America's Grill Masters

Around here, Mother’s Day requires two rituals. Doting on mother’s and grilling. Actually the second is really an extension of the first. In the past grilling has mostly been the steaks, burgers, and dogs variety in an effort to feed everyone and settle down for some relaxing conversations and antics of children playing around us. OK, the antics are not always relaxing.

This year a few things came together and I decided to do a little early Mother’s Day grilling. The first thing that happened was the good folk over at KA-Ranch sent us some dry rubs and seasonings for evaluation. The second was some “Country Style” pork ribs I picked up. The third was simply perfect grilling weather.

I rubbed half the ribs with KA-Ranch “Trail Dust” seasoning and the other half with “Big Cow Creek” rub...

I recently had to retire my favorite portable grill. It was an older Meco charcoal grill with a cooking grate that could be adjusted relative to the coals. The grill had countless hours on it. (It was used when I got it.) It had also traveled to a number of campouts, cookouts, and hangouts.

My recently retired Meco grill

With the bottom finally rusting out, the legs no longer have a solid connection point. I suspect that the combination of heat and moisture (condensation) over the years took its toll. I have decided that an appropriate final resting place for this grill would be a local recycling yard. I will use the buck or two that they pay me for it to seed the fund to purchase a new portable grill of the same style...