It was a dark and cloudy Monday night in June in Vermont. The air cool but heavy with the threat of an evening thunderstorm. Birds singing all around me and yet in my head Ronnie Van Zandt singing over and over again in my head, play me a song Curtis Lowe.

It was on this night that I decided to finally cook one of my favorite Korean dishes, LA Galbi. I understand that it is best cooked over a wood or wood charcoal fire. For this reason I decided to set up at the Weber Grill that’s been stored out in the backyard. This is not the best option For my usually very fluent cooking style. Many days and nights I can balance the outside deck grill and burner running inside to the kitchen to tend to food prep and other side dishes sautéing on the stove. There will be none of that tonight. 

If it involves my grill out on my deck or my wok and pans on my stove my cutting boards my chef knives, I can move through that space like Jackie Chan almost with a rhythm. But tonight, here I am out in the backyard what feels like miles away from my kitchen and from my deck just trying to make this wood fire work. The whole scene screaming to me that perhaps I need an outside kitchen.

My inexperience with this shines through here, but not for long.  These delicious sections of meat are usually snipped up with kitchen scissors and enjoyed.

I did do pan seared Asian cucumbers, rice and carrots, but it was nothing compared to the left overs the next day.  There are more beef short ribs in my freezer downstairs.  Yall hold on, I got this.