When do you fire up the barbecue? Anytime you feel the urge! Have three feet of snow on your porch (like we did last year ? Get the jacket, grab the charcoal, shovel a bath to the BBQ, and fire it up!  Nothing like grilled steaks when it’s 10 below, right? If you live on the surface of the sun (e.g: Arizona) and never have the snow you’ll never have any excuses not to fire that BBQ up at any time of year.

Now, there’s the slow cooking barbecue and there’s the much faster grilling. Barbecue uses indirect heat, much like your oven on a low setting, while grilling uses more charcoal and whatever you’re cooking is placed right above them. Like a broiler. The BBQ might take 3 or four hours to finish, while you can grill steaks in 10-15 minutes.

In general you’ll be barbecuing the tougher cuts, ribs, or meats that may have some gristle or connective tissue. The slow, long heat will break that down and the meat will be totally delectable. Do that with a fish or a good steak, and, well, it won’t be pretty. So grill your steaks & fish and barbecue your baby back ribs.

Speaking of steaks, here’s what you’ll need to grill a couple of rib eye steaks (and check out the video of this rib eye steak recipe.

1. 2 nice steaks, a pound or so each
2. 1 medium sweet onion, sliced
3. some diced celery and scallions
4. garlic clove
5. butter
6. charcoal and your grill/weber
7. cast iron skillet

Pile up the coals to one side of the lower grill and fire them up. Since you’ll be grilling these cuts   you’ll want a lot of heat, so make a largish pile, but you won’t cover the lower grill with them, keep them to one side. Once the coals are hot put the steaks on the grill. This step seals in the juices by searing the meat, so you want to hear those steaks sizzle when you put them on the grill. After a minute or so youi’ll flip those steaks, and check out those nice grill lines.

Once seared, move the steaks away from the charcoal. They’ll stay hot there while you put the skillet over the coals and toss in the sliced onions and some butter. Saute the onions until browned and then set them aside. Keep the steaks on the “cool” side of the grill and close up the grill. Open it up every couple of minutes to turn the steaks until nearly done (and done is the way you like it.)

When they’re getting close to “just right” put the skillet back on and add the celery, the scallions, and some butter. then mash that clove of garlic and add it to the mix. Place the steaks into the skillet and spread the scallion/celery mix over the top of the steaks. Add the onions, too. Cook them just long enough to warm the onions and then serve.   

 Barbecuing is handled differently and this St. Louis Spare Ribs video will show you how to make perfect BBQ ribs. Now, the real question is this: can you wait three to four hours to eat the ribs while that wonderful barbecue scent drifts through the air? It’s tough, but be strong. The finished BBQ ribs will be worth the wait.