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Surely you know somebody who loves outdoor cooking who deserves a gift for the holidays, birthday, anniversary, or just for being wonderful. There he is, right in the mirror! Here are our selections of best ideas, all Platinum or Gold Medalists, listed by price.
A good digital thermometer keeps you from serving dry overcooked food or dangerously undercooked food. They are much faster and much more accurate than dial thermometers. YOU NEED ONE!
The Slow 'N' Sear turns your grill into a first class smoker and also creates an extremely hot sear zone you can use to create steakhouse steaks.
The Broil King Signet 320 is a modestly priced, 3-burner gas grill that packs a lot of value and power under the hood. Broil King's proprietary, dual-tube burners get hot fast and are able to achieve high, searing temps that rival most comparatively priced gas grills. The quality cast aluminum housing carries a Limited Lifetime Warranty.
The Good-One Open Range is a charcoal grill with an offset smoke chamber attached. It is dramatically different from a traditional offset smoker. The grill sits low in front and doubles as a firebox for the smoke chamber which is spliced on above and behind so it can work like a horizontal offset smoker only better. By placing the heat source behind and under the smokebox instead of off to the side, Open Range produces even temperature from left to right, something almost impossible to achieve with a standard barrel shaped offset.
The flat top does the burgers and the fryer does the fries. Use the griddle for bacon, eggs, and home fries. Or pancakes, fajitas, grilled cheese, you name it. Why stink up the house deep frying and spatter all over? Do your fried chicken and calamari outside. Blackstone's Rangetop Combo With Deep Fryer does it all. Plus it has a built in cutting board, garbage bag holder, and paper towel holder. An additional work table on the left side provides plenty of counter space.
The PBC has a rabid cult following for good reason. It is absolutely positively without a doubt the best bargain on a smoker in the world. Period. This baby will cook circles around the cheap offset sideways barrel smokers in the hardware stores because temperature control is so much easier. Best of all, it is only $299 delivered to your door!
The smart folks at ThermoWorks have finally done it: The Swiss Army Knife of thermometers, two in one. Start with the industry standard food thermometer, the Thermapen MK4, (Platinum Medal winner) truly instant (2 to 3 seconds) precise (+ or – 0.7°F). Then they built in an infrared thermometer ideal for measuring the temps of pizza stones, griddles, and frying pans (also great for finding leaks around doors and windows in your house).
Char-Broil's Grill2Go x200 is a super-portable, fun little sizzler made of heavy, rust-proof cast aluminum. The lid snaps shut. Grab the handle and you're off to the party! Char-Broil's TRU-Infrared design produces searing heat while reducing fuel consumption. A 16 ounce LP gas canister is enough to keep you flipping burgers for hours.
Their NK22CK-C Charcoal Kettle Grill puts a few spins on the familiar kettle design. In fact, the hinged lid with a handle on the front, spins in a rotary motion 180 degrees. It's hard to beat a Weber kettle, but Napoleon holds its own and adds some unique features to make the NK22CK-C a viable alternative.
If you're using oven mitts at the grill, it's time to trade up. Say hello to these suede welder's gloves. They're heat resistant enough to handle hot grill grates, and flexible enough to handle tongs. The extra long sleeves even let you reach deep into the firebox to move hot logs without getting burned. Our Fave.
GrillGrates(TM) amplify heat, prevent flareups, make flipping foods easier, keep small foods from committing suicide, kill hotspots, are easier to clean, flip over to make a fine griddle, and can be easily removed and moved from one grill to another. You can even throw wood chips, pellets, or sawdust between the rails and deliver a quick burst of smoke to whatever is above. Every gas grill needs them.
The amazing Karubecue is the most innovative smoker in the world. The quality of meat from this machine is astonishing. At its crux is a patented firebox that burns logs above the cooking chamber and sucks heat and extremely clean blue smoke into the thermostat controlled oven. It is our favorite smoker, period.
Set ThermoTemp's dial from 175° to 350°F and the thermostat inside will adjust the burner just like an indoor kitchen oven. All you need to do is add wood to the tray above the burner to start smokin'.
Our founder, Meathead, wanted the same steak knives used by steakhouses such as Peter Luger, Smith & Wollensky, Morton's, Kobe Club, Palm, and many others. So he located the manufacturer and had them stamp our name on some. They boast pointed, temper-ground, serrated, high-carbon stainless-steel, half-tang blades with excellent cutting edge ability. The beefy hardwood handle provides a comfortable grip secured by three hefty rivets. He has machine washed his more than 100 times. They have never rusted and they stay shiny without polishing. Please note that we do not make, sell, or distribute these knives, they just engrave them with our name.
The PK-360, with 360 square inches of cooking space, this rust free, cast aluminum charcoal grill is durable and easy to use. Four-way venting means it's easy to set up for two zone cooking with more control than single vent Kamado grills. It is much easier to set up for 2-zone cooking than any round kamado. Beautifully designed and completely portable. Meathead says it is his preferrred grill.
With the ability to monitor up to six temperatures simultaneously with either Bluetooth or Wifi on your mobile phone, tablet, or computer, Fireboard is the best digital thermometer we’ve tested.
Green Mountain's portable Davy Crockett Pellet Smoker is one mean tailgating and picnic machine. But it's also gaining popularity with people who want to add a small, set it and forget it pellet smoker to their backyard arsenal. And with their WiFi capabilities you can control and monitor Davy Crocket from your smart phone or laptop.
You have come to the best place in the world for everything related to outdoor cooking, barbecue recipes, grilling and smoking techniques, food science and mythbusting, and the world's best buyer's guides to smokers, grills, thermometers, and grilling accessories, including unbiased reviews. You need this. Hope you brought napkins.
Step up your grilling game at your next tailgate with Butter Basted Grilled Lobster. It's easy, and everyone will be impressed. Recipe below...
I have found your site to be the Rosetta Stone of BBQ. From here you can make anything, or you can obtain the tools and information to BBQ/Grill/Smoke. Thanks!
Bill Lamb
You are, to the barbecue world, what "Click & the Clack: The Tappet Brothers" are to the car world: knowledgeable, smart, hilarious, and self-effacing.
Laurel Stone
No question, just wanted to say yours is one of my go-to websites for cooking. I cooked professionally for many years, including a 3-year chef's apprenticeship at 4-star classic French kitchen in Dallas.
David White, Rockwall, TX
As we were watching our Giants beat the Mets, a Famous Dave's commercial came on claiming the best ribs in the world, and my honey just shook his head and said, "nope, it's right here." Many, many thanks!
Red Taylor, San Francisco, CA
I tried your Memphis Dust (on chicken) and it was amazing!
Ivan Carabott, Malta
I died laughing at your rib song.
Gary Hays, Smithville, TX
My wife had gone to the store while I was preparing ribs for the smoker. When she came back our dog was in a hurry to get out of the truck and jumped on her feet. My truck slammed into her Buick totaling it. It knocked the utility room off the foundation causing the brick to fall off the side and back of the house which in turn collapsed a 10' x 30' deck. It crushed my smoker and the gas grill looked like the Titanic going down. While she was on the phone talking to the insurance man I propped the gas grill up using some of the rubble. I remembered your article on cooking ribs on the grill and decided I was going to have ribs no matter what. When my wife came back I was sitting on a broken chair drinking a beer and cooking ribs. The ribs were anything but a disaster thanks to you, I love seeing a woman standing there with her mouth open speechless, What a wonderful day.
Myron Robert Mayer, TN
I have worked as a professional cook in high end French restaurants for several years, but I had little BBQ experience, so when I hit the internet looking for some info, I was really pleased to find an in depth and expansive site that had all the tips I was looking for. I am also pleased to tell you that I recently took first place in my first rib competition, using a slight variation on your Memphis Dust and a straight use of your Pig Candy recipe!
Aaron Ettlin, Portland, OR
We love your beans. My recipe has our guests tooting for a few days; I bet that yours will last a week!!!!
Peggy Bohl, Sacramento, CA
In 2012 we had a fantastic season winning two Grand Championships and five Reserve Grand Championships. I always appreciate referring to your site. Thanks.
Steve, Grills Gone Wild, IA
Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our links and purchase from them. On Amazon it works on everything from grills to diapers, they never tell us what you bought, and it has zero impact on the price you pay, but has a major impact on our ability to improve this site! And remember, we only recommend products we love. If you like AmazingRibs.com, please save this link and use it every time you go to Amazonhttps://tinyurl.com/amazingribs
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I have found your site to be the Rosetta Stone of BBQ. From here you can make anything, or you can obtain the tools and information to BBQ/Grill/Smoke. Thanks!
Bill Lamb
You are, to the barbecue world, what "Click & the Clack: The Tappet Brothers" are to the car world: knowledgeable, smart, hilarious, and self-effacing.
Laurel Stone
No question, just wanted to say yours is one of my go-to websites for cooking. I cooked professionally for many years, including a 3-year chef's apprenticeship at 4-star classic French kitchen in Dallas.
David White, Rockwall, TX
As we were watching our Giants beat the Mets, a Famous Dave's commercial came on claiming the best ribs in the world, and my honey just shook his head and said, "nope, it's right here." Many, many thanks!
Red Taylor, San Francisco, CA
I tried your Memphis Dust (on chicken) and it was amazing!
Ivan Carabott, Malta
I died laughing at your rib song.
Gary Hays, Smithville, TX
My wife had gone to the store while I was preparing ribs for the smoker. When she came back our dog was in a hurry to get out of the truck and jumped on her feet. My truck slammed into her Buick totaling it. It knocked the utility room off the foundation causing the brick to fall off the side and back of the house which in turn collapsed a 10' x 30' deck. It crushed my smoker and the gas grill looked like the Titanic going down. While she was on the phone talking to the insurance man I propped the gas grill up using some of the rubble. I remembered your article on cooking ribs on the grill and decided I was going to have ribs no matter what. When my wife came back I was sitting on a broken chair drinking a beer and cooking ribs. The ribs were anything but a disaster thanks to you, I love seeing a woman standing there with her mouth open speechless, What a wonderful day.
Myron Robert Mayer, TN
I have worked as a professional cook in high end French restaurants for several years, but I had little BBQ experience, so when I hit the internet looking for some info, I was really pleased to find an in depth and expansive site that had all the tips I was looking for. I am also pleased to tell you that I recently took first place in my first rib competition, using a slight variation on your Memphis Dust and a straight use of your Pig Candy recipe!
Aaron Ettlin, Portland, OR
We love your beans. My recipe has our guests tooting for a few days; I bet that yours will last a week!!!!
Peggy Bohl, Sacramento, CA
In 2012 we had a fantastic season winning two Grand Championships and five Reserve Grand Championships. I always appreciate referring to your site. Thanks.
Steve, Grills Gone Wild, IA
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