BBQ: An All Day Affair

When I think of summer food, I immediately go to barbeques. I'm sure most people do, since all of the holidays with grilling traditions are in summer.

It's nice, the social norms surrounding a barbeque. Everyone gets to enjoy the weather, all of the mess and heat from cooking is outside (way more manageable), and it's pretty much acceptable to get your booze on once the grill is lit. It's not nearly as crowded or annoying to hover around the cook, as us Pollocks tend to do, since you're out in the open instead of a cramped kitchen.

With my extended family, barbeques are kind of an all day event in which you bring the lighter stuff to munch on while the meat is cooked for most of the afternoon until dinner. That means you get there around noon, crack open a beer, and dabble in cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, and veggie platters for close to five hours while the kids run amok with water balloons and squirt guns.

As the meat starts to finish, the snacks get switched out with potato salad, baked beans, fresh salad (which is a loose term ranging from sliced cucumbers to full garden) and coleslaw, surrounded by whatever condiments go with the main course. The last couple of Kedrowski grillings have been hosted by my Uncle Buck (berry pie), who is increasingly dominating the palette. This generally means there will be some kind of pulled pork, hot dogs/sausages, and ribs. I think there's been chicken a few times, but red meat is definitely his strong point. He usually grills the corn on the cob too, which is particularly exciting for me because I rarely eat that anymore. It's like my summer version of pecan pie - totally worth the itchy.

After we've all tucked in and demolished my Uncle's culinary glory, the desserts begin to creep out. "Dinner" doesn't get picked up because my family likes to "graze," picking away at the leftovers for the rest of the night. Summer desserts are pretty awesome, since they usually center around fruit. My Aunt Yolanda has some great recipes, especially her "Patriot Cake." It's a vanilla sheet cake, topped decoratively with strawberries and blueberries to form our flag. It's pretty much the best thing ever. I generally only get to enjoy it at family gatherings, after which if I remember to, she'll let me take a few pieces home to freeze. It's not worth the effort to make that stuff for myself, since really I can only eat a little bit at a time.

So to answer the question - which summer food I love best - I'd have to answer, Yes.