Looking Forward to Labor Day Weekend

A week ago last Thursday, that'd be the 16th, my wife asked me to grill burgers for lunch on a weekday. Apart from that, I've been in my regular routine: putting burger patties on the grill for the noon meal each Saturday and Sunday.

Labor Day weekend is coming, so hypothetically I might get a chance to grill on Monday. Then again, I might not.

My grilling style is still simple - or unimaginative - or elegant. I go out, grill the burgers on one side until they're starting to turn brown around the edges, flip them, and then either wait until they're done all the way through: or over-done.

I'm getting better at not making burger briquettes: and should have my 'summer' skill refined by the time it's winter again.

It's Good to be Back: Or, the Grill and the Vine

What with one thing and another, It's been a long time since I grilled burgers.


At least that vine hadn't started climbing the grill's legs. (July 14, 2012)

I grilled lunch Saturday and Sunday: actually, my contribution was the hamburger patties. It's been hot, and it's nice to have one 'heat' process out of the kitchen.

I also enjoy getting out and grilling. Now that two major home-improvement projects are (almost) completed, and I've got a better grip on a health issue or two, I expect to be out more often.

Vaguely-related posts:

• "Summer: Getting Used to the Heat"
  (July 27, 2011)
• "Memorial Day Weekend"
  Through One Dad's Eye (May 28, 2011)
• "Grilling and Spring Thaw"
  (April 3, 2011)
• "Grilling in Winter: Usually"
  (December 11, 2010)
• "The Grill is Dead, Long Live the Grill!"
  (July 3, 2010)

Summer: Getting Used to the Heat

Thanks to my son-in-law's advice about flipping the burgers once, and no more - and flipping them when the edges have started to turn brown - I'm not longer taking hamburger briquettes off the grill.

Then there's the annual adjustment to summer. Grilling in winter, the flame is just as hot - but around the grill can be below zero. Fahrenheit. In summer, it's anywhere from 'room temperature' up to 90 or so. That makes a difference in how fast burgers get ready to flip.

This summer, I flatter myself that I've learned a bit faster than usual - again avoiding taking briquettes inside.

Grilling and Spring Thaw

I grilled burgers for the noon meal yesterday and today: standing on pavement each day, not snow and ice.

It's a welcome change from winter.

I've even learned when to flip the burger patties - when they start turning brown around the edges. That advice from my son-in-law, who's visiting today.

The trick now will be to apply that knowledge in the field. Or, rather, on the grill.

Grilling in Winter: Usually

I've noticed that I enjoy grilling a lot more than I enjoy writing about grilling.

There haven't been many missed opportunities since my last post, to get outside at noon on Saturday and Sunday: but today's one of them.

There's a winter storm in progress - not much of a one, but there's been a bit of wind and snow. That wouldn't be so bad, but I've been running a fever - and my wife said that I wasn't grilling. After about a quarter century, I'm learning to listen to her. That's another topic.



That's what the grill looked like a week ago, after my son shoveled it out.

It'll have to be excavated again - maybe tomorrow: or more likely next weekend.

The Grill is Dead, Long Live the Grill!

The flame on my grill faded a week ago today, and wouldn't light at all on Sunday. I took part of the grill apart and confirmed that no propane was coming through - at all.

Later, I had an informative talk with a young man named Marcus at Fleet Supply here in Sauk Centre. I learned a few things about grills, LP tanks, and troubleshooting. And, that quite a lot of air had gotten into the tank I had brought in to be filled.

Returning home, I attached the tank - and still had no gas coming through the system. I'd demonstrated, though, that the tank itself was okay. The problem was somewhere in the two feet of tubing and equipment between the tank and the grill's manifold.

Given time, I'd probably have isolated the problem and corrected it. Quite likely by replacing the regulator.

But I don't bend as well as I'd like to, and I still don't have a completely adequate sense of touch in the thumb and first two fingers of my right hand - a legacy of carpal tunnel syndrome several years back.

More to the point, I run several blogs and have been doing a bit of work for a production company this week. Troubleshooting that grill would have been an interesting set of tasks - but it would also have taken me quite a bit of time. Which is something I didn't have a lot of.

Besides, this was a great excuse to buy a new grill.



The new one is a Char Broil, like its predecessor. Eventually I may get a higher-end unit: but this is fine for now.

My new grill has four flame areas in the fire box - double the number of the old one - and a side burner. There are lots more things to break down on this one.

Including an "electronic ignition." Right now, it works fine: producing sparks at a great rate. I've no idea how long it'll stay functional. I've found a few things I can try in a troubleshooting guide on the Char Broil website, though: which I'll try to remember.

Today I used the new grill for the first time - and over-did the burgers by a bit. Which I often do, anyway. This grill definitely burns hotter than the old one did.

About the old grill? I'm keeping it around. If I don't find out what kept it from working, I'm pretty sure that my son-in-law can. In which case, I'll have two working grills - for those rare occasions when I get ambitious and try something besides burgers. Or, in case I want to grill lots of burgers at once.

A Bricked-in Shed Door, and Rain

One more frustration. The new patio looks great - but there's still a little work left to do. Like getting the bricks pressed down to their proper position.

That's left the shed door shut. Since bricks come up to within a couple inches of it - and are a fraction of an inch higher than the bottom of the door - it's going to stay that way, at least until Monday. The grill is still outside - but the LP cylinder was put in the shed. Which is where it'll stay for the weekend.

Sure, I could do something drastic about the door. But I'm not that fanatical about grilling each weekend.

Besides, it's raining a little.

Related post:

• "New Patio: Worth Waiting 20 Years"
  (June 4, 2010)

New Patio: Worth Waiting 20 Years

My wife is finally getting one of her wishes: a brick-paved patio in back. And I get to grill out there. Maybe this weekend: although that depends on how much they get done today.

We've wanted something like that, ever since we moved in about 20 years ago. It took a lot of saving, and an inheritance, but I think it'll be worth the wait.

- Later -

What's frustrating is that it looks like I'll have to wait until next weekend, at least. Looks like the bricks didn't get packed (?) and so I don't want to leave anything heavy standing on them. Like a grill. Or me.

Easy Griller: Five Years Online

I launched the Easy Griller website five years ago, on Memorial Day weekend.

Back then, it was a sort of micro-site, sharing a domain with my 'flagship' website, Brendan's Island. It's changed in the last half-decade:

• Easy Griller, 2005
• Easy Griller, today

Gas Meter Moved, Website Updated: That's Progress!

Two more-or-less-unrelated things happened today.

• A crew from our gas utility came, moving our gas meter and re-routing the gas line
• I updated the Easy Griller website

Both of those events have something to do with grilling: and both are long-overdue.

Back in March, I assumed that our gas utility would take care of finding the utility lines and spray-painting our yard. It's that 'call before you drill' thing that's mandated here in Minnesota.

Time passed. About a month later, we started asking questions. Turns out, a supervisor at the utility hadn't been letting work orders leave his desk. I had a nice chat with one of about 10 guys who were out in our part of Minnesota, sorting out the mess that supervisor had left. As the fellow I talked to said, 'he isn't working with the company any more.'

The good news is that the - ah, relaxed? - supervisor apparently hadn't destroyed any work orders. He'd just left them at his desk.

So, we had spray paint on our grass. I waited for the crew to come out and do the digging it'd take to relocate the gas meter.

I should be pretty good at waiting by now: I've had a lot of practice this year.

Another phone call. I explained that the original coat of paint was disappearing as the grass grew - and that they'd need to come out for a second coat. Oh, yeah - about moving the gas meter?

Another fellow came, touched up the original lines and added a few more (May 25, 2010) - and yesterday a couple young men came with shovels, a DitchWitch, and assorted other tools.

I get the impression that some homeowners they've been talking with aren't as friendly as I was. Me? I'm delighted to see that the utility is following through on this project.

If all goes well, work on the new patio will start next Tuesday.

I'm looking forward to that.

False Alarm

The flatbed I saw, getting ready to unload, is delivering supplies to our neighbor across the street, north.

Frost is out of the ground by now, for the most part, so it's time to get outdoor work done. The joke around here is that Minnesota has four seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring and Road Work.

March Winds: in April

It's been two weeks, about, since I spent a nearly-sleepless weekend getting tax-related reports ready. For some reason, it takes me longer to bounce back from that sort of thing now, than it did when I was in college. In the early seventies.

Since the last post, I've gotten a new spatula. Not the $4.29 Char Broil model I mentioned before. I went a little more upscale and got one at Fleet Supply: a solid number by Grill Zone that set me back a little over $5.00 USD, after tax.

I think it was worth the extra expense: the spatula blade and core of the handle are a single piece of stainless steel, with hardwood bolted on the handle to give insulation and a better grip. It should last a while.

I grilled burgers again this weekend. There was so much wind that I had to get a sort of tiny bonfire of matches going before the LP gas would light. And that was with #1 daughter holding the sandbox cover up to provide a wind break.

The burgers were a little over-done, but I think I'm handling the transition to summer grilling pretty well. And learning when to keep 'enough' from becoming 'goo much.'

Oh, boy: I think material for the patio is being delivered.

So That's Why It was Hard to Light!

The grill's been harder to light the last few times. I didn't think much of it: wind and weather make quite a difference when starting the fire.

Then, about four minutes into today's session, I noticed that the grill wasn't hot. It wasn't even warm. No surprise, really: I was out of gas. Or, rather, the LP gas cylinder was.

The burgers were defrosted before the fire went out, but not by much. My wife finished heating them on the stove. They turned out fine: but without that grilled taste.

Refilling the cylinder was no problem. I just took it over to Fleet Supply, on Sauk Centre's Beltline road, and enjoyed getting out of the house.

I've been getting nine day's of tax preparation done in two this weekend. Which is another topic. ("Lemming Tracks: Tax Time Surprise," Apathetic Lemming of the North, (March 20, 2010))

Three Hundred Dollars for a Drink Mixer?! If You've Got the Budget: Go For It!

"Hot Products for Outdoor Entertaining"
Outside Views - Blog on Casual Living, (March 11, 2010)

"Our homes are expanding as our Patios are becoming a continuation of our residences. As the weather begins to warm it's satisfying to arrange those outdoor BBQ's with family and friends. Its time to get ready to create a perfect outdoor entertainment setting, whether it be for large family gatherings, small intimate get-togethers under the stars, casual entertaining or spur of the moment patio picnics. Before long you and your guests will be relaxing in the serenity of your own backyard.

"An outdoor kitchen complete with a grill can be the centerpiece of outdoor entertaining. One hot item that will certainly keep you cool is the Margaritaville® Explorer™ Cordless Frozen Concoction Maker™..."

Casual living says that they're "The Voice of the Leisure Marketplace". I'll let you decide whether or not they speak for you.

The post tells how wonderful the Margaritaville® Explorer™ Cordless Frozen Concoction Maker™ and Margaritaville Key West Frozen Concoction Maker are. There's a Margaritaville frozen concoction maker, too.

These are items I'm pretty sure my household won't be picking up.

Don't get me wrong: I have nothing against Margaritaville® products, Frozen Concoction Makers or other consumer versions of mechanical drink mixers. If someone wants to pay $299.99 for a Concoction Maker, and can do so while meeting their obligations: great.

Me? I'm the Easy Griller. My next big purchase is likely to be a new metal spatula for the grill. I could spend something like $20 on a fancy one: but I'm more likely to go with something like what Char-Broil sells for about $4.29.

The products extolled in that post are attractive: and may very well be worth getting. Particularly for folks who entertain.

The author showed a working knowledge of how food, drinks, and people work together:

"...Just as the kitchen tends to be a gathering spot during parties, your outdoor kitchen will also provide this same meeting spot. As you are grilling sumptuous recipes such as this Island Shrimp in Cilantro Tomato Blush, your guests will be standing close by visiting and enjoying the aromas that emerge from the grill...."

Except that, in my family, grilling is when my oldest daughter is likely to come out and spend some time with me.

And I don't, as a rule, do "sumptuous recipes." Flame-grilled burgers taste great on their own: and are something I can do without devoting a significant fraction of a day to food preparation.

But, some folks seem to enjoy the preparation as much as they do eating the food.

Everybody's not like me: which is just as well, particularly for the folks who manufacture and sell Margaritaville® products.

---

Sorry: I can't let this go without comment:

"...As the weather begins to warm it's satisfying to arrange those outdoor BBQ's with family and friends...." That apostrophe shouldn't be there. The writer obviously wanted to use the plural form of BBQ - which is BBQs, not "BBQ's".

That apostrophe is used for the possessive form of a word: like "the BBQ's lid." If there was more than one BBQ, it'd be "BBQs' lids."

I suppose I should be grateful that the words were spelled correctly.

More:

• "Pity Your Readers: Learn How to Write With Style"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (July 13, 2008)
• "The Apostrophe: It's "EMPLOYEES ONLY" - Not "EMPLOYEE'S ONLY""
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (July 12, 2008)

Something New Coming

Last year, 2009, this household was in crisis mode, financially. The head-on highway collision, wedding, death, and too-close-for-comfort almost-fatality didn't do much to relieve the stress. ("2009: This Year Was Not Boring," Through One Dad's Eye (December 31, 2009))

Well, that was then, this is now. The freeze on non-vital expenditures is off. And, happily, we didn't need to use our reserves.

What, In the Name of Sanity, Does This have to Do with Grilling?!

For most of the two decades we've been living in this house, we've been going to do something about the corner of the back yard where I grill. This year, we're able to do something about it. Pure thoughts, clean living, avoiding debt, and marrying a woman who knows how to manage a household all helped. The last two points, anyway.

As soon as the weather permits, plus about a week, I should be grilling on something other than occasionally-damp sod.

Since this is Minnesota, that could be anywhere from later this month to some time in May.

Grilling in the Minnesota Springtime

Ever wonder why so few people who live in Minnesota lapse into poetic ecstasy on the subject of springtime? This video may explain why:

It's Spring: Minnesota Style

I'm able to see more of the base of the grill now.

It's springtime in Minnesota: which isn't the blooming-flowers-and-chirping-birds event it is in some places. (See March 3, 2010, Sauk Centre Journal Blog, for photos.)

At this rate, by the weekend I may have to decide whether it makes more sense to stop down snow in front of the grill to provide solid footing, or scrape away what's left and hope the sod isn't too sodden.

Winter Grilling: (Not Quite) Everybody's Doing It!

A while ago I started looking for examples of other folks who share my interest in - or willingness to - grill outside in the winter. Here in central Minnesota, that takes determination, stubbornness, and maybe a touch of insanity. I'm not sure what the mix is.

Or maybe it's the way burgers taste when they're grilled that has me standing in the snow.

Anyway, here's another article about outdoor grilling in winter. An excerpt, actually:

"Enthusiasts embrace winter grilling"
Daily Herald (Chicago) (February 24, 2010)

"Mother Nature recently dumped more than a foot of snow on us, blanketing backyards and covering outdoor decks with cold white powder. Then the winds blew, creating drifts that blockaded sliding glass doors and made the path to the grill treacherous.

"But that didn't stop Scott McCadam from strapping on his boots, pulling on his coat and grilling prime rib for dinner.

" 'I really don't know why I do it,' says McCadam, of St. Charles. 'I know it's crazy... everything just tastes better on the grill.'

"According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, 56 percent of grill owners use their grills year-round... but you have to figure a good many of those live in places where the mercury rarely drops into single digits. So here in the Midwest with our unpredictable blizzards and teeth chattering wind chills, winter grilling takes a certain kind of mind set, or lack thereof...."

The rest of the article is a pretty good writeup of outdoor grilling, upper Midwest style.

There are practical observations - and common-sense safety advice. Like keeping the grill at least five feet away from the wall. You can stand the cold easier than you can deal with having your home burn down.

Sunday, Ice, Snow, and a Suddenly Sinking Cane

I grilled burgers for lunch this afternoon, with #1 daughter to keep me company. It's warmer - not far below freezing - so the snow and ice is melting in spots. #1 daughter found a slick spot, but I think I have her beat: My cane abruptly sank in an extra couple of inches at one point.

That was an interesting experience - particularly since I was holding a plate of frozen burger patties at the time.

I think I'm definitely back in the grill-each-weekend routine now: and loving it.

Grilling in Winter: Nice to Know I'm Not Alone

I ran into this item today:

"A little cold weather doesn't put the freeze on cooking outdoors"
Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky (February 24, 2010)

"The snow has piled up on the deck. A brisk wind sweeps across the yard. Night has fallen hard by 6 p.m. But the grill outside Elizabeth Bartholomew's kitchen has been fired up, waiting to cook supper: salmon on a cedar plank with honey-mustard glaze, potato wedges and asparagus.

"For some aficionados of outdoor cooking, seasons are irrelevant. Most barbecues are tucked away in garages or basements, or snuggled under weatherproof canvas wraps by Halloween. But Bartholomew and her husband, Chris, have never let a little cold weather or even a half-foot or so of snow interfere with their passion for grilling...."

One phrase, "even a half-foot or so of snow" hints that whoever wrote the article didn't live here in Minnesota - no surprise, since it's in a Kentucky newspaper. A half-foot of snow here isn't "even" - unless it's in September. As wrote in another blog:

"...Snow. We've had snow this winter. Lots of snow. A drift in my back yard just about covers two lawn chairs - and even after excavations, I have to bend over to reach the grill when I'm fixing burgers on the weekend. I figure I'm standing on at least a half-foot of compacted snow and ice...."
(Sauk Centre Journal Blog, February 24, 2010)

Although I applaud them for grilling year-round, the Bartholomew's obviously have a different approach to outdoor cookery than I do. I mean to say: can you imagine the Easy Griller preparing "salmon on a cedar plank with honey-mustard glaze, potato wedges and asparagus"?

It sounds delicious - but I'm not likely to spend that sort of time and effort on a meal.

If you're interested, though: the article includes a few recipes.