Barbecue Grill - History of Barbecue Grill
The first modern barbecue grill was made in 1952 by George Stephen, a welder at Weber Brothers Metal Works, in Mount Prospect, Illinois. Before this, people occasionally cooked outside, but it was done by burning charcoal in a shallow sheet-metal pan that stood on thin legs. It didn't provide much control over the cooking, so food was often burnt outside, undercooked inside, and covered with ash from the burnt charcoal. George's version was easier to use, and made barbecuing much more popular. Backyard barbecues are now a common part of American life.
George Stephen's new cooking tool started as a round metal buoy - the type used in lakes to mark rocks. He cut it in half, added legs, and put a wire grate over the hollow bottom shell. He used the top half as a lid, which provided more control over the cooking process, and evenly distributed the heat.
- Charcoal briquettes have been a staple of the barbecue for many years. The charcoal briquette was patented in 1897 by Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer, of Pennsylvania.
- The portable gas grill was invented in 1954 by Don McGlaughlin, owner of the Chicago Combustion Corporation. The majority of modern gas grills have a cart design: the grill unit itself is attached to a wheeled frame that holds the fuel tank. The wheeled frame can also support side tables and other features.
- The first group of people Christopher Columbus met in 1492 when he arrived in the new world were the Taíno, on the island of Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic and Haiti). They were known to cook meat on a frame of sticks over a fire, calling it barbacoa. This became a Spanish word, and it was introduced to the English language in the 18th century.
- A group of barbecue grills is known as a pride.
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