Guerrilla Balcony Grilling

Currently we live on the second floor of an apartment building in a nice little complex. The complex provides a couple of grills for residents, but they are often already in use when my husband and I want to grill. They're also a hassle to use. Enter World Market's Terracotta Pig Grill. We bought this little gem on sale for less than $15 and bought the second one shortly after.

The grills are small, lightweight, very portable, and easy to clean. Inconspicuous and easy to store, these pigs make guerrilla balcony gardening super easy!

Fruit (pineapple, watermelon, etc.)

Vegetables (peppers, mushrooms, red onion, corn, potatoes, etc.)

Meat (grilling beef, chicken, sausages, seafood)

1-2 tbs Olive Oil (for brushing)

Steak Kabob Marinade (per lb of beef)

2 tbs Olive Oil

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

2 Garlic cloves, crushed or minced

1 tbs Sea Salt (to taste)

1 tbs Pepper (to taste)

Marinate beef up to 24 hours.

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Grill

Skewers

Charcoal & charcoal fluid

2 tbs Olive Oil

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

2 Garlic cloves, crushed or minced

1 tbs Sea Salt (to taste)

1 tbs Pepper (to taste)

This is my go-to marinade for steaks. Put all of the ingredients into a plastic baggy with the cubed steak, seal, and marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours. It doesn't need that long, but if you are short on time it doesn't hurt. Skewer just before you are ready to cook.

The pig grills use charcoal only. Follow the charcoal manufacturers instructions for adding coals and charcoal fluid. We like to use our infrared temperature thermometer-gun to keep an eye on when the grills are ready for meat.

You don't need a ton of charcoal to get these pigs going and after 10-15 minutes they are usually ready to go. These pigs work quickly and we found that adding in more charcoal helps keep the flames going for extended cooking.

If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 24 hours. If you're using metal, you're all set to skewer your fruits, vegetables, and meats.

Giving your fruits and veggies a light brush of oil can help with sticking while cooking.

The cooking area is small but perfect for 1-2 people. You can fit about 8 sausages/dogs, 2-3 burger patties, 2-3 chicken breasts, or 4-6 skewers (depending on how big the meat & veg on the skewers are).

Having 2 of the grills makes gatherings fun, we can chat over the flames and all be involved in the cooking.

If you plan to use bacon, we highly recommend that you cook it last and only a couple of pieces at a time. We recently did bacon wrapped scallops and bacon wrapped shrimp and filled the grille. After a few minutes the grille started lighting like crazy because of the bacon fat dripping onto the coals. This didn't hurt our bacon or seafood and actually helped cook things faster, but because it can get out of control quickly it's better to only cook a few pieces at a time. Or cook your bacon in-between other skewers to help them cook faster as well.

To make bacon wrapped scallops and shrimp, first clean the shrimp/scallops and then wrap a small strip of pre-cut bacon around each piece. Secure with a toothpick that has been presoaked in water (to prevent burning).