What's the Grill? Phoenix Edition

This past week, we spent some time in Phoenix with family, visiting my Uncle.  It has been 30 years since I've travelled to The Grand Canyon state and after a brief few days, I've vowed to make our return visit much sooner.  I'm sure the 90 degree humidity free weather had something to do with it, but there was just too much to experience in such a brief amount of time.

We spent our mornings hiking Lookout Mountain with Uncle Greg.  With an 1800 feet vertical climb leading to spectacular views, it was a real treat to have such a beautiful and rugged "park" in walking distance.

We also caught the Red's last spring training game against the White Sox.  It was major league baseball with the proximity of a minor league game.  Most importantly, the beer lines were much shorter.

Being away from home allowed a nice change of background for my beer photos too.  Although I'm sure the neighbors must have questioned what I was doing, Arrogant Bastard never looked better.

Since our extended clan was descending, Uncle Greg knew grilling would be in order.  To mark the occasion, he went out and bought a new grill to celebrate our get together and Dad, true to form, willingly manned it.

Now while Dad was working his magic, I went wandering around the backyard to check out Uncle Greg's old grill.  I understand the new grill may sound interesting, but I'm always curious about old cook surfaces too.

As I rounded the corner behind the storage shed, I felt as if I had walked through some kind of Weber time warp.  There, sitting on the hot gravel, was a Weber kettle...with a propane cylinder attached to it.  I did a double-take, as It wasn't just a kettle, it was the Weber Gas Barbeque Kettle, circa the early 1970's. It was in great condition.

Uncle Greg told me he had this grill for the past 30 years.  Going back to Weber's history of grills, it is closely related to its 1971 cousin pictured here.  The only difference being instead of the total pedestal support, Uncle Greg's had the traditional tripod legs.  The wooden handle still barely shows the "Weber" imprint on the handle.

The pedestal shows what appears to be model number #A10199.  Unfortunately, a quick search o the web revealed nothing.

Uncle Greg said the only problem he had was when high winds would knock out the flame on the burner, otherwise it worked great.

After a lot of use over the years, this is a great example of longevity for what appears to be one of the first generation Weber gas grills.  After going over it for several minutes, I really wanted to fire it up...or at least disassemble it.  However, hungry family lured me away.

As I slid back over to Dad and the "new" grill, I found Uncle Greg provided the original wooden side table as a cutting board.  Apparently it was bought as an accessory with the old grill.  It's original metal supports are pictured above.  The board, in great condition, is below.

So in the end, we had Dad's amazing bourbon glazed tenderloin, grilled potatoes and carrots.

With plenty of good drink and family fun, it was a great night.  Hanging out with my parents, aunt and uncles is always a guaranteed good time.  Although as I find myself back home, not only do I drift back to our great times together, I think of the old Weber and wonder about all of the nights with Uncle Greg it hosted wonderful get togethers over the last 30 years.  With the christening of the new grill, I hope Uncle Greg gets another 30 years.  Although be warned, if our promised return to Phoenix happens soon, I will fire up the old gas kettle and give it just a little bit more life and perhaps one more night of entertaining.