Kitchen Shrink: What’s your dad’s outdoor cooking style?

Summer Barbecues of the Past: A Cautionary Tale of Dad's Grill Mastery For many, family barbecues evoke memories of warm summer days spent surrounded by loved ones, savoring delicious food, and creating lifelong memories. However, for one writer, those idyllic gatherings are tinged with a hint of danger, courtesy of their well-meaning but hapless father. The author recalls the summer afternoons of their childhood, where their dad's determination to cook the perfect barbecue often led to a series of comedic mishaps, as he struggled to coax reluctant briquettes into a fiery blaze. Will the writer's nostalgic account of their father's grill-fu failings bring a smile to your face, or serve as a warning to take a closer look at your own backyard barbecue setup?

The remarkably short and sweet summers of my childhood spark comical (yet somewhat frightening) memories of family barbecues with my dad recklessly coaxing stubborn brickettes to burst into glowing ...