Now I’m Not Cooking with Gas
So it’s 11:30 at night, and I’m out on my back patio grilling jerk chicken on my charcoal grill. This is not just a response to my rising gas bills, although it doesn’t hurt. I actually get a kick out of grilling, especially at night. The glow of the coals is just a neat visual, and the food tastes great. There are folks who think I’m nuts, my father-in-law included, and that a gas grill would be a lot easier to work with. But I like cooking over a fire I made myself (with help from a chimney starter) and navigating over the hot spots, moving food from the most intense heat to sear to cooler areas to finish cooking.
My fondness for charcoal is another thing I owe to watching Alton Brown and Good Eats. I don’t have the uber-grill he uses, with elevating charcoal baskets, but I have a pretty nice Weber kettle that my Mom gave me as a housewarming gift. And it smokes a pretty darn good brisket.
And if anyone’s wondering, the recipe for Jamiacan jerk paste in The Joy of Cooking is pretty good, but it ain’t kidding around in terms of heat. It’s the habanero peppers that’ll get ya every time.
About Dave Thomer
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.