A Barbecuing Bonus
The History of the Barbecue Grill
The history and origin of barbecuing is somewhat uncertain, but
it is known that during the pre Civil War period, roasting pigs was
a common practice.
During this period, Southerners ate five pounds of pork
for each pound of beef.
Pigs were the choice of meat because they were such
low maintenance animals.
When pigs were cooked, the neighborhood would be invited
over, leading to the traditional barbecue.
Eventually barbecuing became a platform for church functions and
political rallies.
Barbecuing became an easy way to lobby for votes.
It also provided a way to mix different social classes.
In 1910, because of a distraught car owner stating that the government
should look into a way to keep gasoline from evaporating so quickly,
Dr. Walter Snelling discovered that the gases evaporating were propane
and butane, among others.
In 1911, Dr. Snelling developed a way to remove
the propane and butane from the gasoline.
The first gas range was then developed in 1912.
From 1927 to shortly after World War II, the propane
sales increased from one million to 15 billion.
In 1960, a man named Walter Koziol added these concepts together
and developed the first outdoor gas grill for residential use.
The round steel grill was 22-1/2 inches with two
wheels used for transporting.
According to the Barbecue Industry Association (BIA), in 2000 it
was estimated that more than 15 million American would buy new grills.
Today about 57 percent of grill owners grill year-round, even
throughout winter.
Sources: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Barbecue
Industry Association.
http://www.penningtongas.com/History%20of%20Propane.htm - Pennington gas
service.
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA95/dove/history.html - essay by Laura Dove.
