Live in the Philippines

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Getting a do-over in the Philippines

Adjustment, Expats / by

Have you ever done something and it didn’t turn out exactly the way you wanted it to? Have you done something that you wish you hadn’t have done?  For one reason or another, as humans who are not perfect, in our lives we often wish we could have a “do-over” or be able to relive that moment and be able to do something again in a different way.

Did you know that when you live in the Philippines, having a do-over is entirely possible?  It’s true.  Read more and you’ll see what I mean.

Over the years, barbecuing has always been something that I enjoyed doing, and thought was fun.  Nothing more enjoyable to me than firing up the coals, sitting by the grill with a good friend and sipping a diet coke or a beer while having a good conversation.  When the “work” is done, you usually end up with some pretty tasty food too, which is a nice bonus!

Well, it’s hard to find a good quality barbecue grill here in the Philippines.  Back in the States, I used to have a very nice (and very expensive!) gas grill that was really the top of the line.  Since moving to the Philippines, we have had all sorts of different grills, but they have always been cheapie flimsy things that didn’t last very long, and also never was really a joy to cook on.  Because of this, I really have not done any barbecuing for the past 10 years.  Instead of having a barbecue being a fun family event, it is just cooking when you don’t have a nice grill.  So, I don’t really get involved in the cooking now, I let Feyma or one of the maids, or a niece do that.  However, I have missed the fun part of the “having a barbecue” party type of thing.

So, a couple of months ago, we had our carpenter build a new brick barbecue grill for us.  It really turned out nice,  and we have enjoyed it a lot.  Basically, for the past 2 months, I would say that we have used the barbecue grill at least 5 nights per week, and I have personally done the grilling probably 3 or 4 nights every week.  I have enjoyed it, and we have even had friends over to liven up the “party” aspect of it, and had a blast.

However, after using the grill pretty extensively over the past 2 months, I found that there were some things that just were not right about the design.  It was nice, but if certain design elements were changed, it would be much nicer, and more useful.  One of the biggest problems was that the grill area was just too small.  Back in the States, we had Feyma, myself and two kids when we barbecued.  Now, we have 11 or 12 people living in the house!  That’s a big difference, and cooking food for a dozen people (plus guests if you have them) is a completely different thing than cooking for 4.  I found that the job of cooking on the grill was taking a long time, because you had to cook food in 3 or 4 rounds in order to cook enough to fee the “army” of people.

So, with these few problems… it’s time for a “do-over,” don’t you think?  I thought so.  So, we had the carpenter come back over (yes, I know, a carpenter and a brick layer are not the same thing, but this guy is a carpenter, but also a jack-of-all-trades and can do anything) and make some changes.  My brother-in-law Jun is his assistant.  Jun-Jun is the carpenter.  I explained to Jun-Jun that the grill area was just too small, and he went to work!  He started chiseling away at the mortar, and knocking out bricks in order to make the pit bigger.  Before I knew it, he had a grill area that was nearly twice the size!  Perfect!

Next, I got an idea.  I really wanted a rotisserie on the grill so that we could cook a lechon, or a liempo Balamban, perhaps put a few chickens on the rotisserie, or a roast.  I explained to Jun-Jun what I wanted.  He went out to some kind of welding shop and had what I wanted crafted from scratch, all in stainless steel.  Wow!  Beautiful!

So, why do I say that you can have a “do-over” here in the Philippines?  Frankly, because it costs so little.  The grill was not perfect, so the crew came back out and modified it to my liking!  It cost me very little.  I can come up with off the wall ideas for new “features” and they will build exactly what I want.  This is one thing that I truly love about living in the Philippines.  I don’t need to go to the store searching for the right BBQ grill, I can have it custom built exactly the way I want!  If I later decide that what I wanted was not quite right, they’ll change it to what I now want!  No fuss, no questions asked!  Just do it!

So, now that I’ve had my do-over, my new Brick BBQ grill is smoking away, cooking some wonderful food, and I’m having a great time.  I’m sure that I’ll come up with some new features to add later.  If I do, my carpenter will be happy, it will give him a little extra work!  Good for him, good for me.  Tasty for all of us!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi Bob, That is the kind of story that makes me excited to move to the islands. I love the good stories about the Philippines much more than what’s bad about the place. More please.
    Thanks Scott

    • Hi Scott – I think that most of the articles I write are positive… it’s actually something that I often get criticized for – being too positive. Oh well, I just write what is true in my life. Glad you enjoyed the story!

    • Hi Bob, Keep the positive in the front, i always thought you were very positive writer. Your competitor’s are not even close to your site as far as being great fun, & you have the most informational generous writers. Thanks again for your hard work. Scott

      • Thank you, Scott. I write the truth the way I see it. We all have a different perspective, and I write from my perspective. Thanks for your kind words!

    • It’s Charcoal, Steve. We generally cook using Coconut Shell Charcoal. I find that charcoal from coconut shells is really a joy to cook on.

  3. Lol, Bob, an American without a barbeque is like a Filipino without a nickname!

    When I first opened my fab. shop, in Mindanao, it was because I had things that I wanted “created”, but had too many difficulties in explaining how I wanted it done. Now, I’ll be able to create shop drawings on CADD for these necessary items & have them made locally. As you know, providing that the instructions are made clear, a good Filipino tradesman can make ANYTHING that you want, for an excellent price. Now, don’t be telling your guests that “all” foreigners do this(barbeque) or they’ll be very disappointed when they get to my place!
    Mike

    • Hi Mike – I have often wished that I could fabricate things that are just perfect to replace items I used to have in the States. However, I am not good with my hands, and even if I had a fab shop, I couldn’t do it anyway! 😉

  5. Bob
    That is going to be one sweet grill, I got to see a pic of it when you get a small pig going on the spit.
    I assume you are a Charcoal type of griller.
    Something about the whole ritual of lighting the coals and relax with a beverage of choice until the coals are ready makes grilling more of a social event rather than a cooking chore.

    I have to toot my own horn as well Bob, as I can work my way around my Large and Small Webber charcoal grills pretty well.
    I have a nice dry spice rub that I have come up with that many of our friends suggest that I package and sell. I call it “Neal’s Wonder Rub” I make it in large batches and bottle it up and even put a label on it. I give it out to Family and Friends that come over to our parties during the summer.

    • Hi Neal – Good morning! Yes, we are using coconut shell charcoal most of the time for our cooking on the grill. I agree with you that grilling is really a social thing, and I enjoy it a lot! Unless it’s too hot outside! 😉

      Your dry rub sounds great… I like cooking with a dry rub myself! Would love to get my hands on a bottle of Neal’s Rhode Island Rub! 😆

        • Hi Neal – Ha ha… that’s going to be expensive to send via courier like that! I don’t want to put you to the expense, although I would love to give it a try! How about next time you come to the Philippines you bring me some? Then, I’ll bbq for you! Fair deal? 😉

          • Fair enough, If all goes according to plan I will be there next Mar-Apr celebrating our 25th Anniversary

  6. Hi Bob: Could you show us a pic of your new grill. I want one, will call it “A Mindanao Bob
    grill of a lifetime”

    Thanks:

    • Hi Roberto – I will be happy to share a photo of the finished product when it is done, but they are still working on it. Actually right now they are waiting for some stainless steel parts that are being crafted. I think it should be complete in just a few more days. We can cook on it already, but it’s not complete yet!

  7. Hi Bob;
    A few months ago I suffered the demise of my large Weber BBQ; well this is no complaint as it had lasted close to 14 years. So I’ve been looking for a replacement. The gas grills are off the scale high priced, and most are flimsily looking, and the stores did not have, or carry lava rocks???
    I found a new Webber and it was 3 times higher than the states. Your brick Grill sounds great, but I like them portable. I’m going to have to bite the bullet and pay the price for a new Webber. But I will shop around till I can get it for less. No rush as our rainy season has started and the BBQ season is limited to dry days now here on Luzon.
    To your original point, nothing cannot be altered, moved, fixed or re-done here in this land of talented people, called the Philippines!!!

    • Hi Paul – Before deciding to build the brick grill, Feyma and I were shopping looking for a portable grill ourselves. We wanted a gas grill, but like you say – way overpriced. Next, we looked at charcoal grills too. I found some Weber “look alikes” which were actually pretty nice quality, and not too expensive either! Less than P2,000 for a good grill, kettle style just like a Weber.

      Ah, the joys of Davao… we don’t have a rainy season down here, so we can BBQ year around!

    • HMR. Best place to get grills. Pioneer Street in Mandaluyong. They are a surplus store. We were just in the US and bought a grill there (basic black large Webber) for under $100.

      • Hi kikas_head – Thanks for the tip… since I live in Davao though… I’ll probably not be able to check the place out. But, for those in the Metro Manila area, thanks for the tip!

    • Hey Bob/ Paul

      Another Idea for a heavy duty grill is to use a cut up metal drum. I don’t know if they are available there in the Philippines, But my Dad made one from a 25 gal metal oil drum…It lasted for years.

      • Hi hudson – Yeah, those drums are also available here, and I considered making a grill with one myself. I settled on the bricks, though. Watch for an update about the grill tomorrow, with lots of pictures!

    • Hi Severa, yes i’m sure you miss the fried dried fish lol. MiL just cooked some now, the aroma of a hundred wet musty sandshoes is still wafting through the air. Beats me why they fry dried fish, its dried already? To top it all off she smiles and says it LAMIC lol. I guess its an acquired taste.

  13. mmmm Lechon, Sarap! Im going to have to have my cholesterol checked once a month when we move there 🙂

  14. One saving grace about living here is that a local or in my case a family member can build a super dooper BBQ at the fraction of the cost you can buy a ready made one. A Pino can build virtually anything you want if he has a tape measure, pencil, saw and a hammer.

    We built a Texas style BBQ, bigger and better than some of the homes here lol. Outdoor eating is basically available year round here, so we enjoy BBQing regularly.

  15. Hi Bob – Is that really a do-over? I can’t help but think that it’s just another case of “work in process” similar to all residential construction projects. You look at houses being built – they’re never completely finished as there’s always this or that to be done. You look at fencing, and there’s always the concern that a gate would look better over there than over here, and while we’re at it, let’s make it a dual-function gate – vehicle and pedestrian combined.

    So, I’d think your initially constructed BBQ didn’t enjoy a do-over as much as it’s “incompletion” was lessened.
    😆

    • Hi Paul – For me… if you start a project, and keep adding new gizmos or something like that… well, that is a project that is just always a work in progress. If you build a house and tear it down and rebuild it again… well, that’s a do-over. Of course, YMMV.

  16. Bob;
    You said you are making alot of improvments to your grill and your carpenters are up to the task at hand. Have you consider adding a smoker to your grill.

    • Hi Bruce – In fact… a smoker is something on the drawing board! It’s almost a certain addition to the Barbecue area in the near future! 😆 Can’t wait!

  17. Hi bob interesting article ,my wife and i use our bbq here fairly often even in the winter if it is not raining (i get to stand out in the cold and cook) i am interested in this charcoal cooking as i have never done it before we have and i suppose you would have had them in the states volcanic rocks which i suppose is simmilar ,my wife says that the gas bbq is a lot quicker but it would be interesting to try using charcoal i think the taste would be somewhat better especially on a grill
    regards chris

    • Hi chris – in the States, I used a Gas Grill, and it was great. The speed is certainly something that is very nice. Fire it up, and you are cooking in only a few minutes. However, there is something about cooking on charcoal that gives a very nice flavor to the meat. I have to say, for taste… I like cooking on coals the best!

    • Hi ian – Interesting site… or it can/will be. Right now, it seems that they don’t have that much info, although it looks like they are adding more. I hope so, because it is a site that would be quite interesting.

  19. Hi Bob,

    You make me envious. When I lived in Canada I had BBQs many times in the week. Over here in Austria we are not allowed one on the apartment balcony, so have to rely on friends who have a house and garden (and BBQ) for invites. Enjoy!

    • Hi John – Not trying to make anybody envious! 😉 I hope that you can somehow work out something with your apartment complex so that you could have a grill!

  20. Bob:
    I am very pleased to read this as I have been a grilling enthusiast all my life (as was my father before me). I’ll look forward to the pictures since I too will be building a grill in the Philippines someday. I also plan to do a bread/pizza oven as well. You and Feyma have shared some recipes in the past – I hope you do so again. Enjoy your new toy, Bob.

    • Hi Peter – many thanks to a fellow enthusiast! I think that the final product will be complete today. The only thing we are still working on is the rotisserie!