TORRANCE TRIBUNE July 6, 2017 Page 5 TerriAnn in Torrance Bring Out The Barbecue! By TerriAnn Ferren With the Fourth of July behind us, most people would agree barbecue season has arrived in full force. If you didn’t barbecue over the Fourth, you might be contemplating a backyard barbecue soon. I love barbecue. All barbecue. Because I grew up in Southern California, I consider “grilling outside” barbecue. Yes, I am aware that “barbecuing” consists of low and slow smoking or cooking on or over hot coals or wood for hours or even days. I have tasted scrumptious barbecue not only from the local hot spots, but also from Texas, Louisiana, the Midwest, and some areas in between. And I know my attempts at “smoking” on a grill at home are nothing compared with time-honored, decades of real famous barbecue smokehouses. But, for the rest of this article, any time I refer to “barbecue,” I really mean grilling. I remember my late husband Dave used to prepare for barbecuing more meticulously than anyone I ever knew. On one trip to the hardware store, he purchased cedar wood for smoking meat on a grill. Dave soaked the wood chips and then carefully prepared our Weber grill for the event. As I recall, the smoked meat turned out amazingly delicious--which encouraged Dave, and he broadened his skills of barbecuing further. We barbecued in the rain more than once. Wish I had taken photographs of Dave standing outside the dining room door on our patio with his barbecue tongs in one hand and his umbrella in the other! We laughed and laughed about that, even at the time. That is how dedicated we were about barbecuing. That includes the backyard offerings, as well as specialties from across the country. A couple of years ago, I had a disaster with my barbecue gas grill and it burned. Well, the controls completely melted and that pretty much sent my grill to barbecue heaven. Since then, I have grilled inside- -which hasn’t actually satisfied my desire for that outdoor experience. Last month, my eyes nearly bugged out of my head when I spied my brother-in-law Roger’s new barbecue set-up. All the bells and whistles were part of his backyard dream barbecue area. Now I understand why he calls the backyard his favorite part of the house! Procrastinating enough, I decided this is the summer for a new barbecue grill. But what kind do I get? Do I go old school with a charcoal grill, or do I stay with the easybreezy gas grill? There are places all around Torrance selling grills of all kinds. Off I went. Entering the store filled with grills was eye-opening. Yes, it has been awhile since I shopped for a grill. They had giant grills, small grills, smokers, and grill accessories all along one wall that included barbecue tongs, brushes, racks, timers, thermometers, spits, baking racks, butter basters, cast-iron saucepots and spatulas. The next wall was filled with grill cleaners and a myriad of different charcoals. They had all natural briquettes, lump charcoal, match light charcoal, mesquite charcoal, apple wood charcoal, plain charcoal, hickory 100 percent hardwood pellets, and automatic light charcoal and kerosene. Vertical smokers were interspersed with the space age grills as I strolled up and down the aisles. I thought I had seen everything, but I ran into a barbecue pig. That’s right, a pink barbecue grill in the shape of a pig! Selections varied from tiny grills meant for a tabletop, all the way up to huge behemoth grills one would see at a park. I left the store more confused than ever. The following week, I spoke with longtime Torrance resident Bill Fischer. “We lived [grew up] in Illinois and we grilled in the winter, and cooked turkeys and stuff like that on Weber grills. Weber originally started their business in Arlington Heights, Illinois where I’m from--a suburb of Chicago--and we have always had a Weber grill,” said Bill. In 1974, Bill secured a job in California and moved from Illinois to the South Bay with his new bride Claudia. Bill told me he has been grilling for many years and confessed he met Claudia at the University of Illinois and said, “I used to take that [the grill] out to a park and we used to go and grill up stuff there…there was a church across from the Mechanical Engineering Building and they had a graduate supper club--and since it was close to work, I went over there and I met Claudia.” How romantic! Bill and Claudia Fischer moved to Torrance in 1976. “I have always kept a charcoal grill because I always thought that it was the best way to do it. I didn’t want to do a gas grill because I thought the charcoal gave it a little flavor with smoking and stuff,” said Bill. “I throw in hickory chips on top of the charcoal. I do soak the chips before I put them on--in an old Skippy Peanut Butter jar,” added Bill. He told me when he gets ready to grill, he drops thin hickory chips in his peanut butter jar filled with water, and by the time he prepares the grill for lighting, it is just about the right time for the water-soaked chips to be layered on top of the hot coals where they smoke appropriately, giving the meat or fish a wonderful flavor. “I like a roast or a turkey. It is easy to do. You just set it on there and wait and it cooks up,” said Bill. I asked Bill how long it would take to cook a turkey and he told me about 10 minutes per pound. He said he cooks a turkey every Christmas and Thanksgiving, and in between times, cooks standing rib roasts, pork roasts, steaks, fish and chicken. “On steaks and stuff--since I just have Claudia and I here now, no children, I use a small grill which doesn’t take very much charcoal, but I have a larger Weber grill…I grilled a chicken last night,” said Bill. While my mouth was watering listening to the litany of Bill’s barbecuing skills, and what he has grilled lately, I began thinking about a charcoal grill instead of a gas grill. Bill then told me Claudia wasn’t a fan of the ash left behind from the charcoal grill. “He is very good at it [grilling] and I hate to complain too much because he does a good part of the cooking the meat all the time…it makes life easier for me. [But] it gets smoke and ashes all over and I don’t like that--but still I let it go by because I am getting someone to help with the cooking. We do a lot of fish out there too,” shared lucky Claudia. After all the input from salespeople, friends, neighbors and residents here in Torrance, I am still confused. What to buy? Gas or charcoal grill? Combination grill? Although a gas grill is easier to prepare (simply turn a knob), I admit I prefer a charcoal grill like my daddy and the Fischers use. Maybe more research is needed. Think I will visit friends and neighbors and do a taste test. What do you think? Which do you prefer, gas or charcoal? Stay tuned and let me know your opinions. Write to me at terriannintorrance@gmail.com. Happy barbecuing! I mean, grilling…• Pink Pig Barbecue. Mini-grills. touch & take off! Plus, enjoy speeds up to 45Mbps at one all-included price, with no extra monthly fees. Internet plan starts at $40.00 Internet speeds up to 45Mbps Wi-Fi Gateway router to connect your devices AT&T Internet Security Suite—powered by McAfee Bundle with another qualifying AT&T service and get internet for $30/mo. / mo DIRECTV + Internet + Home Phone Bundles Starts at $89.99/ mo Over 145 of your favorite channels Internet speeds up to 45Mbps A Genie® HD DVR receiver and 3 additional TV receiver HD Included Phone - With over 25 convenient calling features Call today and pay less 855-977-6038 ©2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 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