Why Is Rockford So Far Down The List Of Best-Grilling Cities?
You ever had one of those moments when something goes badly and you worry that it might be your fault? I'm having one of those moments now as I think about Rockford's poor showing in a ranking of the best cities for outdoor grilling in America.
The reason that I'm having these feelings is that I must admit, in the interests of full disclosure, that I was fired from the position of Grill-Master at my own house. By my wife. Nearly 20 years ago. Why? Because I...well...kinda sucked at it, and she's much, much better.
My Poor Grilling Skills May Have Cost Rockford Valuable Points
Maybe it was me turning beautiful burgers into charred hockey pucks. Maybe it was when I transformed lovely bratwursts into something resembling long-overripe bananas. Or it could have been overcooking shrimp so badly that they stood up in unison and jumped into the flames in a mass suicide. There are other incidents, but I've only got so much space here.
Regardless Of Who's To Blame, Rockford Makes A Poor Showing On The List
The list we're talking about comes from lawncare website LawnLove.com, and it takes a look at the 183 best American cities for outdoor grilling. Here's what LawnLove went with as their criteria for judging:
Lawn Love ranked over 180 of the largest U.S. cities to determine the Best Cities for Outdoor Grilling. We looked for cities with plenty of butcher shops, affordable meat, nice weather, and community interest based on Google search trends.
Rockford comes in at #135 out of the 183 cities. I think they've got us way too low in their rankings, but they don't asked terminated Grill Masters for their thoughts. Trying to turn lemons into lemonade, I can tell you that Rockford's score of 135 is better than:
- Minneapolis (#141)
- Milwaukee (#146)
- Madison (#149)
- Aurora (#166)