Grilled Hamburgers and Boneless Chicken Breasts in the Rain

Grilling out Hamburgers and Boneless Chicken Breasts and Tenders in the Rain

My students had been asking, all semester, about when I was going to grill out for them. I think they were joking, but my small New Media class was the right size for a nice May cook out. I thought, "Yep. Let's do it."


Had to Keep Everything Covered with it Raining

Initially I was going with hand patted hamburgers and hot dogs, but one student asked about bringing some chicken. I told her that I'd just change the menu. Grilled boneless chicken breasts or tenders are easy.

The chicken was even more popular than the hamburgers with this crowd. I think I will have to give the credit on that to the sauce, Firefighters Barbecue Sauce. That was a real hit. It's tangy and works great on chicken or anything else that you might barbecue.

I did the burgers on the Portable Kitchen PK charcoal cooker and the chicken on the City Grill. With two meats going at once and chicken more delicate, I wanted better heat control, so gas made sense for the chicken. The charcoal added flavor to the beef. It adds flavor to chicken as well, but the trade off on convenience was a good idea especially since it rained while I was grilling.



Might Not Be Obvious - But It's Pouring the Rain on Me and the Grill

The Portable Kitchen Grill is cast aluminum, so it has excellent heat retention. That's good, because we had a gully washer right as the hamburgers started to sizzle.

Rain drops the temperature and can also dampen the coals. By keeping the lid closed a good portion of the time, I was able to complete the grilling. A few burgers were undercooked, but the students just let me know, and we put those back on the grill for a couple of minutes.

A good grill chef will roll with the punches and also make sure guests know that it's fine to speak up. If you have kids, you probably know this (-: Adults are more likely to keep quiet. But, an interactive griller can get everyone involved and comfortable.


My Girls - I Don't Have Any of My Own so Enjoy Some Girl Giggles at Gatherings

All the students offered to help, and I took them up on it. There's a lot to carry and do at a cook out. Extra hands make a world of difference. I've never understood the "keep out of my kitchen" or "stay out of the grill area" mentality. I love the company and also fewer trips back and forth to the truck or kitchen.


Let's Get This Fudge Under the Little Shelter, So It Does Not Get Wet

For dessert, I made homemade peanut butter fudge. That may seem a strange choice, since fudge is more often a holiday treat. My peanut butter fudge recipe is so quick (5 minutes on top of the stove), so when I need a splurge type dessert, that's what I make. It also ends up being the recipe I'm asked for most often.

Chef Matt's Firefighters Barbecue Sauce - Really Great Sauce

My Son Wearing the Firefighters BBQ Shirt and Using Chef Matt's Sauce

Chef Matt told me about his barbecue sauce project where firefighters can raise funds to support firefighting or other needs of the community firefighters and families. I grew up in an area with a volunteer fire department and know it can be hard to keep that going - but so important. My family would help with community dinners to raise money. My cousin went on to be a professional firefighter. Bess him.

I always like to support great causes. When someone takes the time to give back, it's important to do your part. I'm always glad to make desserts for the dinners and that sort of thing.

This week we decided to smoke a Boston Butt. Just for the record, a Boston Butt is not the butt. That's the ham. The Butt is the top part of the shoulder.

Since we're from North Carolina, we tend to use the vinegar based sauce with pork. That's a North Carolina tradition.

But . . . I was wanting to check out Chef Matt's barbeuce sauce.

Chef Matt is from out in Arizona, so I was expecting a more Kansas style BBQ sauce. That's OK. The boys' Dad is from Kansas, so we swing both ways. Shhh. Don't tell any of my North Carolina people that.

I must say, "Wow!" Chef Matt kind of hits it in the middle with his Firefighters Barbecue Sauce. It's not as thin as our NC vinegar sauce but not as thick as the Kansas type tomato sauce. It's just a nice balance between those.

The flavor is just out of this world, and I seldom say that. The sauce is kind of tangy with some spice - but not over the top. Again, it's all about the balance. Chef Matt hit it.

My boys are picky on the barbecue sauces. They both gave Chef Matt the thumbs up. My youngest son just had leftovers (the other one has gone back to college now), and we have a variety of barbecue sauces open, but he went with the Firefighters BBQ Sauce. "That's really good," he said. I agree.

In the picture, you'll see that my little guy (who is not so little now) has on the Firefighters t-shirt. That comes with a gift box including the sauce and also bracelets like the Lance Armstrong bracelets. He liked the shirt so much that he now has a new shirt. It was going to be mine. But, you know how it goes with kids. He'll wear it to school and get the word out better anyway, so that's OK.

I'm now looking at the Chef Matt's Arizona Honey Habanero BBQ Sauces. Those come in hot, mild, and raspberry. The sauces have no fat, no cholesterol, and are low in sugar. That's good news, since my doctor tells me that my cholesterol is not looking great currently. Also, my boys especially love honey.

If you enjoy outdoor cooking and smoking, try out some different sauces. You can get totally new flavors with sauces from various areas.

I'm glad we got a taste of the west with Chef Matt's sauce, and I tip my hat to him for supporting our firefighters with this project.