Some might say the Weber was a revolution, others an evolution as the kettle went from the front porch and driveways in the mid-'50s to back yards and patios in the '60s. People all across America were hooked.
People like John and Teresa Espinoza of Clovis, Calif., proud owners of a 40-year-old Weber purchased shortly after they married in 1962. "It's a faded black now, but I wouldn't get rid of it," John Espinoza says. "It still cooks." And so do the Espinozas.
If one Weber is good, then more would be better, right? The Espinozas have 10, which doesn't count the ones they gave to their three married daughters and his brother.
The Espinozas' arsenal of barbecues includes seven 22-inch charcoal grills, three of which are in mothballs; a small Smokey Joe charcoal grill used for tailgating; a 36-inch charcoal grill called the Ranch Kettle; and a larger gas Weber Genesis barbecue.
"I love the Ranch Kettle," Espinoza says. "I bought it 10 years ago. They only made so many that year and I had to be put on a waiting list to get one. It cooks up to 18 tri-tips at a time."
He calls it his "Educated Weber" because it's been hauled across California to San Luis Obispo when a daughter graduated from Cal Poly and to Berkeley when a niece got a degree there. "We cook at graduations, weddings, anniversaries, holidays and family gatherings," Espinoza explains. "My wife and I love to do it."
Besides the Espinozas, other Bee readers responded to a request to share Weber stories. Mike Kerr of Fresno acquired his first Weber more than 30 years ago. He had been taught by his father, who had a Weber, how to get the briquets going by using a chimney instead of using lighter fluid. He also learned to wet down wood chips for a zesty flavor.
"My dad had had a kettle Weber for many years, and one Father's Day, after my parents moved into a new home in 1989, my two brothers and I decided to get him an expensive gas grill," Kerr explains. "He thanked everyone, but continues to use the old Weber. Mom puts her potted plants on the other."
Kerr has passed on the Weber tradition to his son Javad, who wrote an essay about learning to cook in 1988 while going through the admissions process for the University of California at Santa Barbara.
"The essay centered around the ease of cooking with a Weber barbecue and a reliable timer," says Kerr. "I'm not saying our son isn't capable of multitasking, but putting hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken breasts on a Weber with the lid sealed, you pretty much have the recipe for no-fault cooking."
No matter, the young man's essay must have carried some weight. He was accepted at UC Santa Barbara and took the Weber with him to school. He cooked many meals for friends and roommates there and later in law school at Hastings in San Francisco.
The now-married son, who lives in Palo Alto, recently celebrated his first Father's Day with his infant son by grilling on the family Weber. "He's cooking steak these days," says the proud father and grandfather. It's just a matter of time before another generation of Kerrs is behind a Weber.
It was Father's Day about 1959 when Tom Caswell, also of Fresno, received a Weber. "It was purchased for him by his parents at a typewriter and office machine store owned by the Romano brothers," Carol Caswell recalls. "The barbecues weren't available many places back then. The kettle was not the usual black color, but a very conspicuous bright aqua color."
Over the years, she and her husband moved several times, each time accompanied by the grill. Three years ago, she says, they made their last move and decided it was time to part with the Weber. "It had a few chips and was crackled a bit, but I can relate to that," she laughs.
The Caswells wanted to find a good home for their Weber, which by now had become a collectible, albeit a working collectible. A nephew who loves anything from the '50s and '60s said he would be delighted to have the Weber.
"I scrubbed, polished and packaged it, along with the original cookbook, for him," she says. "It looked so good, I had second thoughts. But I am happy to report that the aqua kettle is alive and well and enjoying life by a swimming pool in Studio City."
Clovis griller Frank Gonzales' Weber tale is set in Santa Cruz, where he volunteered to cook a turkey for an Easter Sunday campout. In the brand-new Weber, Gonzales put the 24-pound bird over glowing coals and closed the lid. Along with family and friends, he enjoyed the smells of cooking turkey.
"One of our camping buddies brought her special basting sauce and wanted to baste the bird after a few hours of cooking, but I convinced her to wait a while," explains Gonzales.
"As the dinner hour approached, the table was set and all the fixings were ready. The moment came to open the lid and see the bird. As the foil was pulled back, we all looked aghast. There was nothing but shrunken bones and burnt skin. It looked worse than the turkey in the movie 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.' Our friend said she wasn't wasting her sauce on those bones."
When the laughter subsided, Gonzales was asked how much coal he had used. When he pointed to the empty 50-pound sack, everyone started laughing again.
"From now on, if the grill sits on the coals, I know it is a sign that there are way too many coals."
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
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