To grill, or not to grill — that’s not the question.
You will grill.
But what kind of contraption will you fill with heat, pack with meat and veggies, and stand beside, clutching a cold one?
Now there’s a good question.
For some of us (hand waving in air), grilling isn’t something that comes attached to a season. We grill in snow. But rumor has it many people close down their grills for eight months or more, through the fall, the winter, deep into spring. They unveil the grills — Ta daa! — like swimming pools, somewhere around … well, this weekend.
Whether you smoke turkeys for Thanksgiving on your grill, or use it more for burger-and-brat July Fourth kinda’ get-togethers, the grill is part of your food world, and it says something about you. It stands in the backyard, shrieking things like: “This dude closes me down every September. HE IS A PSYCHOPATH!”
OK, the grill doesn’t shriek. But is there a difference between the gal who buys the and the one who goes ape over her Hybrid Fire Freestanding Grill? Most definitely.
Check out these grills — each one different, each great in its own way 8c
Big Green Egg
This is a serious grill — er, grill/oven/smoker — best suited for all-season outdoor cooking. ; they even run busy “) and tips. If you are looking for gas, then look away — Big Green Eggs are charcoal only. If you are looking for something that can fire up to 700 degrees for cooking pizzas, hold a 200-degree temperature for hours smoking a pork shoulder roast — or just char some steaks, this could be a good bet. Five sizes, about $400 to $1,200.
The car: A never-die, no-frills, ’57 Chevy
The Colorado beer:, because it packs a wallop
The sport: Mountain biking, because it ‘s simple yet complex. Like the Egg
Sure, the heat matters to you, but it’s the smoke that really lights your fire. When you think of grilling and chilling, you dream of those hot links and that slab of brisket you devoured in the Texas Hill Country; the plate of burnt ends from Kansas City; the pulled-pork sandwich from that North Carolina roadside shack. You could use any grill, really, for smoking, but you want a spark of drama. You desire a downhome smoker aesthetic that suggests “jerry-rigged out of a steel drum and a stovepipe.” So you’ll go for one of the black-metal, stovepiped contraptions on the market, like this one from Char-Broil (Char Griller is another common brand.) Even if you never quite nail the hill-country brisket, you at least will look like you could. About $210.
The car:
The Colorado beer:, because you might (should?) drink a lot waiting for that brisket. You’ll need to pace yourself, and Joe’s is nice and light, but never bland; it is snappy with hops.
The sport: Fly-fishing — because you, unlike some folks, will actually smoke those trout
You like fire so much you bring the grill around with you — to the stadium parking lot for tailgating, to the campsite, to the lakeside. You’ve tried different hibachis. The small, domed Weber grills? Yep. You’ve gone through, oh, a dozen of these, because the lil’ guys get bumped and dropped and squeezed between spare tires and coolers in the backs of Jeeps and, well … they eventually give up. This time, try the Cobb Portable Grill, a gorgeous thing with an ingenious design — all you need is seven or eight charcoal briquettes to run the grill for three hours. And it occupies only about a cubic foot of space when it’s loaded to go home. About $150.
The car:, of course
The beer: , because you will pack those empties away from your grilling spot (and crushed cans are much easier to haul than bottles)
The sport: Snowboarding — it’s fast, it’s fun, and the gear is lightweight
These things cost a fortune, but they aren’t just showpieces. They combine propane with charcoal and even hardwood options, giving grillers the best of both worlds — charcoal or gas — with ease. A Kalamazoo griller could be just a 1 percenter who knows less than 1 percent about grilling (but likes the grill’s arm-candy factor), or … they could be a 1 percenter who is a complete grilling mensch. About $7,500 to $13,000.
The car: A fully loaded Cadillac Escalade
The Colorado beer:, because it’s pricey and aged in French oak barrels — impressive!
The sport: Sailing, because it’s expensive and worthwhile
You’re not a smoke fetishist or a charcoal purist. You’re not a tailgater, not concerned with appearances. What you want is a solid gas grill, something big enough to handle a summer cook-out, something that will last more than a season, a grill that you’ll use now and again for steaks, fish, sausages and beer-can chicken throughout the year. Lots of grills will work for you, the grilling Everywoman. You can’t go wrong with a Weber, and while the Genesis E-301 isn’t cheap (you’ll drop at least $600), few excellent grills are dollar-store material.
The car:, because you want something that works for the whole family.
The Colorado beer: , because everybody will find it acceptable
The sport: Running, because you are all about convenience, utility and dependability.
