Butler mayor shares grilling tips, how to find the grill for you
Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy is usually bouncing between meetings, phone calls and other administrative duties, but one of his favorite pastimes is grilling up something to eat for his family.
“It’s what everybody looks forward to,” he said. “You’re cooped up all winter and you’re doing those winter things. You’re making soups and you’re making roasts — things that are comforting … We finally get that opportunity when we get out to our porches and decks and into the backyard, you want to do everything out there, including the cooking.”
Dandoy has been a participant in previous versions of the Guys Who Grill event. In 2023, he won best dessert at the event for his grilled strawberry poundcake kebabs. For this year’s version, Dandoy said he is going to make chicken skewers with Korean-style barbecue sauce.
“The way I try to do it is, I try to think of a dish or something you could make on your stove, and think ‘How do you take this and grill it?’” he said.
Dandoy said he likes to grill things that are viewed as traditional, such as chicken, burgers and hot dogs, but look for a way to give them a unique spin.
“That’s where you can really do some fun things,” he said. “I always think about the kind of sauces and glazes, and vegetables and sides you can add to things, because I think there’s nothing better than straightforward grilling.”
As for grilling equipment, Dandoy talked about his new flattop grill. An item he received as a Christmas gift. He said the flattop grill opens up new options for things he can grill.
“I know people that use their flattops constantly, and they can make breakfast — eggs, omelets,” he said. “They make everything on that thing.”
Dandoy compared the differences between the flattop and traditional style of grills, offering some of the pros of each type.
“It depends on what you’re going after,” he said. “If you want that smokiness and that char, you’re going to want a traditional grill, but if you’re going after something a little different, you’re going to want a flattop.”
Regardless of whether he’s grilling on his traditional or flattop grill, Dandoy is excited to get grilling this summer.
“It’s a lot of fun to be able to congregate and cook that way,” he said.
