I spend a lot of time grilling, and like many folks I know I enjoy drinking a beer and puffing on a cigar while I do so. When it's just me and the family, I don't spend a lot of time worrying about the ashtray -- I'll dump the ashes in whatever is handy. But if I'm cooking for others, especially non-smokers, I want to keep an ashtray ostentatiously on hand to allay fears that I'm inadvertently flavoring their meat with smoked tobacco.
You can buy outdoor ashtrays, but I don't like how those look and don't need them often enough to have to stare at them out my window. Instead, I move one of my Xikar Havana Collection Black Ceramic Ashtrays right by the grill, and place it on the side table that's opposite of where the meat is.
Here's why that works: It's a beautiful ashtray, so it looks snazzy out there. It's dark, so it hides the cigar and the ashes for those who are a bit squeamish about my smoking around the grill. And it easily holds all the ashes, so none come close to the food. Although, to be frank, I'm sure I could learn a lot about flavoring my steaks by taking a lesson from the care that cigar manufacturers take in constructing their top-shelf cigars.
You can buy outdoor ashtrays, but I don't like how those look and don't need them often enough to have to stare at them out my window. Instead, I move one of my Xikar Havana Collection Black Ceramic Ashtrays right by the grill, and place it on the side table that's opposite of where the meat is.
Here's why that works: It's a beautiful ashtray, so it looks snazzy out there. It's dark, so it hides the cigar and the ashes for those who are a bit squeamish about my smoking around the grill. And it easily holds all the ashes, so none come close to the food. Although, to be frank, I'm sure I could learn a lot about flavoring my steaks by taking a lesson from the care that cigar manufacturers take in constructing their top-shelf cigars.
Comments for The Ashtray Grilling Companion