w/ Linda McAndrews
My husband loves to grill. He considers himself the Bobby Flay of the neighborhood. Last week, my two sons had come by for some burgers and took me aside.
“Mom, that old
grill is making Dad sad.”
“What do you
mean? “ I said, ”He spends hours out there!”
“Yes, but it
takes forever to get that thing up to temperature. The igniter doesn’t work
anymore and the heat is so uneven that my burger was burnt on one side and raw
in the middle. He deserves better.”
“Well, it is
kind of old. I think we bought that when you were teenagers,” I said.
“He needs a new
grill!” they both said at once.
We grabbed Dad
and got in the car and headed to Marine Home Center’s new Grill Center. We
tracked down Marine’s grill expert, Robert Souza and told him what we wanted.
“You’ve come to the right place”, he said as he led us to the Grill Center, “You’ll find just the right one here.”
Robert took us
on a tour and pointed out the features in each brand. The most popular models
are Weber, Modern Home Products (MHP), Kamado Joe and Traeger brands.
“All of these great brands are synonymous with
reliable quality and service,” Robert told us. “Anyone who has ever decided to save a few dollars on a new grill
by buying the ever-changing models at the local gigantic everything store, quickly
realizes the huge difference in value that a few extra dollars buys when they
use a real quality grill.”
He showed us the
three sizes of Weber grills: Spirit, Genesis, and Summit. Spirit models are the
entry level, smaller and less expensive barbecues. The Genesis models are larger and have
features like cooking grates and hood colors.
The Summit models are even larger and come standard with better gas
burner design and recessed side burner.
The Summit BBQ has an infrared recessed rotisserie option, sear zone
option, smoker tray with a dedicated wood burner and outside lights that turn
off and on when the barbeque hood closes and opens. I think I saw tears of joy
in my husband’s eyes.
“Like the Weber
charcoal grills and the Summit and Genesis gas models, MHP grills are all
American made and the direct descendant of the first backyard gas grill. It’s
made to last with solid construction. This grill is a work horse that really
delivers. The large cast aluminum base and body with stainless steel components
give it a good solid feel. MHP is known for high, even heating, and good grill
performance.”
Robert also
showed us the Kamado Joe ceramic charcoal grills and the Traeger wood pellet
grills.
“The amazing
wood-fire flavor you get when grilling on a Kamado Joe grill comes from the
lump charcoal that ceramic grills are designed to use. Lump charcoal, unlike
charcoal briquettes, is made from pieces of real wood, so it imparts a
wonderful wood-fire flavor to your grilled food.”
He showed us how
starting the Traeger wood pellet grill is as simple as lifting the lid and
turning the controller to the smoke setting and waiting for 8 to 10 minutes.
The igniter rod will activate for the first 4 minutes and will automatically
light the pellets as they are fed into the firepot. No matches! No lighter
fluid! No giant fireball to burn your eyelashes!
I was intrigued,
but I saw that my guys were still over at the Weber section hugging a Summit
grill like a long lost friend. I took Robert aside to arrange for the free assembly, delivery, and removal of our old grill. He also reminded me that Marine has a propane exchange program. Making
my husband happy and having him eager to cook dinner every night was a win-win.
Happy Father’s Day, honey!
