Pet Hamster

When Tailgating

Everyone always likes to bring a grill with when they go tailgating, and you're no different. As a college student, you should never work an open flame while drunk- its dangerous. Here are a few other tips that will make it a lot easier to get up early on a Saturday and still have a good time:

Have a checklist made of all the things that you usually bring to tailgating and keep it in a safe place. You can keep coming back to this for reference, and you won't be stressing the night before. In all honesty, preperation is optional, but itEveryone always likes to bring a grill with when they go tailgating, and you're no different. As a college student, you should never work an open flame while drunk- its dangerous. Here are a few other tips that will make it a lot easier to get up early on a Saturday and still have a good time:

Have a checklist made of all the things that you usually bring to tailgating and keep it in a safe place. You can keep coming back to this for reference, and you won't be stressing the night before. In all honesty, preperation is optional, but it helps. If you just want to bring beer and your tools, that is probably the easiest- but you might miss some things. Best is to pack everything in your car, with the charcoal and tools in the grill. Make sure that you keep the meat and beer in the fridge though, unless you're feeling adventurous.

Make sure you bring glass bottles so you can smash them in the parking lot, they also always come in handy in a fight.

Don't listen to the parking attendants. You know just as well as them. You've done this every Saturday also, you're an expert. If there is an open spot next to yours, make sure you dont park inside the lines just to make sure you have extra space.

Bring lots and lots of beer, there is never too much. helps. If you just want to bring beer and your tools, that is probably the easiest- but you might miss some things. Best is to pack everything in your car the night before, with the charcoal and tools in the grill. Make sure that you keep the meat and beer in the fridge though, unless you're feeling adventurous.

In most cases, there isnt enough space in your fridge to put your beer in there, so heres a trick that you might have seen on mythbusters. You can still place the beer in the cooler the night before, but when you wake up in the morning, grab some ice and lay it down on top with a good helping of salt. The salt will help the ice cool the beer superfast. It will be ready in less than 20 minutes.

Make sure you bring glass bottles so you can smash them in the parking lot, they also come in handy in a fight.

Don't listen to the parking attendants. You know just as well as them. You've done this every Saturday also, you're an expert. If there is an open spot next to yours, make sure you dont park inside the lines just to make sure you have extra space.

Bring lots and lots of beer, there is never too much.

Also, make sure you bring a lock so you can lock up your grill when you go to the game, it might still be hot.

All About Your Meat

You all should know that the most important part of grilling is the meats, so with that in mind, we've developed a guide to help you through the hard parts.

Think before you go to the store to buy some meats and make a list of things you need. Make sure you talk to your local butcher and become friends with him, because he knows what hes doing. The better of friends you become, the better the cuts of meat will be... thats just personal experience talking. Oh boy.

I know you all started off with those burgers and hot dogs, but don't be afraid to try some other meats. Your grocery store has a lot of options, and if anyone complains about your pork knuckles, tell them to shove off.

There are USDA guidelines for the core temperature of different meats, here they are:

Ground Meat, 160°

Ground Turkey and/or Chicken 165°

Red Meat, Veal, or Lamb, Medium Rare 145° - Medium 160° - Well Done 170°

Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck or goose) 165°.

Pork, Medium 160° - Well done 170°.

Ham, Raw, 160° - Precooked 140°.

Eggs, 160°

Listen, don't take these too seriously... after all, they are just guidelines. The more you heat it, the more of that great flavor you're going to lose. Here is an easy way to tell how well done your steaks are: your hand!

If you touch your thumb to each one of your fingers, and then with your other hand, touch the soft area between your thumb and index finger, you can tell how well done your steak is.

Pinky- Well

Third- Medium- Mell

Middle- Medium- Rare

Index- Rare

The steak you choose is definitely more important than the flavoring you put on it. Many people will think that the best meats are the ones with the least amount of fat on them, but it is the exact opposite. The more marbley your steak is, the more flavorful. With more fat, the actual meat will also be cooked more properly.

Gotta make sure that you've got a steak that is thick enough to handle the grill. If you choose something that is too thin, like under ¾ of an inch, you risk having a dry, crappy steak.

Accessorize

Everyone knows that to be a great grill bum, you have to have the merchandise, right? Here are some things that you can't go without (if you have the money), and I'll tell you why:

One quality set of grilling tools.

Everyone should have a great set of tools to work with. You need to think of yourself as a scientist, you cant do your experiments without the proper tools. Do you think we would have discovered gravity without computers and lasers? Didn't think so. Grilling is an intense sport, and hard enough with the correct tools, dont get caught using forks and toothpicks. Look around first, see if you can scrounge up some old ones or maybe steal them, but if that isn't an option, here are a few suggestions:

The Grill

These first few posts are going to be concerned with the things that you are going going to need to be successful. I know that you're running on a budget of $2 a day, and I've taken that into account. First things first:

1. Gotta have a grill.

A lot of people may have told you that you need a specifically-made product such as a weber to do your deed, but I'm here to tell you that they're dead wrong. You can pretty much use anything as a grill, and I'll provide some ideas for you here:

Mini- Weber:

You don't need a huge grill to do a good job. The results are decent with a small grill, and it is a lot more cost efficient.

Full-Sized Weber:

You're going to get a lot better results with this large grill, especially if you're cooking a lot of things at once. If you're trying to cook a whole meal with beans and all for you and two friends, this is probably the best bet.

Full-sized Portable:

Even better is this portable version, which is especially good for tailgating. All of the benefits of the previous plus portability.

Gas:

I wouldn't suggest a gas grill for the type of stuff that we're doing here, most likely- you'll kill yourself. So stay away from it.

Shopping Cart:

This is probably your best option if you're going on the cheap. Just flip that baby upside down on a nice flame and you have a nice shiny grill with a great surface area.

More to come

Welcome!

You may be asking yourself right now why have I come to this website? What do I have to do with hobos and beggars? Am I a bum just because I visited this website? Well, take solace in the fact that you're all of those things and more. You're here to grill- and you want it on the cheap, preferably now. You're looking for something tasty like pigeon, but you're willing to settle for beef.

So what the hell is this website all about anyway? Well, its about grillin' like you have no money at all. This is for the people who spend all their money on booze every Sunday through Friday and still want to grill on Saturday.

Vagrant homeless people and college students alike partake in the American past time which is grilling. This website is intended to cater to their senselessness and sensibilities in helping them make the right decisions when it comes down to tough choices. How should I arrange my coals for best performance? How long can my ground beef sit out before I can't eat it anymore? Do women think I'm sexy when I grill? Do men? Should I wear an apron? These questions and more are all answered in this website.

Here you'll find a guide to grilling with an area where you can find out about different types of grills, cuts of meat, spices/rubs, sides, and non-meat/low-fat grills. There is a section where you can hear what the pros have to say about grilling on the cheap and their favorite recipes, drinks, and stories. We'll also have reviews on a variety of products and an area where you'll have a chance to purchase merchandise.

We've also got a section where we want you to send in photos of you mastering the flame. Hell, any picture that remotely involves grilling will be posted on here. So check back on the picture of the day to see if you made it up!