It was the smell that got me.....first BoBo, my little pup, started going to the door to the deck, his nose sniffing the air. Then when I took him out for a walk I noticed it....hard not to, I think the humidity made it cling to the air.I was suddenly flooded with memories of days past, warm summer nights, family & friends, picnics, fireworks and July 4th, children's laughter, fireflies, good music.....amazing what the smell of burgers on a neighbor's grill can bring to mind.
A grill is something that has been lurking at the back of my mind. I haven't owned one in several years, Mike did all the grilling and when he could no longer eat regular food, owning a grill just didn't seem too important. Add to that the fact that I almost never used a grill myself, that was always sort of the man's domain.
While I love the smell and the taste of grilled foods be it burgers, hot dogs or chicken, I wondered if I would really use one. I read all the forum posts with interest, everyone debating the best grill, the best size, the best cooking method (gas or charcoal). For small the winner was the throw-away versions sold at Wal-Mart. For taste the winners tended to be way too large for my needs (and storage space).
I have pretty much resigned myself to using my small George Foreman grill outside, even though the taste wouldn't be the same. But that doesn't stop me from reading the posts about new grill discoveries. Recently I read about a smallish (24"x15"x6" and 20 or so pounds) propane grill. It's the Coleman InstaStart PerfectFlow Portable Grill. Looks like it would be perfect for folks with minimal storage space, still a bit too large for me though.
Another favorite for those with space to spare is the Coleman Road Trip Grill. It has its own stand so it's great for those times when there is no picnic or other table available. You can even order wheeled carry case for it....high tech! ;)
I did come across what looks like it would have been perfect....shame that they appear to have gone out of business (or aren't producing it anymore). Neat little grill, EZ-Grill, that folds flat for storage, yes, it's charcoal but how can you beat under four pounds and folds flat? LOL!
EDIT: A friend sent me a couple of links to other portable grills so I wanted to add them here. Grilliput Portable Grill and Grill4All
So it's back to the George Foreman and maybe finding some nice campground neighbors that notice when I'm drooling......
Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna
Stu and Donna
I second the cheap Wal-Mart grill recommendation. We got one for the deck of the condo this past February when we spent the month in Phoenix on business. It worked like a charm and is probably still on the deck of that condo!
ReplyDeleteInexpensive, compact, legs fold over the top to form handles, can store small bag of charcoal inside the grill...what's not to like? Besides...you'll have all kinds of room in the trailer now that you downsized from the Hog to the Beemer! :-)
D
I like the propane grills. They are a lot quicker and cleaner & I think, easier to use. I bought a fairly expensive gas thing from Camping World a few years ago called a Camp Chef. It turned out to be more of a stove that you were supposed to put a diffuser into to grill things on. It was too hot to do a good job at grilling anything, but if you ever wanted to heat a big kettle of water it would do that well. I think my lesson is to be careful & not buy something that is a lot bigger than needed. It may not really work very well.
ReplyDeleteI've had one "even smaller" than an EZGrill for about 5 years now.Seem to remember buying it atRiteAid...for under $10...It's now carried/stored under the passenger seat...In my mind,gas just doesn't "grill the same taste" as charcoal does...Just line it with "heavy duty" aluminum foil before each use, and the lil bugger will last forever!...plus the cleanup is easy...just wait until next morning (when it's cooled off), remove the grill...then carefully wad the ashes into the aluminum foil, and dispose appropriately...For one (or two) people, there is no reason to "need" a larger (or heavier) setup....and a small bag of charcoal doesn't take much room, either, Dahlin'Froggi...
ReplyDeleteGlad to read that "the Journey" is about to get underway! Looking forward to "bumping into" you one day!
Michael.Crowe,and Wanderwolf the RV