Love My Weber

Sold my gas Char-Broil (it didn't get hot enough to sear a steak properly, not enough BTU's) and went back to a Smokey Joe where I control the heat quite nicely. I heard that caused some consternation in my family, but then everything I do or don't do does that. I'm a cook at heart, taste is everything and on the Weber it tastes better.

Barbecue maker has recipe for loyal customers - U.S. Business - MSNBC.com: "While the image of Weber's apple-shaped kettle has endured, Palatine-based Weber Stephen Products Co. has coupled it with a reputation for durability and simplicity that has fostered an nearly cult-like loyalty.

'You ask just about anybody who owns a Weber — I don't think they ever have to buy another one,' said Chris Schlesinger, owner of East Coast Grill in Cambridge, Mass., and author of several books on grilling.

I had to buy another one because I replaced my first Weber with the gas grill. That sucked.

But few doubt that Weber enjoys an edge in brand recognition. For many, it has reached that rare status where the brand becomes the product, like Tabasco or Coke.

Its customer devotion is evident on a new Web site Weber launched last month as a forum for customers' favorite grill stories: One guy wrote a haiku about his six Weber grills. An Ohio woman claims to have used her Weber to cook an entire Christmas Eve dinner — including a rib roast, potatoes and veggies — after an ice storm knocked out power."

I have smoked a whole meal which included spareribs, tomatoes, salsa potatoes and corn. It rocked.

Love my Weber. As a matter of fact I am grilling spinach stuffed flank steak and baby summer squash for Mother's Day, then I'll serve it with a mushroom risotto (or maybe not, it is 82 degrees). Starters will be a German prosciutto, mom's favorite cheese (Cambozola, yum), savory crackers and peach champagne. All courtesy of Trader Joe's. Dessert is an extra dark chocolate bar from Scharffen Berger.

Hope she likes it.

Tags: mother's day, Weber grills, bbq, grill, barbecue