Is there really a bad time to break out the backyard grill?

Tom Schuman

Spring typically is regarded as the start of grilling season on the patio, although here in the desert it’s close to a 365-day-a-year opportunity.

And not just here.

In my former Indiana home, there were several pictures of me clearing snow to fire up some outdoor cooking magic. But I’m strictly an amateur — propane fuel for your basic burgers and bratwursts with some occasional steak, chicken or vegetables thrown in.

So, if we’re going to share insights to assist in your culinary pleasures, we better call on the professionals. As in Lerrin Smith (pictured above), floor supervisor and grilling expert at Karsten’s ACE Hardware. Add in Damon Hahn and Sean FitzPatrick, co-owners of the Maricopa-based Coast 2 Coast BBQ food truck and catering service, and you’ll be ready to make your sear mark.

Smith estimates he sells 10-20 grills a month. They range from the $200 Grill LP Classic to nearly $3,800 for the latest model from Traeger. Blackstone griddles are a trendy current option, he adds.

There is no shortage of accessories to enhance the grilling experience. Among the most popular are Bluetooth thermometers.

“You’ve got to get that meat just right, not overcooked or undercooked,” Smith contends.
FitzPatrick agrees, noting many home chefs make the mistake of overcooking chicken or steaks.

“With chicken, if you get it over 165 to 175 degrees, it’s done,” he said. “You see a lot of people take it over 200. People get stuck on how long it is going to take, but every piece of meat is different. Temperatures give you a ballpark but …”

His partner, Hahn, added, “We did eight briskets one week, all in the same smoker, all of them 13 to 15 pounds — and they all had their own agenda.”

Coast 2 Coast BBQ specializes in brisket, even though the two men agree it is among the tougher things to get right.

Hahn tries to heed a wise reminder: “If you’re looking, you ain’t cooking,” in reference to opening that lid too often.

FitzPatrick confides “it has taken a lot of trial and error” to perfect the art of grilling meat.

The food truck partners enjoyed home grilling before meeting when their sons were in Boy Scouts together. Soon, they were taking their cooking to the next level. They began catering in 2020 and added the mobile outreach a year later. Part of their learning process still involves checking out grilling websites and watching YouTube videos, which is not bad advice for the dad who rarely chucks a hunk of meat on the grill and is expected to get it right.

Smith, on board at ACE for nearly three years, receives many questions about fuel sources and types of pellets to use. His preference is straightforward: “Cooking with wood provides a different flavor and taste.”

And Smith couldn’t agree more with the advice from Hahn and FitzPatrick when they warn about cooking too fast.

“I try to tell people it’s not about how quick it’s done, it’s about the experience, the socializing and the fellowship,” he said.

A new offering from ACE adds to that experience. A BBQ awning, known as the Grill Gazebo, provides comfortable cover in less-than-ideal weather conditions — in our case from a beating sun that can sear a griller as fast as the grill sears dinner.

Bottom line: Fire up that grill, be patient and don’t hesitate to try cooking various items.

This story was previously published in InMaricopa Magazine.

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