Two years ago we went to visit my girlfriends grandfather, who at 92 and partial dementia didn't have the ability to use his old grill any longer. While we were there her mom suggested that we have a bbq. So I said "No problem, I'll handle the grill. Where is it?" She said "its in the back corner of the garage with the charcoal."
CHARCOAL!!!....OH SHIT!
I won't lie I was a bit nervous. I know its hard to believe dear brothers, but up until that time yours truly was strictly a cheap gasser chump, I had never cooked using charcoal before and here I was having to give it my first go for almost her whole family on what turned out to be her grandads old patent pending red MBH. To make matters worse the "charcoal" was a 5+ year old bag of no-name generic grocery store briquettes sitting in a very damp garage. No chimney and no lighter, just a pack of old cigarette matches. The pressure was on....but I sure as hell wasn't going to be the big pussy that spoils everyone's day by giving up and ordering take-out.
Luckily for me the old guy had planted a Christmas tree in the back yard that was probably older then his kettle. The thing was HUGE and I gathered up a bunch of dried needles and pine cones and dumped it all in a big circle of the briquettes and just kept fanning the flames and feeding the fire until it got dry and hot enough to catch. Now I was cookin' with ga....err.....I mean charcoal!
Long story short....I got it done, unfortunately a little too well done for my liking, as I didn't know about 2 zone cooking, but as most of her family are chicks they were just happy it wasn't "cold or bloody".
Bottom line....I was never going to let that happen again and vowed right then and there to become a charcoal man and do that old mans grill proud the next time I touched it. As soon as we got home I hopped on Craigslist and found my first kettle, a black 18 inch plastic handeled OTS that I got for 15 bucks and it just snowballed from there. I had Weberitis, still do and hope I die with it one day as a happy, well fed, old man!