There's a shortage of commercial charcoal grills at most parks today
It's summer time and time to get out to a park as visitors pick out their favorite picnic tables, lay out the tablecloths and fire up the commercial charcoal grills barbecue time. Well, at least the ones who get there early.
Most public park goers now face a major dilemma that puts a big damper on their weekend plans when it comes to cooking outdoors.
Because today America is encountering a major crisis when it comes to the number of commercial charcoal grills that are available.
What happened? Blame it on TV. Specifically the cooking shows (and even an entire channel devoted to cooking).
What did you expect? Spend an afternoon watching Bobby's Fray's show "Boy Meets Grill," "BBQ Pitmasters" or the "BBQ Crawl" and any red-blooded American with taste buds is going to want to drag out the charcoal and lighter fluid.
Permanent grills at parks get bigger to handle large groups who love to BB
Who is going to want plain old hamburgers when the average Joe now has the recipe for Grilled Yucatan Chicken Skewers accompanied by Grilled Broccoli Rabe with Grilled Pepper Relish?
Firing up the grill in the backyard is one thing. But what if you live in a condo and don't have a backyard? Even if you have a backyard, at some point, like a celebrity chef, you are going to need an audience.
You don't want spend all day cooking some Slow Smoked Pork Shoulder with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Queso Fresco just for your family. Heck, they will probably just wolf it down and run back inside to play video games.
No, a true griller is going to want to show off those nose-tingling smells with the rest of the world. At a park. Maybe even swap samples and recipes with fellow die-hard grillers.
More cooks in parks requires more commercial charcoal grills
Here's the challenge. Millions of people are now watching these shows. Millions of people want to be the Iron Chef of their neighborhood. And these people are all going to load up their coolers and head to the park on weekends.
But, unfortunately, they aren't going to find a stage for their culinary creations. Because all the grills will already be taken by some other person who thinks they are the Iron Chef of the neighborhood.
Commercial charcoal grills in park
Go to most parks in America on a weekend and you will find many grills taken by 10 a.m. Even earlier. And people tend to hang on to them all day long, to the dismay of later arrivals. Some parks even require a permit when grilling for a large crowd and taking up a few park grills.
The solution? Add more commercial charcoal grills. The kind that are sturdy and can withstand constant use. There are permanent grills, grills that will be used every day of the year, several times a day. Be sure to select a quality manufacturer. Make sure the grills that are available are in good condition and easily cleaned. Hold a barbecue contest to generate revenue to buy more commercial charcoal grills.
South Baldwin, Alabama, holds an annual BBQ & Blues Cook-Off in Foley's Heritage Park. Even on the other side of the country in Connecticut, there's a BBQ Cook-Off in Powder Ridge Mountain Park. Some barbecue contests get specific. For example, Richards Park in Brady Texas hosts an annual World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off.
Doesn't have to be one day. Make it three, like the Taste of Dallas BBQ Battle Royale held in Fair Park.
People have gone bonkers over grilling. It's become a national obsession. And that's a good thing. Because barbecuing is a wholesome way to bring families and neighbors together. But there's a national shortage of park grills for them to use.
Park officials would be wise to provide an adequate number of commercial charcoal grills to meet this new fervor for food cooked and shared outdoors.