Breaking in the New Grill; or, Weber or Not to Barbecue

Last month during a particularly spring-like jag of weather, we were inspired to go to Runnings Farm & Fleet to look at gas grills to buy one for the cement grilling pad adjacent to our veranda. (We abandoned our falling-apart grill when we made the move to Dickinson and waited until this spring to replace it.) One of my students works for Runnings and told me that they offer free assembly of grills. That--plus the affordable price--was enticing!

We drove to Runnings to select a grill and schedule a time for them to come and put it together. Guess what? They gave us an already assembled one! Next question: would a fully assembled grill fit in the Explorer? As it turns out, yes . . . but not with three girls sitting in the back seat. We (two teen boys on staff at Runnings and I) loaded it into the vehicle, and I left Susan and the girls at the store to buy a propane tank while I delivered the grill to our home. Once I'd retrieved the ladies and everyone was back together at home, Suzanna helped me with final setup details. When suppertime arrived, we quit before hooking up the tank, and the weather worsened in the following days so that we never got back to the grill . . . until last night.

It's a Weber Genesis Silver B, and it's a beaut. Susan made potato packets, and I grilled them and bratwurst. We had baked beans, too, and ate our supper at the table on the veranda, enjoying the cool breeze and the peaceful setting. If'n you'd like to join us for a meal on the veranda, I'll fire up the grill and put on an extra portion for you.

P.S. Susan just made a double batch last night of the slush that she makes each summer and serves with Fresca for a refreshing fruit-juice-and-alcohol combo that really satisfies. We'll serve you one of those, too, after you've cleaned your plate.