Ever since we started the deck project, Bunky has been very assertive in our need for a grill.  I guess Bunky’s family used to grill all the time and she loves eating out on the deck.  My dad had a grill be we didn’t grill that much so I never saw the need.  However, after getting a grill last week, I am a complete convert.

We have a natural gas hookup, but we decided to get a cheaper propane grill for now.  Bunky says that most normally priced grills just don’t last that many years, and since we didn’t know how much we’d use it we didn’t want to spend too much for a natural gas grill.  Plus we have the grill on the far side of the deck, so there might be a hose to trip on.

I was lucky enough to get the grill pre-assembled at Lowes, but it took some work to get a shelf off the side in order to get the grill to fit in the SUV (like 9 screws, WTF!).  As much trouble as it was taking screws off in the dark and rain, it beat assembling the whole grill by myself.  I also got a heavy-duty waterproof cover and a propane tank.

The first time I tried the grill, the flames were very small but I thought that was normal.  Unfortunately, even after 20 minutes, the grill never climbed above 300 which even I realized was very pathetic.  I was ready to take the chicken off the grill and just broil it, but as I was shutting off the burners, one leapt up.  This led me to try the classic “restart solution” which of course worked wonders and immediately sent the grill to like 700 degrees.

I guess I haven’t had much home-grilled meat, but OMG it adds so much flavor and texture!  The speed is also a big factor for me, and cleanup is fairly easy since drips and crumbs are less of an issue outside.  The biggest surprise is how much Kiwi loves grilled meat.  He’s a picky eater and hates the texture of meat, so usually we have to hide ground up meat in heavy sauce.  However, he eats grilled chicken and beef normally!  I’m a big fan and we’ve grilled almost every day since getting the grill.  Gotta get the most bang for the buck!