In the backyard
The showroom of any man's domain is his backyard regardless of where he might live. And the showpiece of a man's backyard is his grill.
There is some kind of grilling setup for just about any budget and any size environment. There are gas grills that will fit on, and are built exclusively for, table tops -- and then there are those that cost thousands of dollars. It just depends on how many friends you want to entertain at one time and how large your backyard is. So let's talk about how you can get set-up for grilling with the smallest of budgets – or with enough money in your pocket to buy the Taj Mahal.
Most of you probably had first grills similar to mine: those small, charcoal kettle grills with the wobbly legs. Every time the wind blew real hard, I'd find myself looking for the fire extinguisher, trying to put out the fire from the spilled coals. Once I grew to a family of four, that just wasn't going to work. When I finally broke down and bought my first gas grill, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. How much easier could life be than to cook on that nice thing?
So ok, most of us including me didn't have a set of plans to get started grilling. But here's the thing: with just a little planning you can wow your friends and neighbors no matter what size wallet or yard you have.
Before we start, here are a few things to think about:
- the size of your space (yard or deck)
- convenient storage space for tools, charcoal and chips
- a surface to lay out food for cooking or serving
- a table and chairs convenient to the grill
- room for socializing or games
So . . . yard size. Of course you'll want room for family – maybe at least a couple of friends, a table, chairs -- and unless you're on a postage-stamp size deck, space for games or socializing.
Most men will want a grill just a little smaller than the living room even if they have to expand the yard into the living room to fit it. You ladies try to keep them in line by reminding them you might like to be able to sit to eat. Stroke his ego with one of those funny grilling aprons that have the goofy sayings on them.
Small spaces ($100-$500)
To all you newbies out there, you can begin your backyard set-up with a small arrangement that will fit your needs and pocketbook. What I am saying is you can set up your backyard entertainment center for less than a hundred bucks and still have a great time! Remember it’s not the grill, but what comes off the cooking surface that makes for good eats.
About all you'll need to be the perfect host or hostess is a small charcoal grill -- or one of the smaller gas grills if that is what you prefer. As for myself, I'd rather use charcoal or some type of wood because of the great taste it gives the food as it is being cooked. That way, instead of filling a propane tank, you can buy one of the many brands of charcoal chimneys to start the coals.
If you are like most of us when we first started entertaining, you'll begin on a very small scale, inviting just a few people at a time. The menu should probably be hot dogs or hamburgers, quick and easy meals. That's my idea for getting started in this cooking out business, anyway. 'Course Leslie Ann will have something to say about a meal of "just" meat and buns . . . but I say you don’t build a fire by putting the large logs on first. You start by using smaller pieces of wood until you get a blaze and then you put the bigger stuff on to really get the fire roaring. The same is true with the backyard cookout: start with simple meals first, and then gradually move up to steaks and other more difficult cooking as you get comfortable with the cooking process.
My youngest son, Britt, lives in a condo in Dallas and has only a small patio (about 8’x15’) for entertaining, but he does quite nicely with a small gas grill. I think he has about 275 square inches of cooking surface on this grill. He says he can cook about ten burgers at a time or six nice New York strip steaks. He has a small table that can seat about 6 really close friends at one time. He usually cooks side items in the kitchen and then moves them outside when the serious food is ready for serving.
Britt's next move will probably be to get a grill with a side burner so he can do more of his cooking out on the patio. These grills are getting really affordable and can be purchased for as little as $75.00 to $100.00. If that is still out of your budget you can look at second hand stores and usually find one for a little less that is in good shape.
Medium-sized spaces ($500-$5000)
Once you have “it” made, (whatever "it" is), if you're like most of us, you'll probably find yourself expanding. Hopefully you'll be able to afford some nicer things – and men, I'm sure the first thing on your list of improvements will be a much larger grilling area.
One choice you'll need to make is whether you want to taste the meat -- or the heat. In other words, will you choose gas or charcoal for the grill? My personal preference is the charcoal grill because of the good smoky flavor it gives the meat, veggies (yes I said veggies) or fruits you happen to be cooking.
Several factors come into play when you get this far along in your quest for the perfect set-up. All of this information will have to be taken into account when it comes time to go to the nearest outdoor cooking store to make your purchases:
- How much room is there for backyard chef-ing without limiting other family outdoor activities?
- What is my budget for the grill I want and the other things I will need to be a good host?
- How often will we entertain?
- What will be the average size of our parties?
- Is there a maximum number the space can comfortably hold?
My son, Nate, lives in Jacksonville, Arkansas. Has a real nice set up with a great deck, patio, grill and one of those smokers that I refer to as a “bullet smoker” -- you know the type: it looks like a large bullet sitting on its end. Bullet smokers work pretty well, and Nate has managed to turn out some pretty good grub using this thing. If you see him, though, please don’t tell him I said that. Nate told me he had around one thousand dollars tied up in his entire setup. Of course being his dad’s son he built the deck himself.
The point I’m trying to make here is, with a little know how and elbow grease, you can build your own deck and set up a pretty nice barbeque center without breaking the bank.
Knock yer socks off grilling spaces ($5000-Sky is the Limit)
So for y'all where money is no object, who throw caution to the winds and build swimming pools with covered cook stations and all the amenities . . . who are prepared to spend many thousands . . .
Get ready to be the most popular hang-out on the block. I speak from experience on this, because I had one of those setups. It seemed like all I had to do was push the starter button on the grill or get the smoker working pretty good, and all the people in the area suddenly became my best friends. Some of them I knew, and others made me a little suspicious, but that's another story.
With this kind of equipment, you'll have another decision to make: how will you become the most popular chef in the neighborhood? Will you earn the title of best chef, or will you just do it the old fashioned way and buy it?
No matter which way you choose to go, remember the rules of cooking out. Prepare in advance, take your time, and enjoy what you're doing. You can have the greatest set-up in the neighborhood, but if you get rushed or flustered, there will be no joy in Mudville for the evening.
When we have a barbeque, I tell people we'll eat around such and such a time. That gives me a little elbow room if things do go wrong. Also, have a few games in mind for “pre-food” time in case it takes a little longer than expected.
We'll give you more specifics and some layout plans in an early newsletter.