2026, Food, Gatherings, home, Mysteries, Uncategorized

Let’s Grill

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According to New of the Weird this week, in some parts of Russia, men are running personal ads.  Not those kind of personal ads!  They are running ads are “barbecue companions”.   Apparently it’s exactly what it says – someone to come over to your house for barbecue, beer and conversation.   The men are charging anywhere between $13 and $65.  They higher end companions can include preparing the grill, grilling the meat, setting up a tend and acting as a buddy.  One such ad said “I’ll help you organize barbecues and camping, keep you company, and grill some meat. Jokes and anecdotes are also included,” This seems to be on the up and up.  Only marketing to men and are meant to be one-time services – not an invitation to friendship.  If someone wants to hire the barbecue buddy’s services again, they have to pay for it.  Russian restaurateur Evgeny Demchenko said “From a business perspective, this is absolutely natural: if there’s an unmet need, a service will emerge.” 

It feels a little sad to me.  Don’t Russian men have any friends?  If I volunteered to grill, I’m pretty sure I’d have folks lining up.  Especially if the weather is nice.

Does having a barbecue companion hold any allure for you?   What do you like to grill?

33 thoughts on “Let’s Grill”

  1. Wow, that does seem sad. It may be that so many men have been lost to the war in Ukraine, there is just a shortage of men in general.

    We used to grill on a bbq pit we created in our Robbinsdale back yard on the garden terrace – brick side walls (nothing cemented together) with a grate over the top, plenty of room underneath for kindling-type wood… Grilled mostly burgers and brats, etc.

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  3. I’m trying to think what Russians are known for grilling, and coming up blank.

    Maybe that’s just my lack of Russian cuisine knowledge, so I’m interested in any knowledge others may have to share.

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  4. Nothing of what the grill buddies offer equates. Do they bring any of the food? I would guess not. Do they stay for dinner? What besides meat is on the menu? What does a tent have to do with barbecuing? Are these solitary guys hiring grill buddies to cook meat in the woods or is there a family included? It all seems bleak.

    I grill quite often, on a gas grill at high indirect heat with the cover mostly closed except when I turn or inspect the progress of the meat or veggie. The whole endeavor seldom takes more than 15 minutes and during that time I am shuttling between the house and the grill to wash a plate or attend to other items on the menu. There’s no role in that for a grill buddy. The familiar image of a guy with a set of barbecue tools and an apron tending a grill for some extended process of poking or patting or flipping some meaty items is not what happens at my house.

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  5. I have been Husband’s barbecue buddy for years. His life seems to revolve around grilling. He has a new grill/smoker that uses charcoal and wood, yet is electric and keeps things at the temperature he sets. Today he is getting his sourdough starter revved up so he can make hard rolls for the sausages he wants to grill later this week. Since he grew up in Sheboygsn, WI, “the bratwurst capitol of the world” he has definite opinions regarding what constitutes the appropriate hard roll.

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    1. I recently read an article that identified some place in Ohio as the bratwurst capitol. The piece identified this Ohio town as a German settlement, which makes sense. Who knew that this was a competitive identity?

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    2. The electric temperature control of the coals/wood has made smoking large pieces of meat quicker with far less fuss. We had this enormous smoker/grill that looked like an iron lung. Husband had to tend to it constantly, and things never seemed to be done completely, so he would finish them in the oven. We left it in ND.

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      1. The grilling of brats in Sheboygan is almost a religious ritual. Only certain bakeries are considered to have the best hard rolls. They are eaten two brats per bun.

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  6. Rise and Flip the Burger, Baboons,

    I have grilled a lot–almost exclusively–over the past 2 weeks while we suffered our heat streak. I also used the gas grill’s burner to boil corn and cook side dishes so that the kitchen stayed cool. (This morning I am basking in the cool breeze.) I grill various sausages, burgers, including veggie burgers, chicken, porkchops, vegetables, potatoes. Really anything.

    Grill buddies? I just do not get this. There must be cultural issues we do not understand. Usually as a grill buddy experience, I chat with my neighbors over the deck fence while they also grill. They have all the stuff–smoker, griddle, gas grill.

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  7. I really enjoy grilling veggies. I’ve had a lot of zucchini lately, and it’s great on the grill. So is eggplant. I also like to grill sliced potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, and onions.

    Having a “grill buddy” doesn’t appeal to me. Like Bill, I’m usually involved in doing other things while my something is cooking.

    I don’t have a grill anymore. They’re banned in HOAs due to state Fire Marshall regulations. I really like the grill feature in my Ninja Foodie. It works great and clean-up is easy. I can take an assortment of sliced veggies, put them in a gallon ziplock bag, pour some olive oil and seasoning in, toss the bag to coat everything, then dump it in the foodie. It turns out great. Perfect for one person.

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  9. Years ago, we hosted two gentlemen from Russia as part of a farmer foreign exchange program. They stayed for two or theee days.
    They didn’t speak English and there was a lot of hand gestures. I think they had a Russian / English dictionary.
    We were not grilling at the time, or I don’t remember that we were, but they wanted mutton. And non-alcoholic beer.
    They must have made supper with the mutton. Our son had his first birthday and they were there for cake.
    They drive the car REALLY FAST between the house and barn- about 150 yards. Scares me.

    I always wonder what became of them.

    We grill meats. I do the grilling mostly.
    We remember Kelly’s uncle Bill when grilling burgers, he’d yell into the house to his wife Ruth, “Set the timer for three minutes!!” Then he’d sit down. The timer would go off and he’d leap out of the chair, flip the burgers and yell again. “Set the timer for three minutes!!”
    Makes me laugh. I just wing it.
    Which is why I’ve burned up the brats a couple times. I get distracted.

    My favorite is ham. I’m still learning how to time it. I think it should take 4 hours and plan everything else around that, then it’s done in 3 and has dried out before the rest is ready.
    And chicken. I’ve about given up doing chicken. I can dry it out even in a crock pot full of liquids.

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  12. I have Husband and Son as grill buddies. Last weekend, Son made paella on the grill and I assisted with prep and bringing ingredients at the right time.

    We have a gas grill and use it spring, summer, and fall (and occasionally winter). We do the usual burgers, sausages/brats, also pork chops, pork loin, steak, salmon, fish for tacos, kebabs, pizza. There’s a grill basket for veggies and a side burner that’s nice for really hot days.

    Husband also has a charcoal smoker and I act as “smoke buddy” for that as well.

    I agree that the Russian grill buddies might be the result of the war. Just about anyone who is able bodied is drafted. Very sad.

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