Recommended Products

As recommended in Issue 9 of our newsletter, the ThermoPro has just worked for us for years.

As recommended in Issue 10 of our newsletter, the Slow 'N Sear is an amazing addition to your standard kettle grill. As they wrote on Amazing Ribs: "For about $100 you can easily convert a standard Weber Kettle into a much better grill as well as a smoker capable of making restaurant quality smoked ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, turkey, salmon, or whatever you want to smoke. This revolutionary new device also makes an awesome searing tool for steaks. We have even baked brioche with it. We have used ours extensively and hereby crown it “The Single Best Accessory For The Weber Kettle Ever.”

You're not using lighter fluid, are you? No self-respecting pitmaster would. As recommended in Issue 11 of our newsletter, I have long used this very charcoal chimney starter. With a bit of paper in the bottom, a full chamber of charcoal on top, and a flick of the lighter and you're walking away while the coals burn toward the perfect ashen coating. A full canister holds up to about 80 briquets which may be more than you need depending on your grill size and cooking intentions. Heck, you can even cook on it! Mine has lasted for years and years, even with outdoor storage.

As recommended in Issue 12 of our newsletter, GrillGrates sear and sizzle foods better than traditional grills, which have more open exposure to direct flame and juices which fuel flareups. GrillGrates virtually eliminate charring but accentuate searing. This model is for the The 18.5" Weber Kettle Grill and Jumbo Joe, but once you get there, if you click the "Visit the GrillGrate Store" link, it will take you to their main store where you can find the model that fits your grill. Meathead from Amazing Ribs gave GrillGrates their highest rating saying, "They may be the best thing to happen to gas grills, charcoal grills and pellet smokers since salt and pepper..."

If you're Rodney Scott, you might need a full-sized cotton mop, but most of us aren't cooking whole hogs on a regular basis. The one trait we share with Rodney is a need to "mop" our barbecue. As recommended in this edition of our newsletter, the eighteen-inch basting mop from Miso is an easy choice. For one, it does the job, but it also comes with 4 replacement heads. You can toss a used head into the wash and have another ready to go. Better yet, it's less than $10 (at least at the time I am writing this).

In the 14th issue of our newsletter, we profiled this firestarter. While I personally use the Charcoal Chimney featured above, this can be a much faster way to get things going.

"The HomeRight ElectroLight Fire Starter gets your charcoal, fireplace, or wood stove ignited and ready to use quickly. Up to 1300ºF of hot air lights a piece of wood or a pile of charcoal in about two minutes, and the blower stokes the fire until it’s blazing how you want it. It runs on a standard 120v plug and is reasonably priced. I like that when the unit gets dangerously hot, it will not re-start until it’s safe to do so." - Paul Sidoriak, Product Reviewer, AmazingRibs.com

In the 15th issue of our newsletter, we recommended G&F's leather gloves. After learning that the gloves we personally use were no longer available, we jumped over to see what our friends at Amazing Ribs found to be among the best BBQ gloves on the market.

The results were clear. Only G&F's BBQ gloves received their highest rating. Here's what reviewer Rick Browne shared:

"Made from genuine grain cowhide and suede with a 100% cotton lining, The G&F Premium Grain Leather Gloves are an excellent option when seeking high heat gloves, though prolonged contact with direct flame is not advised. The gloves have 14.5″ sleeves to protect your forearms, can be washed with soap and water, and have loops so they can be hung to dry."

If you're in the market for a new set of gloves (like we will soon be), consider these.

While your grill is great for hearty slabs of meat, let's face it, those grill grates are awful for cooking smaller things that can slip right through.

The answer is the Culina BBQ basket, which we featured in Issue 16 of our newsletter. It provides ample space to spread out those foods you might be concerned about losing on the coals while also letting the heat and smoke come right through.

The all stainless steel design will stand up to the heat of the grill and the suds in the dishwasher. What better way to grill vegetables and other things that simply don't work well without some protection.

As recommended in Issue 17B of our newsletter, this grill is a replica of the now legacy model (aka out-of-production) that I have used for years from Char-Griller. If you're interested in that specific model, it remains available as I write this at Lowe's.

But when I replace it, I will go for this model from Royal Gourmet. It has all the features I love about my current grill: ample surface area, raised warming rack, charcoal access door, porcelain cooking grates, collapsable side tables, and more.

My favorite feature is the adjustable charcoal pan that you can raise or lower with a twist of the handle. Couple that with ample cooking area and a removable ash pan, and there's nothing not to love about this grill.

My old wood-handled tongs and spatula set have lasted a long time, but it is time to find some replacements. So, of course, I turned first to my friends at Amazing Ribs, who offer the best product reviews in the BBQ business. Only one set recieved their highest rating, the Weber set you see here. This is what Amazing Ribs reviewer Clint Cantwell wrote:

"A quality spatula and tongs are essential for good grilling. When picking the best spatula and tongs for grilling and BBQ, I prefer those with long handles such as the Weber Original 2-Piece Grilling Set as they keep you as far from the heat as possible. Equally appealing is that they are dishwasher safe for easy clean-up and feature soft touch handles for a comfortable grip."

With this backing, we set the Wever Original 2-Piece Griling Set as our featured product in issue 18B of our newsletter.

One second temperature readings. ONE second. And incredibly accurate.

If you're in the market for what is widely held as the industry's best instant read thermometer, the Thermapen ONE is the one you're looking for.

There's a reason everyone from the James Beard Foundation to America's Test Kitchen stake their reputation on the Thermapen, so I don't mind throwing my hat into the ring as well.

Simply the best...

As I noted in newsletter 21B, It’s excellent. If you ever needed a kitchen scale, I highly recommend the “OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull-Out Display” as it is titled on Amazon.

Here’s what the folks at Amazing Ribs pointed out: “I don’t know how I lived without a good, accurate digital kitchen scale for so many years. It is so important. Look at salt for example. 1 cup of table salt has almost twice as much salinity as a cup of Morton’s kosher salt because Morton’s kosher salt has more air space between the grains. But a pound of all salts contain exactly the same amount of sodium chloride. Without a scale, making a brine requires a calculator. Flour and sugar have the same problem. Packed flour or loose flour. Big diff. And if the amount of flour is off in your recipes, it can make them fail.”

Not only do the folks at Amazing Ribs recommend it, this Oxo scale is the America’s Test Kitchen winner in its category.

In short, get this scale if you’re in the market.

In issue 22B of our newsletter, we recommended the Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener. It comes with a Platinum rating (the highest) from our friends over at Amazing Ribs. Here's an excerpt:

The Ken Onion Sharpener is probably the single best knife sharpener out there for consumers and chefs. This smartly designed electric sharpener can handle an amazing array of knives and blades. It comes with angle guide that’s easily adjustable from 15° to 30° using a simple turn of the dial.

Or you can remove the angle guide to sharpen scissors at 65° angle. And without the angle guide, you can point the sharpener at any blade, allowing you to sharpen things like hatches, axes, and mower blades, too. It can even do pizza wheels.

(See their full review.)

Here's a thermometer you'll want to try...or even deep fry!

Writing for The Smoke Sheet, "BBQ-ologist" Ed Reilly pointed out the Meater M2 as one of the 7 new products to come to market that really caught his eye: “Meater recently revealed the M2, a new slimmer five-sensor probe,” Reilly writes. “It is completely waterproof and can stand temps up to 1000 degrees. That means it can be used to deep fry and cleaned in the dishwasher.”

Ed knows his stuff, having worked in the industry for over 35 years.

Yep...just above this, in a previous edition of the newsletter, I did indeed recommend the MEATER wireless thermometer. At the time, it was among the best on the market. Since that recommendation the market has shifted. ThermoWorks, the premier builder of thermometers, finally entered the wireless market with their RFX Wireless probe. Having come later, ThermoWorks had the advantage of surveying the competition and improving on the shortcomings of those first to market. You'll never go wrong with ThermoWorks.

Yea...I agree. This product isn't BBQ-specific, but it's regularly useful. These came to mind when reading responses to a recent post in the I Love SC BBQ Facebook group asking folks to name the one thing BBQ lovers need in their kitchen. It's not flashy or fancy nor is it likely something you don't already have, but do you have a really good one?

Years ago, we invested in these rimmed baking sheets, and, as you can see, we use them....a lot. That's the sign of quality. And yes, they get better as they darken.

We use America's Test Kitchen winner, Nordic Ware Rimmed Baking Sheets.

We've used a "plastic" cutting board from Sam's for about as long as I can remember. Frankly, I've always liked it. It's large, portable, and easy to clean, but studies suggest that having less plastic in our diet might be a good thing, so we decided to make the switch. What a great choice! Of course, I did my research and while there are a lot of quality options, some even local, I decided to go with a recommendation that I trust. America's Test Kitchen (ATK) recommends the Teakhaus XL cutting board.