Charcoal Barbeque Grills
Charcoal Grills
People have been grilling since pre-colonial times in America. The Arawak used a wooden structure to roast their meat called a barbacoa. Eventually this word came to describe the pit style of cooking hogs in the Southeastern United States and the art of charcoal barbeque grilling was born.
Charcoal as we know it was developed by E.G.Kingsford. Kingsford was related to Henry Ford and used the large amounts of scrap wood from the Model T Production lines to make charcoal. George Stephen was a welder for the Weber company and he primarily made buoys from steel spheres welded together. He created the spherical design of modern grills. His neighbors called it sputnik. He took the lower half of the buoy and welded legs onto it. Then he made a smaller sphere for the lid and voila, a grill resulted.
Outdoor gas grills were invented in 1960 in Arkansas as a way to sell natural gas to residential customers. William Wepler bought a traditional grill and adapted it in his garage to use gas as fuel. Todays’ gas grills can be as small as a portable one steak model to large models that can cook for a hundred people.
Probably the simplest charcoal grill is the brazier. It has no lid or vents. It is a pan, usually on legs, with a cooking grid that can be moved up or down over the fire. These grills are still available today. You can even buy disposable ones in most grocery stores.
Although gas grills have their fans, most competition barbequers prefer to use charcoal. They love the smokey taste and can use different woods to achieve different flavors. Most of these grills are large and custom made. Some are even pulled on their own wheels behind a truck. Competative charcoal barbeque contests are held all over the countrY.
For those of us who just enjoy cooking outside on the weekends, a simple charcoal grill works just fine. Cooking on the charcoal grill need not be limited to burgers and hot dogs. Try some chicken, fish, vegetables, or even pizza on the grill. You’ll be an accomplished barbecue chef in no time at all.
