We guide everyday grillers — especially folks new to charcoal — through simple, bold, real-world grilling skills.

We keep it friendly.

We keep it clear.

And we keep it fun.

With us, you’ll:

• Learn how to control heat like a pro
• Build flavor without the guesswork
• Try new gear and techniques without being overwhelmed
• Get recipes made for real life, not restaurant menus
• Make each cookout feel like something special

Whether it’s your first flame or your fiftieth, we’re here for the journey — one cookout at a time.

We were tired of feeling like grilling was a secret club with too many rules.

We wanted a place where anyone could light the fire, try something new, and feel proud of what they made — even if it wasn’t perfect.

So we built it.

And now, you’re part of it.

We’ll guide you every step of the way with how-to guides, recipes, pro tips, and no-pressure encouragement.

Because mastering the grill isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about showing up, lighting the fire, and having a blast doing it.

👉 [Grab your free grilling temperature guide – a must-have]

👉 [Level up your grilling skills]

👉 [Find bold new recipes]

When it is smoking it is cooking; when it is burnt, it is DONE

Growing up we typically had chicken every Sunday. It was a tradition my maternal grandmother started to gather all her “little chickens” home every Sunday after Mass for dinner. After service let out, we would venture to the local Mom & Pop C-Store called Bugs Bunny Market. Dad would buy the Sunday newspaper and us kids could get a snack item to keep us quiet for about five of the 60 mile trip to my grandparents. My uncle, aunts and cousins also came for fried chicken and all the fixings: mashed potatoes, gravy, beans, corn, and jello salad with shredded carrots. We ate then played with our cousins while the adults played pinochle, whist, cribbage or other card games. Then came the time for my grandfather’s famous 7-up floats as we watched Walt Disney on the television. When both were finished, we headed home until the next Sunday.

My grandparents retired from farming when I was nine and moved to the west coast to leave the harsh winters of the Midwest behind them. Then my mother continued on Grandma’s legacy of Sunday Chicken Dinner. It only seemed natural as we were the ones who raised 100 chicks each spring and butchered all except a few egg laying hens every fall. My mom wasn’t happy about being thrust into the matriarch role by being the oldest child. She liked having to NOT cook on Sundays.

The next Father’s Day, we got my father a state of the art (state of the art for the 1960’s anyway) outdoor grill. It was red with a silver half top that held a rotisserie for chicken. Now my father could make the Sunday chicken on his new grill. This is where I start smiling as this became an EPIC failure. I can still see him struggling to grill. All the bar-b-que tools in the world could not help him. My father’s motto was “When it is smoking, it is cooking; and when it is burnt, it is done.” And oh, boy, did that grill ever smoke up a storm. And the chicken was dry dry dry. Hot dogs were served black, hamburgers were crunchy and everything tasted like charcoal lighter fluid. This was my first exposure to grilling and I can truly say that I was not a fan. No matter how much my dad tried, he couldn’t master the grill. Not sure what happened to that thing; but I think for that first winter it was moved up to the haymow never to see the light of day again.

It wasn’t until Mark discovered that man could not live on cottage cheese and peas and started to learn to grill that I found I actually could enjoy eating grilled food. So tonight, as Mark does two of the Omaha steaks his brother and wife sent to us for Christmas, I will see what the fridge has to offer in the way of salad makings.

I pulled out a Tupperware storage container of mixed spring greens. Mark has at times referred to these as my dandelions. I love buying these greens as the plastic containers they are sold in are actually stuffed solid with them. It seems that when you open the container and pull a handful out, the container is just as full as before you removed some….the Spring Mix “Springs” to life. I prefer the Spring Mix with spinach; but tonight I don’t have that variety in my fridge.

Let’s see what else is in my kitchen that will help make this a complete salad. Mushrooms! Olives! Cheese! Onions! Peppers! Tomatoes!

The mushrooms that I usually have in my fridge are the white button/portobello mushrooms. These are meaty, firm mushrooms that can be used both in salads and for cooking. They seem to be a family favorite for salads.

I usually have both large green and jumbo black olives in my fridge. I have used them both in my Spring Mix tossed salads before. I personally tend to prefer the black olives myself. Green olives are firmer, saltier with a touch of bitterness that ripe black olives don’t have. I think it is all about personal taste and texture choice. I don’t mind the softer texture of the black olive.

Another reason that I prefer black over green olives for this salad is that my preferred selection of cheese is usually Feta or Blue Cheese crumbled into the salad. Both of these cheeses are salty and the saltiness of the green olives along with them can be a bit overwhelming. Feta is tangier than blue cheese and blue cheese has a sharper taste. Most of the time if we are expecting company, I will use the Feta over Blue Cheese as many find the slight musty smell of the Blue off putting….smelly feet cheese as my siblings used to call it. If I know that I am expecting the grandsons over, I will opt for a sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded into large strips and forgo both the Feta and Blue Cheese crumbles.

Purple onions are usually my go-to-for-salad onion over white or yellow. They are milder in flavor than white onions when eaten raw and the deep red/purple color makes for an attractive color in salads than the yellow. I slice these super thin and then break them into about 1.5 inches in length so they don’t over power the salad. I use Bell Peppers of all colors also sliced as thin as I possibly can. The red, green, yellow and orange all have slight differences in sweetness and bring wonderful color to the salad. I also like using the pickled salad pepperoncini that you can buy in a jar. If I don’t have olives available, these bring the pickle element to the salad. Lastly, I always have a container of cherry tomatoes on my counter. My grandsons eat them like candy. I like having the medley cherry tomatoes for a variety of colors. A more colorful salad just seems tastier to me. Depending on the size of the tomatoes, I will leave them whole or slice in half or quarters.

When I make my Spring Mix Salad for just the hubby and I, I always mix all the ingredients together with a few croutons on top. My husband and I typically prefer different salad dressings; but occasionally I toss the mixture in a homemade Italian Dressing. When we have larger gatherings, I will make a salad bar setting and set out all the ingredients and everyone can make their salad with the fixings they prefer. Sometimes in these situations I will put out some cottage cheese and peas too….just for the fun of it and to remember where the grilling all started.

Well, my salad is all made and ready for the steaks to be served. As Mark takes the steaks to the grill, I guess I will take my glass of wine and relax a bit while the hubby does his part.