Worse than the excess of steam clogging your narrow barbecue grill? The excess of burned meat and char-coated meat product sitting in that frayed grill rack. It’s a desiccated but stubborn remnant of the Big Smoke, and the debris will only draw more water into the area and produce more grime.
It makes sense that you might be displeased with your charcoal residue. After all, it goes through its own life cycle of combustion, a five-stage process involving fire, water, ash, fire, combustion, coals, and ash. But what would go through your head if you knew you could get rid of the charcoal by simply turning off the burner?
This is the current fate of the Baker chicken burner, produced by brand name Stonefire Grill. The fastest way to release the chicken breast from the grill after grilling is to turn off the burner. Thanks to a data-crunched adaptation of the classic Bean and Butternut grill method, this much-maligned cooler can handle up to 500 degrees without producing ashes or leaving behind any residue.
I’m writing this column from a portable cooker that sits out of the way at a work table when I eat the breasts of my much-loved beef burger. When I sit down with a margarita, there is no worry of residue. And with the imminent arrival of summer, the Baker burner seems an almost required accessory at this time of year.