Monthly Archives: October 2014

Safety

Protecting Your Grill From Theft

Bob Correll on The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board has an idea for protecting your high-priced Weber gas grill from theft that involves deception.

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But seriously, grill theft does happen and there are steps you can take to protect your investment in Weber quality.

I once lived in an apartment complex where my Weber Genesis 2 was situated on a patio in front of my unit, behind an unlocked gate just a few steps from a common walkway. I could just imagine someone rolling off with my grill while I was away at work.

As a deterrent, I drilled a hole in the concrete patio and installed a lag shield anchor and large eye bolt. I secured the grill frame to the eye bolt using a beefy bicycle cable and padlock.

My grill was never stolen. I know my solution wasn’t perfect, that locks and cables can be cut, but it did make theft more difficult and it felt better than doing nothing at all. And when I moved out of that apartment, it was easy to remove the eye bolt and anchor and no one noticed the hole in the concrete patio. If I’d been thinking, I would have filled the hole with concrete caulk and made it disappear completely.

So give some thought to your grill security situation and come up with a solution that’s right for you. It may involve simply moving your grill to a more secure location on your property. It may involve a cable and lock like I used. Or maybe you’ll come up with your own innovative solution. If so, I hope you’ll share it here and on The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board so we can all learn how to keep our grills safe and secure.

Recipes

Butternut Squash

My good friends John & Amy live in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Silicon Valley. They have a beautiful garden in which they grow all sorts of veggies, including this butternut squash.

It turns out butternut squash is quick and easy to grill. The hardest part is cutting it up!

Peel the squash, cut into thick planks, and remove the seeds. Brush both sides with a mixture of 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2-3 cloves of garlic run through a garlic press, and salt & pepper to taste.

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Preheat the grill on MEDIUM, making sure the grates are clean.

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Grill for 6 minutes on the first side, then flip, tent with aluminum foil and grill for another 6 minutes. You may need to turn down the heat a bit to prevent burning if your grill runs hot.

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The squash is done when you’ve got good grill marks and the flesh is soft when poked with a fork.

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To serve, drizzle with a little EVOO. Taste for salt and sprinkle with more kosher salt, if needed. Enjoy!

Recipes

Hamburger Sliders

Hamburger sliders are so fun and so easy to make…once you have the right buns!

First stop is the bread aisle at the supermarket. If you can find slider buns like Sara Lee Mini Buns, that’s perfect. If not, King’s Hawaiian or a similar small, soft dinner roll is a good alternative.

Once you’ve got the buns, it’s time for the beef! Buy a good quality ground beef, but not too lean so you get a nice, juicy slider. 80/20 or 85/15 lean to fat ratio is a good choice. I used Prather Ranch ground beef, something a friend turned me onto at the local Farmer’s Market. Too expensive for regular use, but a nice occasional treat and very good quality meat!

Divide one pound of ground beef into 6 portions. If you have a kitchen scale (and you should) that’s about 2.75 ounces per slider. Form into patties of even thickness and season with kosher salt.

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For me, melty, gooey American cheese is a guilty pleasure on burgers. Use whatever cheese you like best, but since a slider is smaller than a regular burger, you’ll want to scale down the cheese portion, also. I tore American cheese slices into quarters and used three pieces per slider. Even that was a bit much, you can probably get away with just half a slice of cheese per slider.

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Preheat your Weber gas grill on HIGH, making sure the grates are clean. Once preheated, turn the burners down to MEDIUM and arrange the sliders on the grill. They cook quickly due to their small size, so watch them carefully.

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When the first side is done, flip and cook for just a minute or so before adding the cheese. Quickly toast the buns and you’re ready for some slider deliciousness!

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