I love the smell of Charcoal in the morning, smells like roadkill
When charcoal took hold in the sixties, it was like a wave. Overnight, it seemed everybody bought an outdoor grill and started cooking. You could ride your bike down the street between 4 and 6 PM and the smell chased you home.
We heard about it because there was a restaurant miles away that featured steaks cooked on a charcoal grill. So, of course, off we go–get dressed up.
He was hooked. Next weekend, we’re out looking at grills and buying a big bag of charcoal.
Now, remember this klutz never cooked in his life. When my mother was in the hospital, he ate out every meal. This fool is going to cook a wonderful dinner.
First time out, steaks are black. He tries to eat one to demonstrate what a he man he is, but eventually gives up quickly. He tries burgers: black as midnight.
Patience is fading; he wants her to do it. She can’t–she’s inside making veggies and potatoes. This begins the charcoal battle. He needs the charcoal to immediately light on command.
Lighter fluid–slow. Soak the charcoal in lighter fluid–little faster. Try gasoline. Yea, he did. Flames reach halfway to heaven…….for 3 seconds. Then slow burning charcoal. He gives up. The grill goes in the garage. Dump the cold ashes in the field.
Next summer, he prowled for a solution to starting charcoal at 4 PM to eat by 6. He finds an electric thing that lounges amongst the charcoal and, when red hot, turns briquettes into ash. But…..you need an extension cord. So he has to also buy a cord long enough to reach from the garage all the way to the back of the house. He was so proud of his discovery, but couldn’t brag cause no one on the block spoke to him.
I kind of became the de facto cook/prep man. I would have to carry the burner out of the garage (of course, one leg kept falling off), and plug the starter in so things were movin’ and groovin’ when he pulled in at 5:30.
Eventually, the fad died down and the bag of charcoal disintegrated in the garage. And, thankfully, the pervasive stink of burning charcoal vanished from our block.
Pretty hard to find a song about charcoal…………
Actually, over time he became “Mr. Green”
Good luck.