Why do Milwaukeeans like grilling so much? Is it just an excuse to be outside for a few more minutes? Is it because we so often tie grilling into tailgating? Perhaps it's just a primal urge to cook over an open fire. Maybe we just like brats.

As grilling season fires up, our editorial staff looked at the food chain of charcoal-cooked cuisine. None of us are trained professionals, but we gladly offer our tips, as well as our favorite local shops for gettin' the grub. Grill on, Milwaukee:

Steak:

This is a difficult item for me to write, if only because my lovely wife considers me a master of grilling steaks and I'm about to reveal to the entire OnMilwaukee.com audience, including my lovely wife, that I'm actually just a doofus with a seven-step grilling "secret" that is too easy to screw up.

1. Buy a decent steak from a reputable butcher -- T-bone, filet, rib-eye -- it doesn't really matter as long as it's about an inch thick. I like Grasch's in Elm Grove, but I also get good meat at Sendik's. You can buy tasty steaks at Sam's Club, too.

2. Pre-heat the grill. Whether it's charcoal or propane, many people don't wait enough for the grill to get really hot. Get it going at a decent pace and give it at least the amount of time it takes you to drink one beer.

3. Unwrap the steaks (which should be close to room temperature), apply a little olive oil to both sides of the steak and sprinkle on your seasonings on one side. You can get fancy here. Some people like salt, pepper, a pinch of garlic or elaborate (and expensive) dry rubs they concoct themselves or buy at the store. I just grab the little bottle of Montreal seasonings, because it's easy and I like the taste. Again, season only one side.

4. When the grill is hot, put the steak on (seasoned side down), close the grill and walk away. This is pivotal. The grill will "grab" the steak initially and you don't want to move it around once you set it down. Open another beer. Come back in seven minutes.

5. Open the grill. Flip the steaks. (Use tongs, but don't pierce them in any way). Wait another six or seven minutes.

6. Give the steak a look. If you want to get fancy, you can move it around to get the cross-hatched grill marks. If you want to ensure doneness, turn down the burner (on a propane grill) on the steak side and crank up the other side for a little indirect heating action.

7. Remove steaks from the grill and place on a clean platter (you know, one with no raw meat juice on it). Let the steak sit for about five minutes (if you can wait that long) to allow the juices to settle. Enjoy the steak and the compliments from your fellow diners. --Drew Olson

Sausages:

There are two schools of thought when it comes to grilling sausages. The purists never soak and boil them in beer; they say it kills the natural flavors. I, on the other hand, like to cook with beer whenever possible, so I'm a big fan of boiling them first and grilling the sausages at the end.

My recipe works just fine for pork or turkey brats, and just slightly well for Italians, since they really do lose some of their natural flavor when boiling in beer. These days I steer toward turkey brats, as they're a bit healthier than the pork ones -- though certainly less delicious.

Take a big pot and fill it with a half-beer, half-water mixture. Two or three light beers are more than enough. Add some salt, pepper, crushed red peppers, a few cloves of garlic and about half an onion, diced. Boil the brats on as low of a heat as you can, for as long as you can remain patient. If you have an hour to spare, do it. If you have a ton of time, try using the crock pot on its lowest setting overnight. The grilling part takes just a few minutes, since the brats are already cooked.

Locally, you'll be just fine with Usinger's brats or the Turkey Store's turkey brats from any grocery store. But take it up a notch with handmade sausages from Groppi's, 1441 E. Russell Ave., or Sendik's. You can really taste the difference. --Andy Tarnoff

Chicken:

I grill a lot of chicken, and for the most part, I buy free-range meat from The Outpost, with the occasional bird parts coming from Whole Foods or Pick 'n Save.

A few years ago, my stepmother told me the best way to grill chicken is to "fool the juices," which means to flip the pieces more often than you would a burger or steak, and just before all of the juices drain to the grill side. I've found that this works best with dark meat, particularly thighs, since they are high in fat and have a lot more juice (thanks to the fat) to contend with. Turning them a lot also reduces the chance of the greasy meat from catching on fire. If the chicken breast still has the bone intact, I recommend cooking it on the bone side because it doesn't dry out as quickly.

I love to barbeque chicken on the grill, and have a wide range of BBQ sauce favorites, ranging from Annie's organic BBQ sauces to making my own. My favorite is a homemade spicy molasses and ginger barbeque sauce, although these days I usually concoct on the mild and / or sweet side to appeal to my kids' tastes. I am just moving into rubs, so more on that next summer. --Molly Snyder Edler

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