There are very few things in life that make me happier than firing up
the grill and cooking up some hotdogs or burgers on a nice summer day.
I prefer to grill on charcoal grills because of the smokey flavor and
the process needed to cook with them. Enjoying a beverage of choice and
staring at the sunset while waiting for the coals to get hot is a great
way to kick back and forget about all of the problems of the week.
Monitoring the fire and making adjustments presents an opportunity to
be more involved with the creation of your meal. Turning a knob on a
gas grill and getting instant fire is just boring to me. I just like
the ritual and process of charcoal cooking even though it's still
simple overall.
That said, I also have a fascination with diners and they use flat top
griddles to cook on, so in order to live out my short order / line cook
dreams, I do have a griddle that is used for select items when I'm in
the mood for that "greasy spoon" roadside cafe style food.
If you know me, you know I'm a gear-nerd at heart and love researching
what the best tools are for the job at hand. Below is the list of
everything I have found to be the best of it's particular purpose. Your
methods might vary. Each item has a direct link to an Amazon page.
CHARCOAL:
Grill:
Weber 22.5" Master Touch
The Weber Master Touch is a great grill that has a few additional added
features over the standard classic Weber Kettle. It has a grate
with hinged sides so you can add more charcoal without having to take
the grate out. The grill has a removable circular center section that
allows you to use a number of different inserts such as a griddle, wok
etc. It comes with a nifty ash catcher for easier cleanup and some
charcoal basket inserts for better charcoal control internally. It also
has an integrated lid holder and built in thermometer.
Grill:
Weber Smokey Joe
The Weber Smokey Joe is the quintessential travel / picnic / tailgate
grill. It is also perfect for at home for when you don't want to wheel
out the huge beast just for a couple hot dogs for two, or to sear a
steak.
Charcoal:
Kingsford Briquette
Kingsford. The classic. Known as the "KBB" or "Kingsford Blue Bag".
Sure there are better forms of charcoal out there, lump, hardwood,
instant start etc., but the fancier you get, the more expensive it
becomes. I stick with the cheap staple brand that is consistent and you
can find pretty much everywhere. No panicking when you run out because
your uber-special craft-charcoal is only sold at one store that isn't
open and you have hungry guests waiting.
Chimney Starter:
Weber Rapidfire
The chimney idea has been around since the 1950s when people used to
use old coffee cans with the bottoms cut out and holes punched in the
sides. Weber perfected this idea by adding handles and an interior
grate to elevate the charcoal so you can put an ingnition device
underneath. Just put your charcoal in, put a firestarter on the lower
grate and light it, put the chimney on top and wait until the charcoal
catches and then ashes over to a nice grey color (about 15 minutes).
Then you dump the coals onto the lower grate and put the cooking grate
on. No chemicals / fluids involved at all!
Compact Chimney Starter:
Weber Compact Rapidfire
Same as the above chimney, only smaller. Better for use with the Smokey Joe.
Starters:
Weber Rapidfire packs
Firerstarter that you place under the chimney to get the briquettes started. You just
light the whole pack, nothing leftover to throw away.
Matches:
Diamond strike anywhere
Classic wood matches. No need to mess with a lighter that ran out
fluid the last time you used it and threw it in the toolbox while
mumbling "I'll get a new one tomorrow" and then didn't. Once again,
self disposing so nothing to keep track of once you're done using it.
Gloves:
Grill Heat Aid
Great gloves. Extremely well insulated and allow you to pretty much
even grab hot coals and move them around (but don't). These particular
ones allow you to move your individual fingers decently and have a good
amount of material going up your arm to protect from the fire. You'll
definitely want these for when you turn over the chimney starter and it
releases some sparks while pouring the coals into the grill.
Coal Rake / Grate Lifter:
OXO Good Grips
20 inch long shovel headed coal rake that allows you to move the coals
around without having to get too close to them. Heavy duty metal
construction, won't bend or flex. Has rubber inserts on the handle
for great grip. Has a loop built in
the end of the handle for hanging off the side of the grill. Has
notches on the side of the head so you can put the head into the grill
grate and lift it off when hot. Great for getting the old coals out of
the bottom of the grill when you're all done.
Grill Cleaning Scraper:
Sage Owl GrateGrill Scraper
Great handy little gadget that has perfectly sized notches to clean
that chunky hard gunk off of your grill grates. 4 different sized notches so
it works on a number of grills.
Aluminum Foil:
Reynolds
Use this instead of any sort of bristled brush to clean your grill.
Crumple up a small ball of it and run it along your grill grates. It
will even slightly take the form of the grates and get down between
them. Grill brushes usually have wire bristles that break off and can end up
in food. Many emergency room trips every year are because of people
getting a stray wire stuck in their throat.
CHARCOAL COOKING:
Spatula:
OXO 16" Good Grips
There seems to be more spatulas out there than one could ever dream of,
but this is by far the best one I've found. Heavy duty metal
construction, won't bend or flex. 16 inches long so you don't burn your
arms while flipping the burgers at the back of the grill. Has a
serrated edge on one side for any cutting you might need. Has rubber
inserts on the handle for great grip. Has a loop built in the end of
the handle for hanging off the side of the grill. The angle of the head
is perfect for the height of the Weber grills and doesn't make you come
at the food at a weird angle. The front of the head has a great thin
edge, but not sharp, that allows you to get under food to flip it
without demloshing everything. Dishwasher safe.
Tongs:
Winco 16" Extra Heavyweight
16" long commercial grade tongs. "Extra" heavy duty metal. You'd have
to try incredibly hard to get these to bend. Long so they don't put
your arm over the grill. The scalloped heads grip great and you can
definitely grip and flip some heavy meats with these. There is no need
for a grill fork when you have these tongs. Tongs don't poke holes in
the meat and release juices like a fork does. Make sure you give them a
good double click before operating. Dishwasher safe. Add a zip tie loop over the hinge to hook it on to your tool rack.
Kabob Skewers:
Bearmoo 17"
17" long skewers. They are flat to prevent anything turning on them
when flipping them. They are a heavy duty metal and have a good finger
loop at the end. They come in a very nice velcro pouch for storage and
transportation.
Grilling Basket:
Weber Deluxe
Stainless basket that you can use to put smaller things in that might slip through the grates. Perfect for vegetables.
GRIDDLE / FLAT TOP:
Griddle:
Blackstone Omnivore 28" 2-Burner
Blackstone 2-burner propane griddle, perfect for cooking for me and my wife, but still big enough to handle a larger cookout.
Stainless Griddle Top:
Stanbroil
I replaced the rolled steel top of my Blackstone with a stainless flat
top because I don't like dealing with seasoning, rust and all the
preventative maintenance of the Blackstone top.
Wind Guards:
Grisun
Wind
guards that block the wind from getting in the gap between the griddle
top and the body. Also helps the griddle get hotter faster by keeping
more heat underneath it.
Spatula Holder:
ZHSX
Little metal piece that clips on to the side of the griddle to provie
an area for your spatulas to fit in vertically and get them out of the
way.
Thermometer:
Cuisinart
Since infrared thermometers don't give an accurate reading on stainless, I need to use a surface theremometer to get a reading.
GRIDDLE / FLAT TOP COOKING:
Hamburger Smasher:
Pisol
Perfect single-piece patty smasher with padded handle.
Spatula:
Dexter Russell - 6 x 3 Inch
Wood handled. Perfect width and length for flipping non-smashed burger patties or other general griddle duty. Slightly flexible.
Spatula:
Winco TN719 - 5 x 3 Inch
Smaller and thicker than the Dexter. Has beveled edges. Great all arounder, decent for smashing burgers. Not flexible.
Spatula:
Winco TN46 - 4 x 3.75 Inch
Shorter than the TN719, but wider, with a beveled front edge. Great for smashing burgers. Not flexible
Scraper:
Winco TN54 - 4.5 x 4 Inch
Heavy duty griddle scraper for getting all the gunk off. Wood handled. Nice and wide. Can also be used as a smash burger flipper
Tongs:
Winco
Smaller 9" tongs for transfering meat or other food items from the tray to the griddle surface.
Bottles:
Tablecraft
I use one clear one to hold oil and another clear one for water.
Basting Covers:
Winco
Basting covers to put over your burger patties to help melt cheese. I
use 8" for a single patty, or the 10" can cover two. I keep these
stored with the griddle itself.
GENERAL:
Tool Caddy:
Jiaan
Plastic
tool tray with a handle for carrying everything all at once. Load it up
with all the essentials so you don't have to keep making trips back
inside.
Gloves:
Schneider
Food prep gloves for those like me who don't like touching meat.
Knife:
Cuisinart Paring Knife
3.5 Inch paring knife. Comes with sheath. Great for all around chores like opening packages, scoring hotdogs, cutting buns etc.
Salt and Pepper Dredge Shaker:
Winco
Metal salt and pepper "dredge" shakers with handles, perfect for
getting the right amount of seasoning on your burgers. Don't use these as your table
shakers though, a lot more comes out than does with standard picnic
shakers. I keep one loaded with a custom salt / pepper blend. These ones are bigger than the ones I use for the charcoal grill.
Meat Thermometer:
Saferell
Simple meat thermometer with an easy to read iluminated display. Has a
magnetic back so you can stick it to the toolbox and not lose it.
HOUSE / FOOD PREP:
Hamburger Press:
Cuisinart 3-In-1
Burger press set that lets you make perfect 4.5", 2.5" or stuffed burger patties.
Scale:
Amazon Basics
Digital kitchen scale with lots of measurement options and a large flat measuring area.
Parchment Paper:
Vlwltl
6" papers to stack your burger patties between. Can also be used with
the burger press so they don't stick. Can also be used on the griddle
when making smashburgers so they dont stick to the spatula while smashing.
1/8 Sheet Pan:
Nordic Ware
Eighth sized sheet pans, perfect for multiple duties like storing
burger patties in the fridge, bringing food from the kitchen to the
grill, or putting cooked food from the grill on for serving. Lots of
burger joints use these for serving their burgers on instead of plates.
1/4 Sheet Pan:
Nordic Ware
Bigger than the eighth size, for larger food duty.
Steam Table / Hotel Pans:
Winco
Even heavier duty than the sheet pans, these pans are perfect for
holding and storing a decent amount of raw burger patties, burger balls
for smashing, or any other food that needs to be transported from the
refrigerator to the cooking area. I use the 1/3 size, 2.5 inches deep.
OUTDOOR TABLE / SERVING:
Condiment Caddy:
Byuner
Supposed to be a shower caddy but fits all the utensils, ketchup and mustard, salt and pepper, and napkins perfectly.
Salt and Pepper Shakers:
Morton / McCormick
The classic picnic shakers. No glass to break.
Ketchup / Mustard Bottles:
Tablecraft
I transfer the ketchup and mustard into diner style bottles both for
the old school feel as well as the pinpoint accuracy of the cone tip. I
use Heinz ketchup and Frenchs yellow mustard, the gold standards.
Napkins / Paper Towels:
Bounty
If you are using anything other than Bounty paper towels for clean up,
you are failing. The select-a-size is perfect for napkin use too.
Paper Towel Holder:
Katzco
Magnetic paper towl holder that is attached under the side tray of the
griddle to keep the paper towels from blowing away in the wind.
Plastic Silverware:
Glad Crystal
Good, cheap but durable assortment. Eight of each, forks, knives, spoons.
Plates:
Glad square soak proof
Obviously any paper plates will do, I just like these because square
can fit more food and these are coated to prevent soak-through.
Serving Trays:
Zoenhou 12 x 16
Classic plastic cafeteria / hotel trays. Great for tranferring supplies
and meats to the grill and a great way for guests to carry everything
back to the table to eat. Makes clean up a breeze.
Trash Bags:
Glad Forceflex
Self explanitory. Drawstring lets you hang it somewhere.
Bottle Opener:
Quad Fold
Vintage keychain bottle opener and can piercer. Because every cookout
needs a bottle opener. This one is about as small as you can get.