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.
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.
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 ingnitiond 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!
Starters:
Weber lighter cubes
Little wax cubes infused with some sort of accelerant. Use two of these
under the chimney to get the coals going. They come in a large single
sealed foil pack sheet of 24 (so they don't dry out) and you just push
to pop out what you need.
Starters:
Weber Rapidfire packs
Larger than the wax cubes and cleaner. Better for travel / picnics
since you don't have to take the whole foil sheet with you. 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.
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.
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.
Kabob Skewers / Basting Brush:
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.
For basting, pretty much any silicone basting brush will work, there doesnt need to
be anything speical with these, except maybe a long handle to keep your
arms away from the fire. This kabob set came with one.
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.
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.
Grill Cleaning Scraper:
Sage Owl GrateGrill Scraper
Great handy little gadget that has perfectly sized notches to clean
that 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.
Salt and Pepper Dredge Shakers
Cusinium
Metal salt and pepper "dredge" shakers with handles, perfect for
getting the right amount of seasoning on your burgers. Has plastic lids
for moisture and spill protection. Don't use these as your table
shakers though, a lot more comes out than does with standard picnic
shakers.
Tool Storage Box:
Torin Big Red 16"
The perfect sized toolbox to hold everything. The spatula and tongs
shown above fit perfectly with leftover room for most of the other
essentials shown here.
Condiment Caddy:
Mindspace
Slots for condiments, spices, silverware, napkins etc. Carry it all at once.
Salt and Pepper Shakers
Morton / McCormick
Ketchup:
Heinz
The ketchup gold standard.
Mustard:
Frenchs classic Yellow
The mustard gold standard.
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.
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.
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.
Food Trays:
Super Z
Paper hot dog trays. Great for keeping the contents of hot dogs from spilling all over versus a flat paper plate.
Plastic Silverware:
Glad Crystal
Good assortment, 8 of each, forks, knives, spoons.
Trash Bags:
Glad Forceflex
Self explanitory. Drawstring lets you hang it somewhere.