Ladies and Gentlemen.....let the grilling begin!

It's that time of year!  I have been debating about buying a grill for ages and finally decided that a Smokey Joe won't do.  With my luck, Cowboy will be way too enticed by the smells inside and decide to clean the grill for me when I'm not home, chewing it to bits due to its small size and being just his height.  The big 22 inch was a bit large, but JUST RIGHT is the 18.5 inch.

So....off to Target I go, grab the grill and a charcoal chimney, to Lowes to grab the charcoal keeper and some hardwood lump charcoal.  Home again, I gather the tools shown on the instruction sheet and haul the box in to my bedroom where I can IM for online help if I need it.  Well, it went together easily and actually remembering how to work my camera and upload pictures took longer than putting the grill together.  So.....here it is.  And.....to follow the advice of the first person I bragged to and showed this picture to.....no I WILL NOT be grilling in my bedroom.

Anyway on to the evening.  I stuffed two sheets of newspaper in the bottom of the chimney, loaded it with coal and lit the paper.  About 30 minutes later I dumped the coals and put the salmon and veggie kabobs on the grill.  I have a feeling I missed peak cooking time and perhaps it was more like 40 minutes of charcoal heating time because I lost heat and cooking pretty quick.  I need to not be distracted and maybe check the coals at 15 minutes.  I did have to finish dinner in the oven, but the grilled out taste was there, sans any lighter fluid taste.  I am going to keep trying this til I get it down.  Watch out Leander, we are out for grilling goddess of the town.