As we approach Memorial Day weekend, the Indy 500, and opening day for pools around America, we enter full on grilling season! Die-hard grill guys like myself have no grilling season. But for the “seasonal” grilling enthusiasts, this is go time. If you have not dusted off the old grill and checked under the hood, now is the time. Nothing beats grilling in your own backyard on warm summer weekends.

For the next few weeks, I will look into the different types of grills that folks use, check out some of the new ones and generally talk about the backyard barbecue scene. I have always said that you can grill over just about any heat if you know what you are doing. I have cooked over campfires, used tiny hibachi grills from the ‘60s, all shapes and sizes of charcoal grills, gas grills and even directly on coals. But, I can always dream about the perfect grill, right? Father’s Day is right around the corner, and it is common knowledge that dads like to grill.

When shopping for grills, it is best to visit the local family-owned stores where they tend to focus on more unique and higher quality grills, and where all of your questions get answered by someone who not only knows what they are talking about and genuinely cares. When your grill has an issue down the road, those will be the same people who help you resolve it, and maybe even remember your name.

Remember when shopping for your next grill, it is not only about the price. You grill for relaxation. You grill to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family. Don’t let price be the sole factor. Buy something that you love, something that will make you smile. Quality counts in purchases like this.

For example, folks up near North Royalton can find not only a full line of Webber grills at Royalton Ace Hardware, but the can also find the mighty Traegger pellet grill. Small local hardware stores are a good place to start your search. People near Brunswick can visit Home Appliance, which has an amazing selection of grills. If you are in the Medina area, you can stop by The Mulch Barn to see a nice grill shop, stocked with the Traegger pellet grill line, barbecue sauces and different types of wood pellets. While there, if you are lucky, you can talk directly with Mike Biskup, the owner and Medina County’s two-time backyard barbecue champion. Mike truly loves to barbecue, is very good at it, and can help you get the most from your pellet grills.

I started my search at The Place, on Route 18 in Medina. I walked in to interview the owner, Andrea Reedy, and she introduced me to their in-house grill guru, Joe Quinn. Let me say that Joe is a well informed grill expert. Honestly, I could have stayed and talked all day about the different and very cool selection of grills that they have in stock. They stock the dream grill, the ultimate backyard barbecue dominator, the Hestan Deluxe. At $9,499, it is a grill that would certainly make any dad the happiest man alive. Another unit that really intrigued me was the new Gateway Drum Smoker.

These are not your average low cost drum smoker, but a new and improved, highly engineered drum smoker that radically changes the way you approach slow cooking things like pork butts, ribs and brisket. Instead of “low and slow”, this unit will cook the classic barbecue standards “hot and fast”!

Beef brisket in five hours instead of the typical 10 to 16 hours. Ribs in two hours instead of the typical four to five hours. Pork butts in four hours instead of the typical 10 hours. You get the point. A guy named Loren Hill has won KCBS championships with this smoker, as has a local guy, Paul Grant of Slippery Pete’s BBQ.

Grant will be doing a cooking demonstration on the Gateway Drum Smoker at The Place on Saturday, May 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., cooking ribs. Paul is a Kansas City Barbecue Society champion! I will be there to learn how the pros smoke. Better yet, Joe noticed the look in my eye when I saw the Gateway Drum and is letting me demo cook on it this weekend. I am going to cook beef brisket “hot and fast!” Next week’s column will be about best beef brisket ever.