Grill smells permeate the air in Milwaukee from spring to fall

In Milwaukee, the herald of winter’s thaw is not that growing patch of green on a lawn or the first magnolia blossom peeling open or that last crusty pile of parking lot snow.

No: It’s the first aroma of match meeting propane, that sizzle of cold meat on hot grates, the collective tower of smoke rising above the interchange at American Family Field.

It’s spring. It’s grilling season.

You don’t have to be the one grilling to enjoy its benefits. The first sunny day in March when it’s light past 5 p.m. — that’s when it happens. The first smells of a neighbor lighting charcoal and laying down some hamburger patties.

“Someone’s grilling,” you say, and you smile.

Grill smells permeate the air in Milwaukee from spring to fall. On a summer day, you can drive around with the windows down and you know when the neighbors are gathering. You can be sure there’s a cold beer in a koozy and the charcoal is heating up.

And then there’s the tailgate, that communal grilling session. Many urban ballparks have parking garages or no parking at all, thus no opportunity to truly enjoy the baseball experience. But the tailgate endures in Milwaukee. On a sunny day (or rainy or snowy, we’re hardy people), the American Family Field parking lots are packed with canopies, games of corn hole and folding chairs all huddled around one thing: the grill.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grill smells permeate the air in Milwaukee from spring to fall