Girl Meets Grill

I read a few stories about a friends experience with grilling today and while hers was much more entertaining I still thought I would share mine.

Grill, 1: Tarah, 0

I am not a culinary whiz. I can cook, I really like cooking. I make some pretty decent stuff here and there. We just recently got a grill and I was excited to try out this new method of cooking. I read a little about grilling online a little and I have seen it done so I figured I could handle something simple.

I asked the mother in law to come over and help out and eat my amazing creations. I knew dinner would be great that night. I could picture it in my head from the prepping to the grilling to the eating. Chicken, corn and potatoes. Got it.

I start by getting everything ready inside. I have my platter ready, the chicken has been marinated, veggies have been wrapped in foil, we are ready to go. I hook up the tank (I at least had the sense to know that charcoal would be far beyond my outdoor cooking capabilities), turn on the grill and get ready to cook. I wait until the grill is slightly hotter than the surface of the sun and put the potatoes on first. They have to cook the longest. After a while I go and turn them and add the corn and chicken. So far, so good.

I come inside, timing the chicken, to get some more utensils. The raw chicken, cooked chicken, do not contaminate lectures are running through my brain. I go out side to check on the food and WOW! That chicken is crisp. By crisp I mean REALLY crisp. and black. I still have this under control. I turn down the crematorium hoping to avoid "crisping" the other side of the chicken. I run inside for...who knows what and go back out to check on my food and WOW! That chicken is on fire! Seriously on fire!

At this point, between getting food on the grill and then back off of the grill, I have used about 5 pans or platters or plates and just about every utensil that was clean. Here I am holding a pair of tongs as long as my arm trying to get a flaming chicken breast off of a grill that is putting off so much heat I can almost hear my skin start to sizzle. I grab the chicken with these tongs and wave it around in the air desperately trying to extinguish the flame. That doesn't work. I can only imagine what my MIL was thinking if she were to look out the window and see me blowing out that piece of chicken like a birthday candle.

Dinner was slightly edible. I cut up the pieces that didn't disintegrate and that was that. Since then I have yet to try again. Fortunately Charles has taken over as grill master in our house. He has spent time researching and finding recipes. I guess it makes him feel accomplished. I have never seen him turn on the stove, I don't think he even knows how, but he has been amazing on the grill. He has been disappointed on the weekends that he hasn't been able to try something new. I know it's just a grill but being able to hang out at the house with the kids and the moms the past few weekends makes you realize how important family is. I wouldn't trade days like that for anything!