I think the first time an animal was cooked hole by getting caught in a fire was when man first became addicted to BBQs. Of course they didn’t call it BBQ back then, mostly they just called it Mmmmmm.

Cave dwellers didn’t take long to realize that meat tasted a whole lot better when it was cooked. Since then barbequing has become a Canadian as well as an American tradition. The backyard for most people would not be complete with some type of BBQ, Grill or Firepit. I know our backyard seemed to have something missing until we got our new BBQ, as the last one we had remained with the family that bought our house.

I walk a lot and check out other people’s yards because I am a gardener and always looking for new ideas. During my walks and garden viewing I see that about 80 - 90% of those yards have BBQs. I also see many apartment buildings with balconies that have BBQ on them as well.

The reasons why so many have BBQs, well I think it must have something to do with how tasty the BBQ makes our food.

We went with a propane BBQ that was on sale for less than $100.00 and it even came with a cover to keep it looking new and protected from the weather. We have had it for two years now and it lights at the push of a button, has two burners but we usually only need the one burner for my wife and I. However our son loves BBQ and if he gets a wiff of it he’s here for dinner, again.

We have friends and neighbours that use their BBQs all year round, even through the winter. I must say that I am not quit that fanatical but still the taste so we now have an indoor grill that puts out some pretty tasty burgers and steaks.

I do find it easier to grill veggies from our backyard garden on the indoor grill as they don’t fall through the grate. Next time we buy a BBQ it will include a few bells and whistles, like a grilling area and maybe an extra burner for sauces.

• Barbeque Maintenance Tips