Curious: Front Yard/Driveway Cooking

I live in the burbs, and grill/smoke in the driveway all the time. I literally don't remember the last time I did it in my backyard.

I don't have a covered area in the backyard, but I have a prep table set up with all my rubs and such in the garage, next to the garage door. My truck is always in the driveway, so I drag whatever I'm cooking with out onto the driveway between it and the garage door, and I can sit inside the garage if I need to stay out of the weather, while still being close to my prep area. It's a pretty ideal setup.
 
Just to expand on my earlier post. I also cook out back on the deck where I have my Weber gasser, DC and SRG. Thing is it faces West and there is a large wetland so in winter the north wind really sucks so then I go out front.

So it just depends on the weather, what I'm cooking on and how much I'm cooking. Oh and whether I want to be social or antisocial that day.
 
I must have been 12 years old when I heard someone pounding at my parents door and yelling, "Call 911" at 2am. It was my parents neighbor and his house was on fire. He and his family were fortunate to get out of the house safely. Unfortunately their house burned down to the studs and pretty much lost everything.

It turned out the cause was from a flying ember from their kettle grill that got lodged in between their deck boards. It took hours before the fire really took hold. Long after they've gone to bed. They heard glass shatter and were woken. They thought someone was maybe trying to break in. Only to find out their whole back of their house was in flames.

I promised myself whenever I bought my house that I'd keep any grill off the deck. It almost scarred me when I was watching my neighbors watch their house burn down. Almost seemed surreal.

I can't tell you how many times I wish I could walk six feet from my kitchen to my deck and use my grill. Instead I have to walk through the living room, down a flight of stairs, through the garage, to get to my driveway. A complete pain. Than I picture myself watching my house burn down and all I needed to do was walk through the living room, down a flight of stairs, through the garage, to get to my driveway.

So I'm a weird grill/smoker driveway guy...
 
Like a lot of folk, my house has a front entry garage- my several cookers live in the garage.
Could I haul it to the back to cook- and then hauling the cooker back to the front to store it?
I could and I have- but 99 % of the time it's on the drive way.

A fella who has easily offended neighbors might need better neighbors.
 
midwest_kc said:
I live in the burbs, and grill/smoke in the driveway all the time. I literally don't remember the last time I did it in my backyard.

I don't have a covered area in the backyard, but I have a prep table set up with all my rubs and such in the garage, next to the garage door. My truck is always in the driveway, so I drag whatever I'm cooking with out onto the driveway between it and the garage door, and I can sit inside the garage if I need to stay out of the weather, while still being close to my prep area. It's a pretty ideal setup.
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Your setup sounds similar to mine.

Have a 2-car garage with two garage doors. Can keep one open during cooks and the other one closed to hide my array of random stuff on that side.

Built a bar back in college for use in the dorm. Designed to be multi-functional. Served as a desk and allowed us to put the two university issued desks in storage, saving room space. Built it to also hold stereo components (large and heavy back-in-the-day). Looked pretty cool and got favorable comments from weekend visitors. Designed to be movable. Was very sturdy yet could break it down with a screwdriver and wrench/ratchet.

Bar is over 40 years old and been re-erected four times. Never thought I'd have it this long but it's now in my garage with a TV and laptop sitting on it...whilst the heavenly smell of cherry or pecan emanate from the cooker in the driveway.
 
Jrogers84 said:
"Detroit style" house have a large front porch that is raised but 4-6 steps. Its 100% common in the area to have furniture and a grill on those.

"Detroit Bungalows were typically built in the Craftsman architectural style. They are typically 1-1/2 stories, with sweeping low pitched gabled or hipped roofs that extend over a front porch that matches the width of the home."

FYI I dont think you offended anyone but im sure you managed to get a few people to form an opinion on yourself.
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Well, somehow and for some reason, my question elicited some snarky replies rather quickly, and although I don't see why those were necessary based on my original question, I apologize for whatever I did that made them do that. I still don't understand why an honest question started that. I've been on this earth for 50+ years, in many different environments and I've never seen anyone grilling, barbecuing, sitting on lawn furniture or lying in a hammock in front of a house anywhere except in photos or videos on the internet. And thus, my question because until a few here legitimately answered me, I couldn't think of why anyone would do that and why the neighbors wouldn't complain.
 
jstrand said:
Cook out front with my kettle and my Copperhead. Main reason is they are both kept in the garage. But it's nice to hang out and watch the neighborhood go by while drinking beer and my neighbors will generally swing over to chat and have beer with me.
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In my town I'd end up in jail for that.
I'll stay in the back yard with the privacy fence...
 
You’re obviously not from where BBQ is part of the heritage.

Church parking lots, baseball fields, empty lots, driveways, front yards, back yards, side of the road.

Anywhere and everywhere you can bbq they bbq and to be honest, no one really cares what the neighbors think, because they are likely right beside you drinking a beer.

BBQ is about community in the south.
 
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I have a covered patio just a few steps from the kitchen right out the Den door. The patio is concrete. Keep all my cookers in the back. Back when I Cajun fried turkeys every Thanksgiving and Christmas if it was raining heavy I'd set up in the side entrance garage. Have the option of both. Wherever I can set up is fine and neighbors don't mind.
 
Smoker34 said:
Well, somehow and for some reason, my question elicited some snarky replies rather quickly, and although I don't see why those were necessary based on my original question, I apologize for whatever I did that made them do that. I still don't understand why an honest question started that. I've been on this earth for 50+ years, in many different environments and I've never seen anyone grilling, barbecuing, sitting on lawn furniture or lying in a hammock in front of a house anywhere except in photos or videos on the internet. And thus, my question because until a few here legitimately answered me, I couldn't think of why anyone would do that and why the neighbors wouldn't complain.
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In one of your replies you implied that cooking in the front yard means you have a vehicle on blocks nearby. Seems like you weren't just asking an innocent question without expecting snarky responses.
 
drunkenmeatfist said:
In one of your replies you implied that cooking in the front yard means you have a vehicle on blocks nearby. Seems like you weren't just asking an innocent question without expecting snarky responses.
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Nope. That was my snarky response to a snarky response. My original question was from curiosity and it sure struck an immediate nerve with some, but not most, here. I made that comment only after there was snarky pushback. I’m done with this. Happy barbecuing, grilling and lounging in your front yards. Just please don’t do it in my neighborhood.
 
Smoker34 said:
Nope. That was my snarky response to a snarky response. My original question was from curiosity and it sure struck an immediate nerve with some, but not most, here. I made that comment only after there was snarky pushback. I’m done with this. Happy barbecuing, grilling and lounging in your front yards. Just please don’t do it in my neighborhood.
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i'm really not invested in this issue. I do my cooking in my backyard. It is clear that you look down on people that don't do the same though. Really weird, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion I guess.
 
All of my smokers are in my backyard except for my LSG Large IVS because I ran out of patio space, so it stays in my garage.

I live in a safe neighborhood but still get a little paranoid with overnight IVS cooks that someone will drive by at 2:00 am, see the smoker, and try to steal it. Not that moving almost 1,000 pounds of hot steel in the middle of the night is easy, but you never know! I block the driveway off with one of my cars at night because I know the IVS is not rolling through the grass!

That being said, I like the privacy of my backyard...
 
Smoker34 said:
Nope. That was my snarky response to a snarky response. My original question was from curiosity and it sure struck an immediate nerve with some, but not most, here. I made that comment only after there was snarky pushback. I’m done with this. Happy barbecuing, grilling and lounging in your front yards. Just please don’t do it in my neighborhood.
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I'm guessing you don't see how you called yourself out with these 2 very different sentences, lol. Would have been better to just man up and say what you really wanted that first post.

But yes, so innocent and curious
giphy.gif
 
After reading this debacle I was tempted to take a couple pictures of a fine abode I pass on the way home from work.

Maybe it'll pass.

Oh...then there's the campers at the gas station where folks live year round.
 
Jason TQ said:
I'm guessing you don't see how you called yourself out with these 2 very different sentences, lol. Would have been better to just man up and say what you really wanted that first post.

But yes, so innocent and curious
giphy.gif
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I said I was done, but I have to correct something. You should take a logic course. Your analysis of my statement is either an innocent distortion or outright deception.

Given all that I said on this topic, it should be very obvious, using only basic reading comprehension, that I don’t like the idea of grilling, barbecuing and lounging in front of my house. Proof is that I admitted learning about this practice years ago via internet media and if I liked or even understood the reasoning behind the idea, I would have done it myself. I also told you that even if I did it, my neighbors would complain. Being a neighbor to someone else in my neighborhood, it then follows that I would not like to see people grilling and lounging in a hammock in their front yard. I think it takes away from the aesthetics of the neighborhood and makes it more like a perpetual street festival. So it should come as no surprise that I wouldn’t want to see this in my neighborhood. Your comment says more about you and your own self-image to imply that my not liking this activity amounts to looking down on others.

Having said that, I simply did not and still do not understand, in most cases, why anyone would preferentially choose to grill, barbecue and lounge around in public. I have never seen it in person and would still hope nobody in my neighborhood takes it up.

Happy grilling and barbecuing.
 
SMOKE FREAK said:
In my town I'd end up in jail for that.
I'll stay in the back yard with the privacy fence...
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You'd go to jail for hanging out in your driveway and drinking beer? Another reason for me to just stay in the MO.

In the summer, at least once a week the guys come over and we sit in chairs in my driveway drinking beer. Usually we grill or smoke something too. It's a great time, and I always get sad when it gets too cold.
 
Ya know I never even considered a hammock but what a great idea!

I mean in addition to the big arse wood fired smoker doing it's thing and the pile of firewood and the prep cooler and pop up awning with folding tables I think the swag factor would be awesome.

I know Pat has that cars on blocks thing covered but if you got the hammock tied off between an old Chevy on one end and a busted old Ford on the other swinging back and forth fast enough you could grab some wood off the pile and on the way back over toss it in the firebox much to the shock and awe of the whole neighborhood!

Wonder if a an old camo poly tarp would work for the hammock?
 
Smoker34 said:
I said I was done, but I have to correct something. You should take a logic course. Your analysis of my statement is either an innocent distortion or outright deception.

Given all that I said on this topic, it should be very obvious, using only basic reading comprehension, that I don’t like the idea of grilling, barbecuing and lounging in front of my house. Proof is that I admitted learning about this practice years ago via internet media and if I liked or even understood the reasoning behind the idea, I would have done it myself. I also told you that even if I did it, my neighbors would complain. Being a neighbor to someone else in my neighborhood, it then follows that I would not like to see people grilling and lounging in a hammock in their front yard. I think it takes away from the aesthetics of the neighborhood and makes it more like a perpetual street festival. So it should come as no surprise that I wouldn’t want to see this in my neighborhood. Your comment says more about you and your own self-image to imply that my not liking this activity amounts to looking down on others.

Having said that, I simply did not and still do not understand, in most cases, why anyone would preferentially choose to grill, barbecue and lounge around in public. I have never seen it in person and would still hope nobody in my neighborhood takes it up.

Happy grilling and barbecuing.
Click to expand...

vEG0b4El.jpg
 
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