The time had come to light up the barbeque grill!  There was only one small problem. With all the preparations he had made for the cookout, Frank had forgotten charcoal lighter! Not to be detoured by such a small detail, he entered the tool shed at the back of his yard and returned with a large can of gasoline.
 
Frank had built a gorgeous new backyard barbeque pit, whom, to the disgust of the brick masons, supervised every detail of the project.  It was a beautiful fireplace style grill with the chimney just about head, high built of the same brick that covered his home.

Proud of owning the best looking barbeque pit in our neighborhood, Frank’s grill featured an arched flat black steel bonnet for enclosed cooking; with a warming tray built into the side of the brick pit to keep rare steaks from getting cold while others cooked longer. There was even a compartment built on the opposite side to house starter fluid for the charcoal.

 After dumping a large amount of charcoal into the bed of the grill, he picked up the can of gasoline.  By now the neighbors had begun to realize what Frank was about to do and began hollering at him to put down the gas can!

Several friends offered to run to their homes and get charcoal lighter fluid. No Way!  Frank was determined to kick off this celebration with a big fire!  He also guaranteed everyone that he knew what he was doing!  He was enjoying the spotlight; being the center of attention!

He dumped the container of fuel over the charcoal and continued pouring even after the briquettes had been thoroughly drenched.  Now came the moment of truth!  He lit a match and with a melodramatic flair and tossed it onto the charcoal! Whoooomp! 

Brick mortar is very porous and does not always bond perfectly to a surface without leaving a tiny crack in the joints between bricks. When gasoline fills that fissure, it will flow into the base of the structure, such as a barbeque pit.

Vapors from the gasoline that had flowed into the grill did what they do when they come in contact with a flame. The grill exploded!  Bricks and mortar blasted into pieces and rained down from the sky onto all of us who had observed the big bang! No one was hurt because most of the crowd had run for cover when they saw what Frank was about to do.

He was slightly hurt by a fragment of brick skimming across the top of his head.  Nothing serious, but his grill was destroyed! A few seconds before, it was a magnificent example of craftsmanship; something to be proud of and enjoy for years to come. Instantly it was just a pile of trash!  

Although Frank has recovered from last year’s calamity, he has made plans to build an even bigger charcoal cooker than the last one. I doubt he will ever use gasoline to start a fire again!

Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.redfishbob.com
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com

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