Grilling at the Graduation Picnic
When my daughter graduated 6th grade, she and her classmates were treated to a day in the park with classic summer camp games – balloon toss, three legged race, pass an orange down the line using just your neck and chin. Sort of like a labor day barbeque, except on a school day.
With 70 kids attending, it took a crew of parents to put the event on. I followed my caveman instinct to fire and helped another dad man the grill.
I was in heaven.
It was one of those huge barbecue pits built out of brick and permanently cemented into a corner of the park reserved for groups. It had a grill suspended by chains, raised and lowered by a big iron wheel, big enough to cook a side of beef. Or 200 hot dogs.
“Okay, Dads,” the mom in charge said. “Ten minutes till lunch. Kids are hungry. Time to cook.”
No problem, the coals were ready. The other dad and I tore open Costco-sized packs of hot dogs and dumped wieners twelve at a time onto the grill. With a slew of hungry preteens to feed, we knew the importance of speed. In no time flat, we had all the hot dogs cooking.
We sat back on our heels, turning dogs with long forks. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones admiring our work. “You guys are experts!” Mom in charge said. Yes, we were. Heck, I wondered why we’d stuck to such a simple meal. We could have gourmeted things up with something like grilled asparagus.
In ten minutes, the first dogs were nearly ready, and kids were lining up.
“Is lunch ready yet?” a boy at the front of the line asked.
“Actually, it is,” I said. I pulled the first hot dog off and nestled it in a bun. Cooked to perfection. The boy was delighted.
The next few dogs came off looking the same. But as we pulled hot dogs off one-by-one, they started looking overcooked. We suddenly realized if one dog was done, all 200 were done. After all, we’d loaded the grill with such zeal, we practically started them all at once. We cranked the wheel to get the grill up from the flames, but it wasn’t enough. These dogs were cooked.
The other dad and I raced to get hot dogs off the grill. We didn’t have a big pan to them in, just bags of buns, a stack of paper plates, and a line of hungry kids. We hustled dogs into buns as fast as we could.
“Hey, mine’s black!” a kid said.
“That means it’s perfect!” I growled back.
Mom in charge saw our plight and came over to help. While I slung hot dogs for kids, she and the other dad piled charred meat onto plates. Smiling graduates frowned.
“I guess we should have spaced out the cooking,” I said.
“Ya think?” mom in charge said.
Lesson learned. In fact, this year when my son has his sixth-grade graduation party, I’ll be first in line to man the grill. I’ll bring the wisdom that hot dogs need to be cooked at a manageable pace. Only one thing, Mom in charge learned a lesson, too.
This year’s event will be catered.
- Priceless Humor from Dad’s House
- Grilling With Grandpa
- Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Asparagus Recipe
- Moist Banana Bread Recipe (Cooking is Sexy)
- Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe – Jamaican Jerk Chicken
- Worlds Best Hamburger Recipe
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Comment by Lia
| June 6th, 2008
That is really funny. I can totally see you and the other dad feeling so cool and then in a state of panic. Have fun!
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| June 6th, 2008
Yeah, I’ve never been very good at that timing thing either. Making a main course, I rock at! But the side dishes being ready at the same time.. not so much. So I just decided to serve only main courses. If people wanted sides, they were on their own. ;)
Comment by whatmenthink
| June 6th, 2008
hahah OUCH! It seems that all your BBQ stories end up with over cooked meat. Like your father complaining about the over-done steaks? Tell us a story of a successful bbq experience. I’m sure you have plenty.
Comment by Honey
| June 6th, 2008
Am I the only one who doesn’t get the trend where kids graduate from EVERY SINGLE GRADE? Not every moment of your life is a milestone.
Comment by Doug
| June 6th, 2008
One thing I really took away from cooking school was when cooking like things only put them on at the pace of taking them off. Havent done bulk hotdogs but I can cook about 25 hamburgers very successfully. By the time you hit 25 it is time to cross-hatch…then flip….the cross again…then take off. Tried 40 once….hockey puck burgers.
Hey…at least with Kids its easier. Try serving an adult a steak that is hoplessly over done. Or limp and soggy grilled asparagus :) (Over marinated zucchini for grilling once….awful.)
Comment by dadshouse
| June 6th, 2008
WMT – I thought about that after I posted this. You guys must think I suck at BBQ-ing. Here’s one – one year at the end of baseball season, we had a big BBQ and swim party at my son’s coach’s house. There were ribs, chicken, steaks, tons of food. The coach tried cooking, but parents kept distracting him, wanting to chat and thank him for the season.
Without anyone asking me, I grabbed a beer and some BBQ tongs and started manning the grill. I cooked for hours (there were a lot of people). Everything came out perfect – nothing burned! The coach and his wife were so happy, they kept bringing me beers, and said they couldn’t wait for me to cook again next year.
Too bad for them, my son quit baseball for lacrosse. Hahaha!
Comment by mapiprincesa
| June 6th, 2008
My margarita mixing is what gets me a constant invite back to the beach house. Can’t barbecue worth beans, but dude, after a few of my magic mixers, nobody can really say that they care…
Be well.
Comment by Shannon
| June 6th, 2008
I make the most fabulous potatoes on the grill-I think that I’ve actually won men over with them. Especially my favorite type of men-potato loving Irish boys. Even my own brother said last weekend, “My sister makes the best grilled potatoes”.
However, I repeatedly burn the hot dogs.
Comment by The Exception
| June 6th, 2008
A story that illustrates just the type of guy you are: a man who knows how to use his equipment, learns from his experiences, accepts challenges, and can handle the heat!
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| June 6th, 2008
Good one, TE!
Comment by Dan
| June 8th, 2008
To think that tens of thousands of years ago, we fellas had to break out the spear and run off to the hunt to even get to the grilling stage.
Comment by Jaclyn
| June 9th, 2008
I’m just picturing this and smiling. But, you learn. I’m a terrible cook at most things, but whenever I’ve made mistakes, I’ve fixed them. Now, I’m awesome at lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs (yes, you can screw that up, take it from me), Italian-marinated chicken and french toast. In my opinion, nobody makes better lasagna than me…but that’s because I’ve messed it up with such diastrous results that I know exactly what not to do or forget.
Comment by Victoria
| June 9th, 2008
You Go David… growling at the kid and telling him he’s about to eat a perfect hotdog :)
Comment by PHXGal
| March 31st, 2009
This is great, I may be late. I am involve, too, to host the sixth graders graduation – picnic party. Hotdogs are on the lists… will be prepare for this. I will promise not over-cooked h’dogs and have a tray pans ready for the h’dogs to put it in at. This is funny to read. Thx