[BajaGringo]

There is a big grill that goes in and rests about 4-5″ above the embers, but that gets placed into action a bit later. The way I BBQ is to start up the fire (I don’t use charcoal) and keep it fed until the inside walls get good and hot as this particular style of BBQ functions a lot like an adobe oven in some ways. While it’s heating up, I take advantage of the fire’s heat to place some wrapped potatoes on the upper shelves along with some appetizers to have ready for serving to the guests when they arrive in about an hour.

At that point the fire should have mellowed out a bit allowing me to install the big grill where I will transition the baked potatoes as we pull the appetizers off and begin serving. From there I’ll put on a pot of pre-cooked chile beans along with maybe some kabobs on the upper grill to start heating up next to the sausages/chorizo that have been slow cooking for an hour. From there it can go in many directions based on the main BBQ protein but it is definitely a process that really helps me to manage all the different items on the menu and does an excellent job of maintaining heat throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

The BBQ and our patio bar with a stovetop really are the centerpieces of our outdoor entertaining.