Grilling Isn’t Just For The Guys: More Women Are Embracing Their Inner Grillmaster …But Why?

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It’s summertime, the vibes are high, and we’re all getting ready to celebrate America’s birthday. So you know what that means… It’s grilling season, baby! 

Fellas, your time to shine.

For seemingly forever, the grill has been a symbol of masculinity. Maybe it stems from the sheer primal thought of preparing a bloody slab of raw meat over the fire to juicy perfection. Or the bonding experience of gathering around the ol’ Weber and cracking a cold one with the boys. Or maybe it’s just the pervasive media stereotype of the lovable, middle-class working man who takes pride in his mowing and grilling skills, a la Hank Hill and others.

According to Meghan Casserly at Forbes, the reason we associate grilling with men is — like many other gender stereotypes — a product of the 1950s and suburbanization. Suburban homes with backyards led to the popularity of the backyard barbecue, and parenting books at the time stressed the importance of present fathers who’d spend time with their families. Which, to be clear, is a good thing.

Whatever the reason, though, the grill has always been strictly man’s domain (at least in American culture). 

But not anymore!

Move Over, Dudes. Grilling Is For The Girls!

According to a new survey, women are the “unsung heroes” of the grill. In fact, 53% of women AND 53% of men agree that the ladies are not getting the credit they deserve when it comes to their grilling skills.

Conducted by Talker Research for PERDUE, the survey of 2,000 men and women revealed a shift in gender roles when it comes to cooking meat and veggies outside over an open flame.

Let me throw some numbers at you:

• 55% of men and 47% of women believe grilling is a male-dominated activity.
• 78% of all respondents think the gender stereotype is outdated.
• 75% of all respondents believe grilling is an art form (82% of men, compared to 72% of women).
• 84% of respondents say there’s nothing better than a delicious grilled dinner in the warmer months.

And who could blame the women for getting involved when you guys are out here doing stuff like this?

I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But there is an ongoing movement to get more women outside and in front of the grill. 

Gaby Dalkin (an Instagram chef with more than a million followers) recently released a cookbook encouraging ladies to do just that. She thinks women are intimidated by the grill because men have been gatekeeping it for so long — treating meat preparation like some sort of mystical art form that our feeble female brains cannot possibly comprehend.

“It’s not rocket science to make steaks or grilled chicken,” Dalkin’s editor Holly Dolce said. “We’ve bought into the myth that this is hard.”

This 2009 Kingsford Charcoal commercial sums it up pretty well.

Martha Stewart chimed in, too. Except she’s throwing shade at you fellas!

“I watch men grill all the time, and they press that poor hamburger into the grill, taking away all the juice,” Stewart said. “You’re ruining the meat. You just can’t do that.”

Martha would really lose her mind if she saw this video:

So is grilling now… a girl thing?!

It’s A ‘No Thanks’ From Me, Dawg.

I know you’re used to me being a champion for women — empowering my fellow females to do anything men can do. And I stand by that conviction. But honestly, the feminists can leave me out of this one.

My husband does ALL the grilling (and most of the cooking, actually) in our house. I do most of the cleaning. I like it that way. This system works for us.

Frankly, it’s none of my business what happens out there on the grill or in the smoker. I just know everything that he puts on our table is f*cking delicious. It’s like having my own personal chef with benefits. Why would I ruin that?

And I know I’m not the only wife who feels that way.

“There’s always a group of women who don’t want to touch the grill because they feel they already do the majority of household chores,” said Chef Elizabeth Karmel, founder of the website Girls at the Grill. “But the majority of the women I’ve come across in my career have embraced grilling once they start.”

And I love that for them. Girl power! (Grill power?)

As for me, though… On a warm summer night, you can find me kicked back in a lawn chair, sipping Malbec and cat-calling my hot husband while he checks the temp on the pork chops.

Don’t mess with a good thing, ladies.

Grilling Tips From Grandma

Even if you’re already a certified (or self-proclaimed) grillmaster, you could always be better. So a TikTok grandma named Babs (quite possibly the best grandma name) is blessing us with her three best tips for grilling season. And since grandmas are the smartest people in the world, I think we should hear her out.

Actually, Babs’ account is full of useful tips on all sorts of things. One of my favorite follows.

Babs’ Grilling Secrets:

• Clean your grill with an onion. If you use a wire brush, the bristles can shed into your food. Instead, heat the grill and use an onion to scrub away the grime.
• Food is sticking? Use a potato. Right before grilling, spread the hot grates with a cut end of a potato. The starch creates a non-stick surface.
• Accurately check your propane level. Do this by pouring hot water over the side of your propane tank. Then, take your hand and feel the side of the tank. If it’s hot, keep going. When it gets cool, that’s where your propane level is.

So maybe women can teach you guys a thing or two about grilling, after all! (Not me, though. I’m too scared of burning off my eyebrows.)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a reverse-seared, coffee-rubbed New York Strip waiting for me in the kitchen.

Have a wonderful and safe Fourth of July, everyone! I’ll be back next week with some more fun stuff and a big ol’ mailbag.

Womansplaining is a weekly column about dating, marriage, sex and relationships that runs on Wednesdays at noon ET.

Email your thoughts, questions, stories and gripes to Amber.Harding@OutKick.com or tweet her @TheAmberHarding.