After graduating from college, I moved to Marlborough, Massachusetts, and into one of those large, impersonal apartment complexes. They do not allow grilling. No sir. It did not take long before I found grill-friendly accomodation in a lovely house in Newton, with a back yard and two other guys. Being guys, they also were strong proponents of the Way of the Grill. It was here that I would continue my apprenticeship. The day I moved into the house, I made a beeline to the BBQ Barn in Arlington. My father had a Weber kettle grill that he had used for as long as I can remember, and it was time to get my own. Although Weber has made a few minor improvements over the last 25 years, and offers their grills in several bold colors, I chose the classic black. But there was to be something very different from my father's grill. The folks at the BBQ Barn informed me that I would not be allowed to use charcoal briquettes in my new grill. Instead, they sold me a chimney starter and a couple of bags of hardwood charcoal. Rather than sawdust and petroleum byproducts, this charcoal was made of -- wood.
If you have used hardwood charcoal, then you need read no further. If instead you have been grilling with briquettes for the last 20 years, I am sorry to be the one to inform you of what you have been missing. It is not too late. You can still atone for your sins. Fill the chimney starter with charcoal. Put 2 full sheets of newspaper, loosely crumpled, in the bottom. Light the newspaper, and wait about 20 minutes. The coals should be red-hot, almost translucent. The use of hardwood charcoal necessitates long handled grilling tools. An asbestos glove (or a non-carcinogenic equivalent) is desirable. Getting your hands within six inches of the coals can incinerate the hairs on the back of your hand, creating an unpleasant smell. If you have no hairs on the back of your hands, perhaps you can avoid the smell, but I would still advise you to get a set of long handled grilling tools. The temperature on the grate of my grill can exceed 700 degrees F.
On my grill at Margaret Road, I experimented with many dishes which remain staples of my outdoor kitchen today. For some reason, vegetables of any sort always taste better on the grill. Generally I slice an assortment of vegetables, marinate them in olive oil and rosemary for at least 20 minutes, then throw them in a preheated cast iron skillet placed on the grate. (Hint: don't use a skillet with a wooden handle.) I learned to cook fish on the grill by watching the cooks in the open kitchen at Grillfish, one of my favorite Boston seafood restaurants. This technique also works well for shrimp or scallops. And my roommate, Schaff, and I starting developing our recipe for BBQ chicken pizza. You can find these recipes on my recipe page.