My Grilling Set-Up – and a Weber giveaway!

My cooking takes a delicious turn in summer, moving from the Simple Bites kitchen to the backyard patio and the charcoal grill.

The patio is shady in the afternoon, and leads onto our sprawling back lawn where the kids play. I love being able to simultaneously grill dinner and jump in on their games, whether we’re tossing a football or slinging a frisbee.

When cooking out of doors, fresh herbs are within reach for meals like Sage-Scented Chicken with Grilled Lemon. The overflowing garden inspires dishes such as Grilled Zucchini Salad with Feta-Mint Dressing and Spinach Salad with Grilled Strawberries, Asparagus and Walnuts.

Today, I’m sharing my charcoal grilling set up and the outdoor kitchen space I frequent from May through October. Be sure to read all the way to the end for a Weber giveaway you won’t want to miss.

My Patio Grilling Set-Up

A Weber charcoal grill and a small outdoor workspace are all I use for grilling up a storm all summer long. I’ve seen those impressive outdoor kitchens, with the built in mini fridge and pizza oven, but I like my simple set-up.

I’ve organized a small outdoor kitchen around a salvaged enamelware sink with a reclaimed barn wood frame (that was a DIY project of summer’s past).  It’s a dry sink, meaning it’s not hooked up to plumbing, but it’s still great for washing veg and prep work. Any small table near the barbecue would work, however, so long as you have a place to set your marinades, seasonings and a few tools.

I keep pots of herbs on the sink so I remember to finish my dishes with torn basil or a sprinkling of mint. A few fresh herbs elevates grilled meats and fish, salads and sides, and adds an extra perfume to summer cocktails as well.


All images by Alison Slattery

Cooking with Live Fire

I’ve tried a few different barbecues and gas grills and find that I am truly happiest when I’m cooking over live fire. This must stem from my obsession with campfire cooking.

The charcoal grill is decidedly more domestic than an open campfire, but requires more effort than turning a knob on a gas grill. Personally, I love puttering around a grill and maneuvering the coals to get the right amount of heat.

My grilling equipment:

Grilling extras: Cedar Planks, Metal Skewers, Basting Brush, Meat Thermometer, Premium Grill Cover. These are nice to have, but not essential.

The Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter is really what turns up the heat in a short amount of time. It’s designed to quickly produce hot coals for cooking and is where I start the fire every time. Once the edges of the charcoal start to turn white – and the chimney interior glows red hot – I transfer them into the two char baskets to hold the embers.

The chimney also helps me eyeball how much charcoal to use. Filled to the top, it provides enough coals for me to grill an average family meal.

Lump charcoal or briquettes? Hardwood briquettes or Kingsford? This is something you’ll have to play around with to see what you like. Briquettes do burn longer than lump charcoal, but most of the time I am doing a quick grill (boneless chicken, fish, vegetables…) and don’t need much more than 20 minutes of fire.

I use mainly lump charcoal, which gives the food that fantastic clean wood aroma so desirable in live fire grilling.

I won’t get into the two-zone fire, measuring heat, tending the coals or any of the other live fire grilling tips and techniques because this post is just about my tools and equipment. Should you wish to learn more, however, I highly recommend Weber’s Charcoal Grilling: The Art of Cooking with Live Fire.

Grilling is such serious business, apparently! Really, though, if you want to get serious about grilling over charcoal, leave me a comment and ask your questions. If you like to putter in the kitchen, perhaps with a summer canning project or an epic baking bonanza, chances are you’ll also love perfecting the art of grilling.

Chicken kebabs, fresh Quebec corn, garden vegetables, and yes, even a wheel of Brie – throw it all on the grill and cook up a feast. Serve this with a pitcher of sangria or my raspberry rhubarb party punch and you’re all set.

The best part of life-fire grilling? When it’s over and we are sitting down around the table with friends, passing platters heaped with simple grilled food. For me, this is the highlight of summertime living. Psst! Watch for a few of these recipes to come soon to this space! Trust me, I wouldn’t leave you without the recipe for those grilled chicken and peach kebabs.

GRILL GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to my friends at Weber Canada I have an amazing giveaway today for my Canadian readers.

** This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Cynthia G of Victoria, BC. A bit thanks to all who entered.**

One Canadian will win a Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″! It’s exactly what I use, just a wee bit smaller (I rock the 26″) and you are going to love this beauty!

Guess what? The winner may pick the colour of the grill – choose between copper, green, crimson and black – and then it will be shipped straight to your door.

To Enter: Leave a comment on this post and tell me what is your favourite grilled meal to enjoy during the summer months.

Giveaway ends Tuesday, July 17 at 12PM EST. Winner will be selected at random and announced here on this post.. Giveaway is open to Canadian residents only.

Good luck to all!

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164 Comments

  1. Marinated filet mignon skewers with a mushroom & peppers red wine sauce served with white basmati rice and crisp green salad with garlic vinigrette. I’m salivating already!

  2. Grilled summer veggies (zucchini, eggplant, red onion is a favourite mix) and a bit of goat cheese on top is my favourite thing ever!

  3. There are a lot of great grilling recipes out there that I can’t wait to experiment with this year, but nothing can beat my moms Teriyaki Steak that my dad grills over an open fire. It’s amazing!

  4. Grilled vegetables are always a good bet but we love to have nachos straight off the grill. I usually just put them on a grill pan loaded w/ toppings — corn is always good in the summer — and slide them on the bbq (we’ll pre-heat then turn very low when the ‘chos are ready to go on). They get a lovely flavour on the grill (much better than the oven-method).

  5. Honey garlic Dijon marinated chicken drumsticks are simply delicious on the grill. Pair that with some sweet corn and grilled peaches and your meal is complete !!!! Yummy yummy.

  6. Grilled asparagus is our family favorite drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Simple, fresh and delicious!

  7. Homemade burgers with all the fixings are a family favorite, but there’s so many great grilled foods!

  8. My favorite grilled meal is cedar plank salmon. We love our Canadian-made Napoleon gas BBQ, but it would be fun to try charcoal.

  9. Keeping it simple with grilled corn on the cob, still sheathed and covered in butter and chopped herbs. Just the best of summer. Thanks for the chance!

  10. I love to grill marinated tuna steaks. The marinade has lemon and garlic which I like to echo in tabbouleh salad made with quinoa.

  11. Putting the meal in individual foil packets and putting it on the grill. Favorite is potatoes, carrots and onions in the foil with lots of butter and a drizzle of oil. With a side of steak bbq’d just right.

  12. So far my favorite meal from the grill has been shrimp kabobs. Just a little olive oil and seasoning and they’re perfect.

  13. I love grilling salmon and pineapple on the BBQ. I then make a salsa with the grilled pineapple that I served in the grilled salmon. It is sooo delicious!

  14. Everything is better grilled, but I especially love pork tenderloin done on the bbq! Mmmmn! That being said, those grilled chicken and peach kabobs sound amazing!! 🙂

  15. Love everything on the grill…steaks, veggies, burgers, fruit. Just feed me. Thanks for the chance to win.

  16. This steaks marinated in lager beer and spices. Thin beef ribs as well. Wrapped corn in the cobb, onions, nopales, Asadero cheese in tortillas; spanish and/or mexican chorizo. All this and more I love and bring me so many good memories of years long gone. Chicken marinated in citrus and the achiote marinated version as well. Pineapple. We do not have a grill now and we could use one to enjoy some of our favorite meals and re-live our loving memories with family and friends around food.

    Many thanks.

  17. My favourite summer meal is grilled flank steak with chimmichuri, along with new potatoes, grilled veggies and a big salad from the garden. The best!!

  18. Probably a good burger with a side of grilled zucchini and mushrooms. With skewers of grilled fresh coconut for dessert.

  19. Seriously, what isn’t good on the grill??? Veggies, fruits for dessert… I may have a thing for shish taouk chicken too… ❤️

  20. Everything is better on a Weber!
    I’ve grilled on Weber’s all my life….
    Can’t beat a burger, but our favorite are ribs.

  21. Any meals usually cooked indoor during the cold seasons are more enjoyable on the Grill. I love my Salmon with bbq spices and fresh veggies such as asparagus abd zuchinni!

  22. So many great ideas in the comments! Ours has to simply be fresh local corn but obviously we have lots of things to try!

  23. Mmmmm….nothing beats a real charcoal BBQ! Recently I’ve been marinating chicken breasts overnight in a mix of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, turmeric, Greek oregano, garlic,onions and S &P and baking it in the oven. My son goes crazy for it but I want to try the same recipe on the grill…I know it’ll just be out of control awesome.

  24. My husband is a fabulous BBQ chef and everything he does is delicious. My favourite just might be burgers using my sister in law’s recipe and grilled mushrooms. mmm. It would be fun to try them on a charcoal grill.