Backyard Barbeque BlundersVERY IMPORTANT -- PLEASE READThe Weekend Grillers is Moving -- VERY SOON!Our new address is theWeekendGrillers.comYes, we just added a "The" to the front so it is easy to remember. As of August 1st, 2008, this site will no longer be available. Please check out the new site. All your favorite Grillers and Recipes are there plus many more new and exciting features and recipes. The Weekend Grillers are sorry for the inconvenience and we're very sorry for such short notice -- but the old bugaboo "circumstances-beyond-our-control" have struck and we had to move. However -- this actually ends up being a very good thing. We have been happy with the hosting of Site Sell over the past year and are very thankful that it is so easy to use that we we able to get this site up and running and looking as good as it does back when we knew next to nothing about the internet. However, recently we have been itching to expand and do more with the Weekend Grillers. Our new Web 2.0 site will allow us to do just that. Already up and running or coming very soon are:
I have set up a page to introduce all the veteran Grillers to the new and exciting features the NEW Weekend Grillers has to offer. Click Here to visit the HOW TO USE THE NEW WEEKEND GRILLERS PAGE Thank you for enjoying the Weekend Grillers for the past year and we hope to see you at The NEW Weekend Grillers, Mark http://www.bluemarlinbob.com Stupidity isn't one of the essential ingredients in the perfect back yard barbeque. As much fun as grilling can be, it can be dangerous at times. It can also be quite amusing, unless you're the one being the idiot. But then, life is made up of idiotic acts that we all have been fortunate enough to survive. God must really have had a sense of humor when He gave the first cave man the idea to cook his meat instead of eating it raw. Trouble begins when one of questionable intelligence, starts playing with matches, charcoal lighter and gas. A friend of mine who had a gas grill tried to start the burner with a match after turning the propane on and then going into the house to use the bathroom. He then took the time to get a drink before he went back outside. It was a calm day with no breeze, so the gas sort of settled around the grill. When he struck the match, you could hear the whoomp all the way to the house. Luckily the fireball only singed the hair on his head, his arms and his eyebrows. It shouldn't have to be said, but never leave the gas line open for any length of time before igniting the gas. Unfortunately, most barbequing mishaps are not due to carelessness, but to stupidity. Charcoal grills are especially fun to work with and only an idiot would use gasoline to start the fire. Another friend of mine, Joe, did just that. He didn't start off that day being stupid; that came later in the afternoon. One Saturday afternoon in June, Joe invited all the neighbors over for the first cook out of the season. Everyone was in a festive mood, especially Joe. This was his big chance to show off his grilling skills to the neighbors. Now he has always struck me as being a brick shy of a full load, but I was always willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, until that Saturday afternoon. Joe proved my theory correct when he came very close to burning down his house. Joe's stupidity wasn't readily apparent at the beginning of the evening when he prepared to light the charcoal. Not one to do something half way, he used an entire twenty pound bag of charcoal. He had converted a 55 gallon drum into a smoker grill that was big enough to serve the entire neighborhood. Almost a full can of charcoal lighter was used to ensure that all the briquettes were burning brightly. It didn't work. While Joe went into the house to supervise the preparation of the meat and side items, the fire outside in the grill went out. Such a dilemma! He had just used all his charcoal lighter. One of his neighbors went next door to get a can of fire starter but it wasn't fast enough for Joe. After all, this was his party and it was up to him to get things rolling again. I'm sure somewhere deep inside Joe's mind he knew that pouring gasoline on charcoal, especially when that charcoal had already been burning, was not a brilliant idea. Sure enough when the gasoline hit the charcoal, a briquette that was still burning and hiding underneath the mound of charcoal, ignited the gasoline! Whooomp! The gas can start spouting flames. Joe threw the gas can as far as he could; right on top of his brand new treated wood deck. When the can hit the deck, the top came off, pouring the gasoline out of the can onto the wooden deck. There was a big blaze this time. By now we had the garden hose going and the next door neighbor was soaking down Fred's deck too. In a matter of minutes the fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. Luckily nothing but the deck was burned. Someone was looking out forJoe that day! Electric kettle type smokers have become popular lately because they keep a constant heat and they're easy to cook with. A great tip is to always keep the smoker in the garage and out of the rain. If the lava rocks in the bottom of the tray are wet, when you turn the electric wand on and it's buried in wet rocks; guess what? The sound this time won't be whooomp! It will be bang! The electric wand will blow apart, ruining a perfectly good smoker and cook-out. The moral to this story is simple. If you're stupid, don't play with matches! Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at: http://www.bluemarlinbob.com http://www.redfishbob.com Originally published on SearchWarp.com for Bob Alexander Friday, March 09, 2007 Article Source: Back Yard Barbeque Blunders! Sign Up for our Newsletter and Get More Great BBQ Recipes in your inbox every week as well as BBQ Discussions, Tips & Tricks and Reviews. Return to The Weekend Grillers Home Page from Back Yard Blunders
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