Much envied, much beloved Traeger Grill. I have wanted a Traeger grill for a long time, ever since (a) Dave said he doesn't enjoy barbecuing and doesn't plan to do it anymore; (b) Camille said that the best barbecued meat she ever ate was from a Traeger grill; (c) we ate delicious steak at the home of Jenny's parents, the Leathams, as they exulted about their new Traeger grill; and (d) I talked with a Traeger rep at Costco, who told me the Traeger grill is so easy someone like me can operate it, and it not only grills, but it also smokes, braises, and cooks like an oven, all with a thermostat that keeps it within 25 degrees of how it is set. I was sold.
We had a delicious barbecued dinner on May 3, 2020--ribs, mac'n'cheese, corn bread, collards braised with ham, and cole slaw. It wasn't, however, cooked on my new Traeger grill. I couldn't figure out how to operate it, after laying out the ribs, and I had to wait till Dave had a spare couple of hours and could be bribed to methodically work his way through the instruction manual.
I love Southern food, from this week's ribs and cornbread, to coconut cake, mint lemonade, and shrimp'n'grits. To create ambience, I pinned up my Southern poster, with photos of oranges and of ladies on their way to winter in Florida.
I welcomed my guests, including Audrey, who is not yet up to ribs and cornbread.
And I laid out the feast on a red check tablecloth, decorated with an arrangement of sunflowers. As Mike and Heidi, Carol Garza, and Dave and I gnawed on the ribs, we had more in common with West Virginia rednecks than with the ladies headed for Florida in their ostrich feather hats. Next time I fix barbecue, it's with the Traeger!
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