The temperatures are rising, the trees are greening and the grill is ready. I like to grill as much as possible during the warm months. The cold doesn’t stop me, but I don’t do as much cold weather grilling as I would like to. It helps that the summer brings longer periods of daylight too. It’s very hard to tell when something is done on the grill when the only light source is the coals beneath!

Charcoal, gas, wood. I have tried all types of grilling and always fall back on my dependable Char Griller charcoal grill that looks like a drum cut in half. I am now through my third set of cast iron grates. Yes, I like to grill.

For a time, I thought gas was the way to go. I bought a nice gas grill (did I mention I had to beg and beg the wife?) hooked it up, checked the connections about a hundred times (blowing up is not a fun sport) and lit it with the automatic igniter. Then I proceeded to burn the beast to a crisp. One bad thing about gas is that the heat doesn’t change by itself, you have to adjust the knobs. With wood and charcoal, the heat tends to dissipate as cooking time progresses. Of course the down side there is you have to keep adding charcoal or wood unless you don’t want your meat properly cooked.

I have tried hardwood smoking, but it is a long process and not everything tastes better smoked. Hamburgers come to mind. By the time they are smoked to doneness, they
are as dry and hard as hockey pucks.

Another nice thing about grilling is it can be a spectator sport. My kitchen is too small for friends, even family members, to hang out in while I am cooking. But grilling is done in the great outdoors and attracts all the visitors. My friends like the smell of charcoal
infused fumes wafting through the air.

Here are a couple of simple grilling recipes to make a satisfying summer meal. Heat your grill to medium high heat, around 350 degrees. Move your charcoal to an indirect heat method, which means the thoroughly heated coals are separated and pushed to each side of the grill. Brush four boneless chicken breasts with olive oil and place in the middle of the grill. Cover the grill. You can also grill your vegetables. I usually place them over the actual coals about mid way into the cooking of the breasts. Typically, I will cook zucchini, onions and asparagus, which I have also brushed with
olive oil.

I do not believe in giving times for how long a piece of meat will take to cook. I believe in the thermometer. Cooking times have all kinds of variables such as temperature, meat thickness, even how many times you open the grill cover! A thermometer is a foolproof way of eliminating the need to return half cooked meat to the burner.

Once the vegetables have reached your preferred doneness and have just the right amount of char on them, remove them from the direct heat, salt and pepper to your taste. When the chicken has cooked to its proper temperature–165 degrees–remove, salt and pepper to your taste. Serve with your vegetables and you have a light tasting summer meal, preferably enjoyed outside on the patio.