Happy National Hot Dog Day 2k6!

I don't know how things are out where you are, but in my world we celebrate National Hot Dog Day. Strangely, this holiday has failed to generate parades, festivals or any kind of media attention (despite a rather impressive planning guide (pdf file)). Sure NHDD is completely manufactured by Big Sausage, but so are hot dogs and that doesn't stop me from eating them like Kobayashi (at a much slower pace).

I'd intended to celebrate in style by using my new-in-box meat grinder to produce a batch of authentic made-from-scratch frankfurters, but alas I simply ran out of time. NHDD waits for no man. In lieu of said celebration, I'm taking time to reflect on a summer spent as a grilling hobo.

You know, for someone who whines incessantly about how he can't own a grill, I sure have done a lot of grilling and smoking this summer. By my count, I've cooked on four different grills or smokers (Weber Genesis B, Aussie Bushman, Aussie Adventurer, LBE) while amassing an impressive count of meats grilled for my family and friends (including more than 60 brats and the equivalent of 6 whole chickens).

To me, grilling is a complete sensory experience. The sizzle of the meat hitting the grates, the singed arm hairs from tongs that are way too short, the pleasing progression from red to deep brown - all these things and more make summer the best time to cook. And let's not forget the intoxicating smell of fat and smoke and the unbeatable, unreproducible flavor that you can only get over wood, charcoal and gas.

But it's healthy too. Using the miraculous Malliard reaction to get extra flavor into ordinary food means that you can achieve great flavor with little extra fat or calories.

Here you can see yours truly working a prototype Adventurer for my buddies before this year's All-Star game. This grill has a special place in my heart because it was engineered by my company, Enginuity Works for Meco.

The legs and shelf fold into the body, so it fits perfectly in the trunk of my car. In that photo, I'm cooking out next to my friend Robert's condo. Portable grills are especially great for this situation in case the fire department rolls through we can pick it up and high-tail it out of site. In my opinion it's the best of the portables, but I could be a little biased.

Yeah, I'll be sad when summer wanes (which is around mid-November in Atlanta) and prime grilling season rolls to a close. At least I've made the best of it this year. Oh, and remember you only have 365 days left to prepare for National Hot Dog Day 2k7.