Related Sections: Kitchen Lists Outdoor
6 high-tech ways to upgrade your barbecue from start to finish
If you're like us, you long to be a master grill chef. This summer, elevate the art of grillery from start to finish by taking advantage of the highest technology. No more rough estimates of when the meat is done, no more haphazard tossing of raw meats onto the flames, throwing caution to the wind and wondering when everything is done.
Grilling in the 21st century has evolved way beyond just holding meat over a fire with a forked stick. Once you have your high-tech grill in place, you'll want only the best gadgetry to precisely turn that raw animal flesh into grilled nirvana. We've found the right tools for the job, certain to turn even the most ham-handed backyard cook into a master outdoor grill chef extraordinaire.
Stage 1: Food Prep
The Problem: You want to use that family-fave marinade recipe, but don't feel like standing next to that London Broil all day, brushing on the sauce.
The Upgrade: Reveo MariVac Food Tumbler Marinade. This gives you maximum flavor penetration. In fact, 10 minutes in, this $200 thingamajig gives you more goodie inside the meat than 24 hours' worth of soaking in a bag. It does it by magically sealing up, removing all the air and letting that meat soak up mucho marinade. Your guests will wonder: How on earth did this master outdoor chef get that meat tasting like the pros do? That'll be our little secret.
Stage 2: Cooking Times
The Problem: You have various meats to cook, and doneness preferences of your guests vary wildly, and you want it all to be ready at the same time.
The Upgrade: Charcoal Bob Cookout Calculator. Don't just go out there and start cooking without a plan. Now you can execute your barbecue down to the second with Charcoal Bob, a website that calculates exactly how long to cook your beef, pork, or chicken. Enter the outside temperature on this cookout calculator; designate what type of grill you're using, whether it's covered or uncovered, and amount of heat you'll be applying; tell it what meats you're cooking and exactly when you'd like to eat, and this brilliant calculator gives you a timeline to follow. Print out the timeline, take your stopwatch to your grillside, and you can cook even the most complicated combinations of meats perfectly every time. The only downside we can see is reality: With a lot of grills, you're usually not able to choose exactly how much heat it's producing when you put on the meat.
Stage 3. Suiting Up
The Problem: You have to protect your clothes and self from nasty spills and splashes as you gleefully practice the art of barbecuing.
The Upgrade: Le Creuset Apron. You're going to need a chef's apron, but not just any will do. This is not your father's barbecue apron, no sir. Le Creuset figured out a clever way to keep grease, steam, and water away from those favorite $300 Armani khaki shorts — using that substance with which amateur cooks have been familiar for a few decades now: Teflon. You don't care about messing up your grilling outfit? Rest assured and be smug, secure in the fact that you're wearing a $40 Teflon chef's apron.
Stage 4. Perfecting the Sizzle
The Problem: When can you be sure it's time to stop grilling and start serving?
The Upgrade: CDN Thermometer. Now you're in gear. Flames are lapping all over the meat, the food is searing flawlessly, and the aroma is mouth-watering. You even have everything planned down to the second. But if you're like us, you can't quite tell exactly when meat is done just by feel. With a little sleight of hand, you can hold this BBQ Fork Thermometer in such a way that nobody sees its LED screen indicating the precise temperature of that meat you just pierced. This useful fork handles up to 8 pounds — you could use a fork anyway, so the thing might as well make itself useful. Its price is right, too, setting you back a mere $12.95.
Stage 5. Flipping Your Meat
The Problem: It's almost time for dinner, but you can't see what you're doing.
The Upgrade: Steven Raichlen Ultimate Luma Tongs. You've been at your grill for a while now, and what's that? It's starting to get dark? How are you going to tell how golden brown your chops have gotten? It's gadget-to-the-rescue with these Ultimate Luma Tongs, complete with a detachable halogen flashlight that will shed light on the subject, revealing to all your barbecued mastery as those delectable smoke-enveloped morsels become ready for removal from their fiery hell. Take the flashlight off, and these $20 tongs are dishwasher safe.
Stage 6. The Cleanup
The Problem: Hey, that grill got pretty messy.
The Upgrade: Motorized Grill Cleaning Brush. Success! All your minions are lying back, sated, bellies full of your braised masterpieces. After they've staggered home, wallowing in their gluttonous euphoria, it's left to you to clean up that blackened mess that's your grill. There's got to be an easier way than scrubbing, sacrificing valuable elbow grease on stubborn remnants of your charcoal broiling. Sure enough, there's a gadget for that: the Motorized Grill Cleaning Brush. Working like an electric toothbrush for your grill, its brass brushes spin at considerable RPM, taking care of the mess along with its built-in stainless steel scraper. It's like a steely street sweeper, turning that messy grill-cleaning task into a welcome gadgety encounter, well worth the $25 price of admission.
By Rusty at 9:13 AM ON 07/02/09
Make sure you pre-soak all your meat before cooking it for that extra juicy flavour.
By 1stAngel at 9:44 AM ON 07/02/09
hmm #5 Flipping Your Meat
Great for those guys that love tossing their meat in the dark!
By Nina Simms at 9:54 AM ON 07/02/09
Some of those things are understandably silly. I mean, if there's an idiot with money out there, a product will be made to get him to part with it. Having said that, it really all comes down to simple prep. Prep the grill, have your tools ready, let your meat come to room temperature, and don't get distracted.
By Giggity at 11:03 AM ON 07/02/09
Hey Nina....the great thing is that there is ALWAYS an idiot out there waiting to buy the next piece of worthless junk.
Pet Rocks....nuff said.
By Giggity at 11:05 AM ON 07/02/09
Hey Nina....the great thing is that there is ALWAYS an idiot out there waiting to buy the next piece of worthless junk.
Pet Rocks....nuff said.
By Demoness at 11:13 AM ON 07/02/09
Do NOT put down the pet rock. *hugs Mr. Rocky Bojangles Balboa*
By Giggity at 11:41 AM ON 07/02/09
lol nice....
But stupid submission making me post twice
By IntelKnight at 2:29 PM ON 07/02/09
Funniest typo. #2 should read:
"preferences of your guests vary wildly"
it's "vary", not "very"
Spellchecker has failed you
By Navanafti at 6:17 AM ON 07/03/09
@ IntelKnight
Wait... Are you saying it should be "very" or it should be "vary"?
Because "vary" is right, and "vary" is what is there.
Intelligence has failed you.
By elphie at 10:33 AM ON 07/03/09
They forgot one: modular cast iron grate, www.cast-iron-grate.com
By SpicEgypt at 9:30 PM ON 07/05/09
You know what woks best? Practice. Anyone over the age of (mumble) has tossed the recipe books and now has learned skills that came to them through practice. That applies to grilling as well as baking and everyday, dinner on the table cooking. Not to mention just about everything in life.
Cook books are a great place to start but if you have a dad or mom or uncle Butch that is a great grill chef ask them questions and probably more importantly, watch them. No one likes to give away all their secrets. So get to the cook out early with a six pack of their favorite beverage and just stand and talk , watch and learn.
Please do not waste $200.00 on a baster! Put the meat and marinade in a lock bag and get all the excess air out you can. Now just flip the bag over every time you walk into the kitchen for other reasons.
Most important guys, enjoy the company that you invited! These are your people and they won't be around forever so don't sweat the grilling all day while they spend time with the not cooking members of your family! THAT is the best part of the Bar B Q!
By grill outdoor at 1:31 PM ON 07/06/09
nice to know.... i have got my problem out by practice stage 2
By Random Hero at 2:50 PM ON 07/07/09
Any self respecting BBQ aficionado does need all these fancy schmancy gadgets.
1) 5 cent ziplock bag + meat + marinade + thrown in the fridge the night before = $199.95 still in my pocket.
2) Your cooking for friends not clientele, if they want it made to order they can go to Applebees.
3) If your that big of a slob, step away from the BBQ and let someone who knows what there doing take over. If you own $300 Armani khaki shorts, more than likely you have somebody to do the cooking for you anyways, that's if you actually eat home cooking.
4) First rule, don't poke wholes in your meat, unless you want dry steak. Push on the meaty part of your palm, right below your thumb, that's roughly medium-medium well.
5) $5 tongs work just as good and sure you already own a flashlight, there, you just saved $15.
6) A $5 grill brush work just as good. After your done cooking close the lid and turn it up on high for 5-10 minutes(for gas) or close the lid the and let it heat up good for the same amount of time(for charcoal) and scrape. The majority of the black stuff should come off, the little that is left won't hurt a thing, plus it adds a little extra flavor the next ime you BBQ.
7) If you see anybody put tinfoil on a grill, slap the hell out of them.
By Mikey don't like it at 5:53 AM ON 07/10/09
PT Barnum was right - there's a sucker born every minute. Moore's law doesn't apply solely to computers.
RH: while I agree 99%, - you're = you + are (a contraction, I believe)
on your cellphone!
Text DVICE to 72434
editor@dvice.com
Mikey don't like it:
PT Barnum was right - there's a sucker born every minute. Moore's law doesn't apply solely to computers. RH: while...More »