First of all, how long have you been grilling?
Ouch!

I’d say 35 plus years (or pretty much my entire adult life), with the first ten years of my outdoor cooking “career” consisting of mainly grilling what came to be fondly known as “Death Steaks.”  By my 30’s I considered myself somewhat more accomplished when I finally figured out what side baskets and drip pans were for.

How often can we find you cooking outdoors during an average week?

As a hard core “Winter Griller,” I’m proud to say that I’m on the grill over 100 times a year for an average of 2 – 3 times a week, and that’s pretty good considering I’m only cooking for two here at home.

Where’d your love for barbecue and grilling come from? Any early memories you’d care to share?

I’ve never liked gas grills for some reason. It was always Kingsford charcoal for the Maxwell’s at home in Riverside, CT.  Since then, I’ve always sworn by Weber grills and have gone through a couple of the big kettles and several 18.5 inchers. They’ve been kind of like guitars for me.

I finally got side baskets for an 18.5” kettle and was shocked to see how much fat was in the drip pan, when I cooked my first chicken. Right away I saw the awesome health benefits of roasting anything on a grill instead of using the oven. I don’t think we have used our oven more than 3 times in the 4 years we’ve been in Boston. If you can’t stand the heat…use the grill!

So you’re a Connecticut boy living in Massachusetts now, correct? Any local specialties or flavors from the east coast that you like to cook up?

Growing up on Long Island Sound and now living in Boston, seafood has always been a traditional staple on our dinner table and that said, I feel blessed to be a native of, and still reside near, the New England coast line.

We get fresh swordfish from the Grand Banks, fresh farm raised Atlantic salmon, and the fresh big sea scallops from Canada that are always featured on the grill here in the “Danger Zone.” Foley Fish of Boston has been in business for 105 years and they supply our local market, so it’s convenient one-stop shopping for me.

The great state of Maine is only an hour away from us and we never come home without a couple of fresh 2 lb. lobsters for the grill. We also get our fresh steamers (clams) up in Ipswich, MA.

I can assure you from experience that grilled whole lobsters and grilled steamers are 100 times better than boiled. You can taste the flavors from the sea when you do them on the grill.

What would you say is your specialty when it comes to outdoor cooking? Chicken, steak, ribs or something completely unique?

I can’t say that I have a specialty or do anything in a unique way other than that I don’t believe in recipes for the grill.

No recipes you say? YES, No recipes!

If there are more than four ingredients for anything, I won’t do it. And if there are less than 3 or 4 ingredients, that can’t be much of a recipe.

In my mind, things that you already have and use all the time like salt & pepper, butter/oil and ketchup and mustard don’t count. Things like brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder etc. do count because you don’t use them all the time. This way I can keep it simple and easy so that I am more inclined not to shy away from grilling something I would be afraid of messing up.  I love watching Steve Raichlen on TV but I have to scratch my head when I see him line up 17 pinch bowls of stuff for a mop sauce.

So, with no, or minimal recipes to think about, I can grill just about anything and everything and relax and enjoy the therapeutic Zen feeling one gets when embracing this culture.

The one thing I do that may be considered unique is my now famous (or infamous) veggies in the double wrapped foil bags “ala Dangerous Dave’s.” I don’t know how or where I got this idea but I’ve been using this method for over 20 years now. I use 2 pats of butter and salt & pepper to taste and most types of vegetables are done in 30-35 minutes. I tried every other method you can think of but we still come back to the foil bags. All of the flavors stay in the veggies and they melt in your mouth.

My exploits on the grill are prolifically documented on my “Dangerous Dave’s Healthy Grilling” page on Facebook, for those who like looking at pictures.

Any recipes or special cuts of meat you’re hoping to try out this summer?

As previously stated, I don’t believe in recipes for the grill, but my list of things to try is long and varied. A “Low and slow” barbecued brisket is one for sure, along with a whole bunch of other stuff.

I’m expanding the home menu all the time and this year I’m grilling different fruits for deserts. I also have a Himalayan salt block that I haven’t used successfully yet. I tried tilapia filets (too salty) and then plain hamburgers as a test, and again, WAY too salty but I’ll figure it out.

There’s also a ton of great things that all of the fabulous grillers I have become friends with are doing these days (yourself included). For some reason I can’t get Tom “Big Butz” Porter’s “Heartstoppers” out of my mind right now. His Heartstoppers are breakfast sausage links wrapped in bacon, grilled over indirect heat.
Any grilling tips you want to share with the Grilling.com community?

One grill, No gas.  One knife, No recipes…this is my mantra.

I’m just trying to “Keep it Simple,” doing straight forward, right down the middle, All-American fare.

I believe that successful grilling is all in the timing. From the prep to the table, I’m looking for “Safely On – Safely Off.”

We have a small 60 -70 sq. ft. balcony so I really only have room for one large grill. The Weber “Performer” One-Touch gas ignition CHARCOAL grill is my weapon of choice (and has been approved by the highest authority in our house). Thank you Honey!

I’m always open to technical suggestions (maybe that’s a guy thing?) but as far as rubs, marinades and recipes, I say “To each, his (or her) own.”

And finally, how’d it feel to come back home to Greenwich CT and put your grilling skills to the test? (editors note: Dave helped my competition team win a “People’s Choice” grilling contest earlier this summer in his home town)

Participating with you and being part of the well oiled machine that is the Smoke In Da Eye Competition BBQ Team was exhilarating and exciting beyond my wildest expectations. I firmly believe that the People’s Choice format was a big reason for this. I could tell that your baby back ribs were perfect just by feeling them with the first handful I grabbed to put on the plates. That fact that we ran out of food first, spoke volumes to me at the time and I knew for sure that we would win.

This backyard griller can’t thank you enough for this thrilling experience and I hope that you will have me back again next year to defend the title!

Thanks again for your time, Dave, and thanks again for being such a loyal member of our grilling community!

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-Clint Cantwell, Grilling.com Guest Editor