What’s wrong with this picture?
No, it's not the "DANGER MEN COOKING" sign. That's just a little accessory I picked up for my husband, to encourage him to cook as much as possible.
What's wrong is that our lonely Weber Grill hasn’t been used — or even dusted off — since last fall.
And why is it wearing a bungee cord? Because throughout the winter, South Reno had some whopper wind storms with gusts of 60-70 mph. When the wind is that vicious, even heavy objects like a Weber Grill lid can go flying like a kite.
Notice, too, that there is rain on the patio? It hardly ever rains in South Reno! When it does, it’s cause for either mass confusion (because South Renoites don't know how to drive in the rain) or celebration (for instance, when we’re on high alert for wildfires).
In the Midwest, everyone and their brother owns a Weber Grill. There even are awesome Weber Grill restaurants, where everything and anything, including dessert, is prepared on a Weber Grill: http://www.webergrillrestaurant.com/index.html
The traditional, charcoal Weber Grill was invented in 1951 by George Stephen, a welder from Chicago, who worked at Weber Brothers Metal Works. The design was inspired by the large metal spheres that the company welded together to make buoys for the Coast Guard.
At first, George Stephen's neighbors laughed at his rounded cooking contraption. But tasting was believing, as he offered them samples of delicious steak cooked under the dome.
With the help of a former salesman from Chicago’s Montgomery Ward department store, the Weber-Stephen Products Co. launched a series of live grilling demonstrations that made the Weber Grill a hot commodity — pun intended.
Before we moved to South Reno, we were told that Northern Nevada enjoys four seasons. That’s not quite true. Two seasons would be more accurate: hot and cold. Windy applies to both.
Thus, we don’t get to use our beloved Weber Grill as often as we did in Chicago or Seattle, in spite of the abundance of rain in those locations.
One of these days, when the planets are in ideal alignment — or at least when it’s not too windy here in the high desert —we’ll unfurl the bungee cord and break out Weber’s Big Book of Grilling.
This great cookbook, published in Canada in 2001, features beautiful photos by James Beard Award-winning photographer Tim Turner and more than 300 recipes for everything from burgers and bratwurst to Pizza Margherita, Bananas Calypso and barbecued cabbage. I got my copy for a steal, $9.98 at Half-Price Books in Redmond, Washington. Original price was $22.95 U.S.
Several newer cookbooks for the Weber Grill, if you are lucky enough to own one, are available at South Reno’s Barnes and Noble, 5555 S. Virginia St.
That book store's also a good place to hang out when the weather's too crummy to use your grill. "Winner, winner, chicken dinner!" Summer can't arrive soon enough.
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