Summertime is grilling time.

Technically wintertime is too. I have fired up the grill in the dead of winter. Snowflake-flavored barbecued chicken breasts taste just as wonderful as mosquito flavor does in the summer. There just isn’t a bad season for grilling (other than when it’s 110 degrees outside, in which case, dine on ice cream).

Grilling is a guy’s way to get credit for his cooking abilities.

As the great philosopher Curtis Stone put it: “I love how the men stand around cooking the barbie while the women have done all the work beforehand, doing the marinade and making the salads and then everybody says, “What a great barbie,” to the guy cooking. A barbecue is just the ultimate blokes’ pasttime, isn’t it?”

It’s a great scheme!

The great philosopher Johnny Trigg noted, “Barbecue is the only sport where a fat, bald man is a god.”

While I’m waiting for my grill to reach proper temperature (atomic), here on a few other thoughts from some of the great philosophers to wield fork and tongs or to salivate over gallons of barbecue sauce:

• “There’s nothing like the smell of a grill. It’s the smell of summer.” — Katie Lee

• “Nobody has friends over for ‘microwave.’ ” — anonymous

• “Barbecue is the great equalizer. It brings people together.” — Myron Mixon

• “Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.” — Anthony Bourdain

• “The best barbecue is like a good story. It’s full of spice and has lots of layers.” — Lolis Eric Elie

• “Being a vegetarian is a big missed steak.” — anonymous

• “I don’t know why men like to barbecue so much. Maybe its the only thing they can cook. Or maybe they’re just closet pyromaniacs.” — Cecelia Ahern

• “Some guys smoke. Some guys drink. Some guys chase women. I’m a big barbecue-sauce guy.” — Rick Majerus

• “To barbecue is a way of life rather than a desirable method of cooking.” — Clement Freud

• “Barbecue is the good old technique of making a fire and putting some stuff over the top.” — Graham Elliot

• “If any chef ever tells you they’re not inspired equally by the truck-stop barbecue as they are by the four-star Michelin restaurant, they are lying.” — Padma Lakshmi

• “Many Texas barbecue fanatics have a strong belief in the beneficial properties of accumulated grease.” — Calvin Trillin

• “I can’t decide whether to grill chicken breasts or chicken thighs. I guess I’ll just wing it.” — anonymous

• “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the barbecue to cook.” — Julia Child

• “Real men don’t use recipes.” — anonymous

• “Amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.” — anonymous

• “If I am on fire, this is not a training exercise (please extinguish).” — anonymous

• “Good barbecue comes from experience, and experience — well, that comes from poor barbecue.” — Cousin Woodman

• “Friends may come and go, but barbeques accumulate.” — Thomas Jones

• “The question is not whether we will barbecue, but how.” — Joan Z. Borysenko

• “All the world needs is a little more barbecue and a little less judgment.” — anonymous

Burt wishes to thank all the readers who sent cards, notes and prayers after the passing of his barbecue partner, Terry. The words of comfort were much appreciated.