Urban Grilling

Southerners will tell you that we do nopt know how to barbecue here in the Big Apple.
And, for the most part, they are right. Indeed, despite the recent explosion (R.U.B., Blue Smoke, Dinosaur, etceteras) we are about a century behind those on the wrong side of the Mason-Dixon line when it comes to the art of slow smoking meat to tender goodness. However, being suckers for semantics, even the staunchest, southern stalwarts will concede that we can grill up here.
Unfortunately, apartment living makes the task a bit difficult, logistics wise. So, today, we tackle the topic of urban grilling.

First of all, NO!
In New York City, starting a fire on your terrace or roof is not legal even if your end intent is not more malevolent than a rare Porterhouse! (Come on, think about it, people.)
So, clearly, the entire post at hand is purely hypothetical, as GG would never endorse any transgressions to the wrong side of the law. [And, if one must violate the never-petty-legislation of the City of New York, please (seriously) keep an extinguisher or bucket of sand handy.]

One must also note that while superior, charcoal burning grills throw off smoke, a lot of smoke. If one is grilling on a terrace with neighboring apartments in the, uh, line of fire, those neighbors are probably going to be pretty irritated when their homes start assuming the smoky smell of your supper. Hence, a gas powered Hibachi is the best way to go unless you are living this suburban dream on a roof. In the latter case, there is no question; do you really want your food to taste of propane?

The quality of the grill itself does matter. It is tempting to hit the Duane-Reade (well, it is never tempting to patronize a D-R, but...) and purchase a cheap piece of equipment for under thirty dollars. However, you will regret the move when your successful inaugural run inspires and encore, and you discover the grill has begun rusting over the course of a week. Instead, I urge y'all to purchase a Weber. The company is the undisputed standard of the industry and for good reason. They make four models in the "portable" or city-friendly class, all available for well under a hundred dollars. Acquiring one is an investment akin to your first Creuset dutch oven.

The key to working with one of these smaller size units is planning. (The old army adage about preventing piss poor performance is pertinent.) Lighting a 160 square inch grill is not conducive to chimney cylinders, and there is little room for fiddling later in the process. So, if one desires indirect heat, be sure to deal with this arrangement of the briquettes from the onset. Further, I recommend the use of aluminum foil to folded upon itself to create barriers for the coals or small pans which can hold the likes of apple juice and other moisture infusing liquids for pork products such as ribs.

Ribs bring us to the next issue which is a case of measure twice, cut once. Unfortunately, items such as full racks of ribs, and larger steaks will not fit on the average hibachi. So, if one plans to cook them bring a ruler to the market (really) or be prepared to cut to size. In the latter scenario, do not simply snip off the excess, but instead divide into two larger pieces to maximize flavor.

Fianlly, do not forget potholders! These grills don't have too much weight. So, if you find yourself trying to scrape off that burger stuck to the grill too hard, the entire grill may fall of of your terrace onto Madison Avenue... and, that would be bad.