Happy Birthday to my little bro, grill master extraordinaire

Today is my little brother's birthday. He's a big boy now at the ripe age of 17 and quite an eater. You would never guess it just to look at him, as he's about six feet with about .02% body fat and a six-pack all the girls at the high school moon over, thanks to swimming.

Growing up with three older sisters could not have been easy, but I like to think we've prepared him for the wider world as best we could. Certainly no girl will ever get the best of him now, not that there is one out there that is good enough for him, anyway.

He is quite the grill master and assumed the place of honor at the family grill in lieu of my father about 2 years ago. We don't believe in gas grills and still use charcoal as everyone maintains it tastes better, even if it is a bit more of a hassle to clean.

One of Davey's greatest "hits" are his steaks and kebabs, which have one praise from all who have eaten them, not just immediate family members. As we are fast approaching Labor Day weekend, I thought this would be a fitting post in case any one of you have plans to assume grill master status yourself this weekend.

Davey grills with tri-tip steaks, which are not too big and thus are quick to cook and easy to manage for larger groups of people. Their smaller size enables you to get that nice seared crust to contrast with the pink-y inside of the meat.

To achieve, marinate in one hour prior to cooking in soy sauce, sugar, finely minced garlic (or garlic powder if neccessary), black pepper and a bit of red wine.

After an hour, your grill should be plenty hot. Take steaks out of the marinade and just before putting them on the grill, brush in olive oil with a little bit of salt/pepper, and if you like the taste, Italian seasoning. The olive oil will attract the flames, causing them to leap up and give the meat that initial flame-kissed taste, not to mention help keep it from sticking to the grates.

Use this same olive-oil concoction to coat your kebabs before putting on the grill. We like to make kebabs with slices of sweet red, yellow and green peppers, lots of onions, and mushrooms. We will use shiitake if we can find good ones, otherwise will make do with portobellos, quartered to fit nicely on the skewers, and coated beforehand with soy sauce, sugar, and a bit of pepper.

And if you're so inclined, some grilled sweet corn will never go amiss. All of these yummy things on the grill makes the pugs go mad with the smell. Lucky for them, they always get a little nibble from the leftovers, which is probably why they are fat like in this picture. Enjoy the feast!