmed from the fact that every time my dad tried to grill we ended up having take out Chinese for dinner. Picture a hot dog grilled over a cigarette – it wasn’t pretty!
.-= Hilary´s last blog ..Can you do something about that girl? Wait, it’s me…. =-.
Well done, you grilling guru, you.
I love the taste of meat off a BBQ. It’s amazing how different it can taste. Yummy.
I leave grilling to the menfolk. But it’s a good thing to know. Now, in case of an apocalypse in which all utilities are shut off, you will be able to eat non-raw food using nothing more than your ingenuity and a match.
.-= Candy´s last blog ..Where everything is all right =-.
I am terrified of grilling, hence the reason I dont have one…. where did we get this from?
Even though I went with a propane grill instead of the charcoal (preferred) stand-by, I love my grill. (Plus, I didn’t want to deal with hot coals on my wooden deck.)
I grilled my very first steak last week, and it was delicious.
And then over Memorial Day holiday, I actually grilled shrimp on a Weber just like yours.
AWESOME.
So I have been reading your entire blog the last few months. Everytime I fed my 5 month old or was bored at work, you are fucking hilarious. And I kinda wanna be your bff. Because I also love wine, Jen Lancaster and have 2 cats that puke! I also understand if I creep you out…. I am also from Chicago and I like actually knowing the bars and places you go to or trying to guess. Yeah I’m a nerd, what of it! Just wanted to say thanks for living the hilarious life you do and being brave enough to share it with the world!! Can’t wait for the next post!
You make me SO proud – I’m completely verklempt!
.-= Gav´s last blog ..The First Date Burger =-.
Ooh, those look so pre-e-e-e-tty! Hey, if you make your bbq sauce from scratch (and even if you don’t) here’s a tip. Try adding a couple splashes of beer…especially if you’re doing steak. It tastes so good, and it helps tenderize the meat (or maybe it doesn’t, I might have just made that up but I think it’s true. Beer can also condition your hair, and clean your carpets. And walk your dog.)
Plus, then you can drink the rest of the bottle, plus finish the six-pack along with dinner, so that even if your barbecue’s burnt you WILL NOT CARE!
Way to go, girl! Grilled food is the best, IMHO. Well done!
.-= Angella´s last blog ..Everybody Loves A Trainwreck =-.
I too am terrified of the open flame thingy….but we bought a Weber E-320 (or something like that…its the not too big, not too small one. Ridonkulously expensive, but the supposedly the lighter button never breaks, unlike every other grill we’ve owned. And that means I dont have to light the flame with a match. I just push the button! So easy! ) And now I grill pretty much 6 nights a week, even in the winter. Throw a piece of meat in marinade for an hour, slice up some veggies/fruit, toss all of it on the grill, 20 minutes later we have dinner.
Well done, Grasshopper! The kabobs look yummy!!!!
Go Cave girl!!! Proud of you. I’ve never grilled, either.
.-= tracey´s last blog ..Yo =-.
I am terrified of the grill…mostly because I feel like I wouldn’t know when the meat was done cooking and I’d give everyone around me salmonella or something worse.
.-= alimartell´s last blog ..Stealing Ideas from Kerri > Not Stealing Ideas from Kerri =-.
in VA you’re not allowed to have grills on balconies of any apt / townhouse unit. it’s sad SLASH an excellent excuse for me not to have to pretend i want a grill.
.-= Alice´s last blog ..hello! i suck at health. =-.
Bacon now has an adventure game! http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/games/dd3d/
Dude! I’m on my way. Look for me – blue bike. 😉
Ree´s last blog post ..Grace in Small Things: 72/365
jparks just about cried when he found out that we can’t have a grill on our balcony in Austin. Maybe we’ll just come visit so you can grill for him.
regan´s last blog post ..I stand by the fact that it’s too hot in Texas for a beard