The Yet to be Discovered Art of Grilling- Tres Clever

Ok, Clever Tribe, it's great to be back at it. I've had the opportunity to spend some time with some fantastic college students, so I'm looking forward to touching on some subjects highly relevant to the 18-24 age group.

First, we need to talk about something CRITICAL. I finally figured out how to read my analytics. With the help of a Very Clever Guy named Jason- I have come to realize my readers are reading about one and a half pages of my posts- the posts are generally three to four pages long- this statistic tells me you are getting BORED halfway through. I can’t have that. So, I am going to experiment with shorter posts. It might interrupt my train of thought, as I do like to let things unfurl a bit.

Pam brought it to my attention that while she signed up for e-mail notification of new postings- she has never received an e-mail. Jason and I reinstalled the FeedBurner application, so please sign up again and let me know it if it's working. Be sure to check your spam folders for the e-mail you'll need to respond to in order to complete the process.

So, today we are going to discuss grilling for the Clever Girls and even the Clever Guys who don’t yet grill. I will be breaking it up into several posts. Next week you can count on some Clever commentary on the lack of self-respect among young women and a couple of Clever Wedding Planning Tips for the selection of THE DRESS.

A cooking woman is sexiness personified, but a woman who can grill? Men enjoy being catered to, so what better way to show you care than to prepare food for him. Don’t fume if he doesn’t want to join you in the kitchen, don’t lament the playful photos in Cosmo, where the kitchen agenda amounts to sexual-encounter-destroys-dinner. Instead, pick a night when you know there is a game or program you don’t care to watch and make it your mission to fuss over him.

First, you need a grill. The point is not that you have the Maserati of grills, but rather that you have one at all and know how to use it. Grills are available in a wide range of price points. A grill is an investment, so select one that is solidly constructed, not wobbly or rickety. A good grill will last many years, where a cheap, inexpensive one will likely fall apart in the middle of meal preparation - enter Murphy’s Law. Hot new guy on couch eyeing you with admiration while he enjoys his beer, the leg of the grill snaps, dumping dinner and molten hot coals onto your patio and feet.

When purchasing your grill, be certain to pick up a basic grilling utensil kit, available where you purchase your grill. You’ll need a large fork, brass-bristle cleaning brush to clean the grates, spatula and tongs along with some oven mitts and an apron (no, I don’t know if Prada makes an apron).

You have two basic options: charcoal or gas. Charcoal is the most widely used but is time consuming and high maintenance. Gas has a quicker start and less cleanup later. Spend some time discussing with the salesperson how big a grill you need and whether gas or charcoal would be right for you. Two grills I will introduce you to are the Big Green Egg and infrared.

Tomorrow we will discuss the preparation of the grill, and I am hoping by the end of which you will see the benefit of a gas grill. However, I will say, many grillers are hard and fast devotees of the charcoal grill, believing the flavor is totally different. Hmmm.