Grilling meals for friends is a favorite summertime ritual and the perfect way to show off your garden. Whether you use a portable grill on the deck or patio, or build a permanent barbecue from brick or stone, follow these tips for the best experience.
Choose the right location
Don't put the barbecue so close to the house that smoke wafts through the doors or windows. Set the grill in a quiet corner of the landscape and make it accessible to the kitchen by a level, paved path. This way it will be easy to transport food and supplies on a butler's table or cart.
Stone gives a rustic look
Sandstone is an excellent choice because it withstands heat well. If you use limestone, basalt, shale or granite, line the firebox with bricks to protect these vulnerable stones from excess heat.
Don't be stingy
Don't be stingy when you buy a portable barbecue, but don't buy more than you need. Gas grills with electric ignitions are fast and easy to use, but they are vulnerable to moisture and should be kept in a sheltered spot or protected with a waterproof cover when not in use.
When using bricks
If you use bricks to build a barbecue, make sure they have been fired at a high temperature. Well-fired bricks make a ringing sound when tapped with a hammer.
Add real wood-smoke flavor
Add real wood-smoke flavor to food cooked on your gas grill with a handful of green twigs from garden trees or herbs. Toss them onto the fire just before you start barbecuing. Apple, cherry and hickory twigs work well, and rosemary, sage, tarragon, bay and thyme clippings add a special flavor.
Keep smoke out of your eyes
Place the grill so it's protected from the prevailing wind, but choose a semi-permeable hedge as a windbreak (a solid fence or wall actually increases air turbulence on the downwind side). Be sure to keep the grill at a safe distance from anything flammable.
Keep the grate dry
When rainwater mixes with charcoal ashes, it forms lye, a powerful corrosive solution. Keep a charcoal grill covered between uses and dump out ashes every few times you use it. Don't put them in the garden, because they will kill nearby plants.
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The right barbecue will make grilling and eating out in the garden even better.
