Cooking Out

Grilling has become my favorite outdoor sport. It must be the mystic of man vs fire. Will the man win or will the meal scorch?

I use a charcoal grill (unlike the image above). It is basic fire. Get the charcoal that is pre-soaked with lighter fluid, pile around the bottom, light a match and stand back. Whoosh! That beginning of a afternoon or evening of sitting beside the fire, burning meat.

Oh yes and vegetables. Kabobs, corn in their shucks, Mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, onions.....

The list goes on and on. Of course there are some foods that do not work well on the grill. Celery comes to mind.

The summertime favorite is hot dogs. It's easy, fast and last for a week. Get a package of red hots, place each gingerly on the grill slots and close the lid. Have a beer, watch some baseball, listen to a few tunes, then come back and raise the lid.

Once you blow the smoke out of your face, grab your tongs (there is another whole posting for this unique instrument) and turn the dogs so the red side faces the fire and the charred side faces away from the fire. Pretty easy huh?

Grab another beer, listen to some more tunes, but never wander too far from the smoking area.

And remember, hot dogs don't drip like steak and hamburgers, so they don't cool the coals. The fire burns fast and hot. The big plump hot dog will plump up and split if it gets too fat.

But there is the danger of overcooking a plump hot dog causing shrinkage. One or two of these charcoal wonders may fall through the grate and become sacrifices to the fire gods. That's OK. It's additional seasoning.

Grab those surviving bad boys and slap them into aluminum wrap. Fold them up and place them in the fridge. They can be quickly placed in a bun and popped in the microwave for .30 seconds to become a quick meal. Two if you are really hungry.

And if you grow tired of burnt weenies every night, feed them to the dog.

Now I'm no grill master. I don't use special rubs or sauces, though I do enjoy reading about them. Shoot, I don't even clean the grill until I'm ready to cook again.

But it is soothing about sitting by the fire and watch the smoke rise and listing to the splatter of grease popping on the embers.

And remember boys and girls. Safety tip from Smokey the Bear.

Always have a bucket of water handy.

I know. I cooked a turkey once and burnt my eyebrows off.

* Thanks Gary for the image.