Fire up family meals by grilling

More families are choosing to stay home and entertain instead of going out.

With the price of gasoline nearing $4 a gallon and the cost of eating out on the rise as well, more families are staying closer to home and stretching their entertainment dollars with backyard barbecues.

It’s easier than ever, thanks to today’s grill options that range from environmentally friendly charcoal units that don’t require lighter fluid to modern gas grills that provide instant cooking heat.

“I think more and more people are tending to stay home,” said Deidra Cummings, who sells grill and outdoor kitchen equipment for Embers Grill & Fireplace Store in Brentwood. “This summer people are going to be staying home, grilling out in the backyard. It started with 9/11, and with gas prices, it’s increasing.”

Cooking over charcoal is especially popular this year thanks to the Big Green Egg, a ceramic grill that is designed to start a fire without lighter fluid, said Jeff Lunsford at the Hearth & Grill Shop in Nashville.

“Charcoal has really caught on,” he said.

So have complete outdoor kitchens, complete with gas and charcoal grills, warming drawers and sinks with running water.

“We even have outdoor refrigerators that won’t freeze up in the winter and will maintain their temperature in the summer,” Lunsford said.

When they entertain friends and family outdoors, many homeowners want the same kitchen conveniences they enjoy inside the house, he said.

“When you go to the trouble of building a nice pool or patio, your outdoor living area becomes part of the house,” Lunsford said.

Cummings agreed that outdoor entertaining has grown more sophisticated.

“People are doing outdoor living spaces, not just grilling,” she said.

Thanks to cable television’s Food Network and the Nashville region’s greater variety of restaurants, homeowners are interested in equipping their outdoor cooking areas to handle a more sophisticated range of foods, he said.

“People are more aware of food, more knowledgeable. You could go from burgers and hotdogs to a prime rib of beef,” Lunsford said.

The necessary equipment comes in a wide range of prices. Many of Embers’ customers spend $800 to $1,000 for a durable, quality grill in the middle of the price range. Customers who invest in full outdoor kitchens obviously spend more.

Equipping an outdoor kitchen can cost $30,000 to $40,000, Lunsford said. A Big Green Egg, on the other hand, costs a few hundred dollars.

The many choices are what make outdoor cooking so enjoyable for everyone, he said.

“You can do as much as you want,” Lunsford said.