Weber grill
Weber Charcoal Grill
One does not imagine a marine buoy manufacturer as far inland as 
Illinois (geographically challenged people like myself specifically). But that is where it all started. A Chicago guy with an idea. George Stephen Sr. was working at Weber Brothers Metal Works in Illinois. The lightbulb went off. In complete secrecy he filched a buoy from the scratch’n’dent pile, cut it in half, and made a barbecue grill out of it. The dynasty of American-made quality charcoal grills was born.
Webers last forever. They look good, year after year. And functional? George wrote the book on it. Still privately held, Weber is estimated to have 35% market share selling PREMIUM grills. Impressive!
Recently I upgraded from a 14″ Smoky Joe to an 18″ Jumbo Joe. Finally, I’ve begun to understand searing and indirect heat, versus previous plop’n’pray grilling techniques. Excellence and mastery has its price, as several inedible meals can attest. And George’s company? Their premium grills are tortured to durable perfection before they hit retailers. Weber can afford to offer a fantastic warranty because their grills are so good!
An excellent Weber article written by Joe Cahill for Crain’s Chicago Business is linked here.
Kingsford Charcoal
Henry Ford had many good ideas. “Waste not, want not”, ingrained within him, saw value in even the lowliest pile of rubbish. Scrap wood from his production line? “Make charcoal”, he proclaimed.
His subsidiary thrives with ubiquitous Ford success. Currently owned by The Clorox Company, Kingsford Charcoal enjoys a safe 80% market share. What would Ford say? “Why not 100%?”, perhaps. Or maybe “You can have any color you want . . . as long as it’s black”.
With lighter fluid, I choose Kingsford® Charcoal Lighter Fluid. One may say, “It’s all the same”. Aliphatic petroleum solvent, like everything, can be produced in differing qualities. I’m a brand-name believer, so it’s Kingsford for me when grilling vittles for friends and family.
Our American Toolbox method varies depending on what we are grilling. Today, it was this: lay out an almost double thickness of coals; pile into a pyramid, douse with Kingsford lighter fluid, and light; admire this January Arizona weather – grapefruit are not yet ripe but last year they were early; spread out coals when red, set top grill and wipe with olive oil-soaked towel; grill; wait for your chicken to cook – this was nearly 20 minutes, covered for the last two.
American Toolbox 