Other Thoughts

 

Grilling out; cooking out, or barbecuing has been a part of my life since I was born. The event each time was really a reason to bring friends and family together to catch up on life, play backyard games, and of course eat. At that time in my life, it was mostly a late spring, summer, and early fall event. After World War II families moved to the suburbs and away from farm life to take part in the incredible prosperity in industrial America. Keeping close relationships with family became harder and this community type meal event made it easier to accomplish. It was hard work, but my parents did a great job of opening up their home and hosting as many as wanted to come. My dad was always trying different recipes and grills to keep the main course interesting, but hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken always worked for me. Some of the best memories for me growing up were tied to these family and friend meal events.   

After I grew up and started my own family, I have continued on with this tradition because I love it and a relaxed social activity that still brings family and friends together with food as the centerpiece. Over the years I’ve burned through and rusted out more types of grills and smokers than I care to imagine; but what a journey.  

I do know that when it came to cooking-out the word “experimentation” was and still is important. If you don’t try it you will never know and if you don’t fail occasionally, then you haven’t really tried. With this being said, always have a backup plan or something else you can throw on the grill. I still grill or smoke 2 to 3 times per week all year long even though most times it’s just my wife and myself. I can’t remember exactly when I began to really pay attention to the spices, marinades, and sauces to enhance the food or to use as a finishing touch when we served the food, but experimentation was definitely and is still the rule.

My sauces are truly a labor of love and a result of years of trial and error with a goal of sharing a solid, consistent product that anyone would be proud to put on their table or mop onto their grilling food. The one best compliment I ever get is a picture of a gathering of family or friends featuring a plate of food with an Onie Giggins bottle along with it.

We have been: 

          “Bringing generations together with food since 1989”

 

   Steve