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Since the discovery of fire, man has always cooked outdoors, roasting meats over an open fire. The evolution of the backyard barbeque grill as we know it now, however, is more recent. Prior to the 1950′s many Americans lived in large cities and grilled outdoors at campsites and parks. Grilling was an activity that was done when families traveled, and it was an occasional way to cook foods while enjoying an outing away from home. World War II drastically changed the landscape of grilling. In the time post-war, families started to migrate from larger cities into to the suburbs, and took with them the barbeque grill that had once been reserved for a rare day at the park.

The original grills were flat, open brazier-style grills. While they did allow for outdoor cooking, they were woefully inefficient in cooking foods. It would take many hours to cook one single serving of meat on these grills. Their flat design exposed the fire to the elements and backyard chefs would find themselves having to light and re-light the fire again and again. The old style of grill gave the cook little control over the temperature of the grilling process. The flat grills would often leave the outside of the meat searing while the inside was raw or undercooked. It was a frustrating exercise that would often put a damper on backyard grilling festivities.

That was, until George Stephan came along. In the early 1950′s, in a town just outside of Chicago, George Stephan was a metalworker with Weber Brothers metalworking. He had recently acquired a controlling share of the company that manufactured metal buoys for the coast guard. An avid griller, Stephan decided that he had a solution to the old way of cooking outdoors. Using the same design as his company’s buoys, Stephan decided on a new way of creating a grill. He took the old buoy, sliced it in half into equal parts and added a metal grate between the two halves. His innovation gave birth to the Weber grill, changing the way we think about outdoor barbecuing.

While George Stephan had a great idea and an even greater product, getting it into widespread use was an entirely different matter. As is human nature, many people were skeptical of this new grill style, and were slow to adopt the new grill. Stephan would not be deterred. He shopped his new grill around to small mom and pop stores across the country, and pretty soon every backyard in America was sporting a Weber kettle grill. In just a few short years, the Weber grill became an iconic symbol of American suburbia. As a matter of fact, it ranked second only to apple pie as the symbol of Americana.

Now the Weber brand is known across the country, and is available from retailers around the globe. Weber set the industry standard, paving the way for other grill manufacturers to follow suit. Now anyone can own a Weber grill and enjoy grilling in the comfort of their backyard. The grill’s style allows for maximum portability, ironically bringing families back to the same parks and campsites of the past. NO tailgate party is complete without the familiar site of a Weber kettle grill billowing smoke and attracting hungry fans from far and wide. Weber offers a line of grills that will suit the tastes of every grill lover. From small charcoal grills for a trip to the beach to large gas grills with multiple burners made to feed thousands, there is a Weber grill for everyone.

In the time since the Weber grill was invented, cooking technology has progressed by leaps and bounds. Far from the single model of charcoal grill that was once George Stephan’s brainchild, the grill now comes in all shapes, sizes and styles. Weber’s line has expanded to offer gas-powered grills, propane grills, smokers, charcoal barrel grills and portable grills. His invention led the way for other inventors to get in on the trend, even creating grills that can be used inside the home on a countertop.

The very-American institution of grilling has come a long way since the pre-war style of outdoor cooking. Today, there is a Weber grill in almost every backyard in America, from the suburbs to inner cities, in parks, condominium courtyards and stadium parking lots. Weber grills have become legendary in their own right. From their humble beginnings just outside of Chicago to homes across the globe, Weber grills are the ultimate symbol of American life.