If one thing burns brighter than the debate between Mac and PC users, it is the flame-throwing between charcoal purists and gas hotheads. Yes, there are pellet cookers, too, but this new technology is better at smoking than grilling, and electric grills aren’t really grills. We’ll get to those later.
Charcoal purists are passionate, bordering on rabid. You will have to pry their charcoal from their cold, dead fingers, and they would never, ever, no how, no way use a gas grill.
They do have a point. A charcoal grill can lay up to a blistering 900°F on the surface of a steak, a lot hotter than standard gas grills without infrared burners. That high heat is just what you need to crisp up the surface of beef steaks and lamb chops while keeping them red or pink on the inside.
The other major advantage of charcoal is smoke, a sapid by-product of combustion. Charcoal produces a broad range of tasty flavor molecules, especially when it is first ignited. Gas fuel is a simple molecule (CH4 for natural gas, C3H8 for liquid propane), and when fully combusted produces only water and carbon dioxide—no flavor. You can create smoke by adding wood to either a charcoal or a gas grill, and a lot of smoke gets produced when food drips fats and juices onto the hot surfaces below, but a brief encounter with smoke is not going to significantly change the flavor of quick-cooking foods such as hot dogs, quarter-pounders, or even skinny steaks. On thick steaks and thick cuts of chicken and turkey, smoke can make its presence known. If you use your grill for long, low-and-slow smoke roasting, you will see a noticeable difference in flavor from smoke encountering the meat. When mixed with smoke from wood chips or chunks, the combustion gases from charcoal contribute a distinctive flavor that is typical of traditional Southern barbecue. The smoke flavor produced on a propane grill is a bit more one-dimensional.
Charcoal poses a slightly higher risk of fire, and for that reason, many apartment buildings and local fire codes ban them from balconies. Coals and sparks can escape the grill by falling through vents or from chimney starters, and you need water or a fire extinguisher handy to put them out. With a gas grill, you just turn a knob and the flame is dead.
Charcoal is dirty; it can be hard to light; it takes about 15 minutes longer to get up to temperature; it can flare up, burning the food; its heat can be difficult to gauge and regulate; it can slowly lose heat during long cooking; its temperature cannot be turned down rapidly; and it produces ash that you have to clean up and discard afterward. Charcoal grills rarely have rotisseries.
Most of these problems are easily avoided. Careful handling with gloves, shovels, and/or tongs sidesteps the mess and minimizes the fire risk. If you keep your charcoal dry and use a chimney, getting hot coals is easy. If you push the coals to one side of the grill and set up a two-zone cooking environment (see page 8), fatty meats like skin-on chicken do not drip fats on the coals and flare up; and even if there are flare-ups, a squirt gun can quell them. A removable ash tray makes cleanup a snap.
Yes, charcoal takes a bit more practice than gas, but there is little a charcoal grill cannot do once you master it. And you get to fiddle with fire!
Gas grills offer convenience and control. Those two words alone clinch the argument for many folks. They are easy to start, heat up within 10 to 15 minutes, hold a steady temperature, and can be cranked up or cooled down rapidly. If your gas grill has two or more burners, it can easily be set up for indirect and two-zone cooking. Temperature control, which is vital to good cooking, is a lot simpler on a gas grill: Just twist the dial. If it’s Tuesday, you’re late getting home from work, and you need those frozen burgers ready in an hour, a gasser does the job. When you are done cooking, a gas grill is easy to clean. They’re often allowed on high-rise balconies, too.
How about taste? Probably 90 percent of the world’s greatest barbecue joints use gas for heat in their pits, along with wood for flavor. A similar proportion of the world’s most expensive steakhouses grill their aged prime beef to perfect doneness with gas.
Barbecue joints use gas for the same reasons backyard cooks do: convenience and control. Steakhouses use gas because they want a dark sear, and they get extremely high heat from special broilers that cook simultaneously from above and below, producing blowtorch temperatures between 800 and 1200°F.
Unfortunately, your average backyard gas grill doesn’t get quite that hot. With a sear burner you might get up to 900°F or so on a small portion of the cooking surface, but most gas grills top out around 450 to 500°F. If you’re buying a new one, I strongly recommend a sear burner—especially for steaks.
Although gas grills excel at holding a steady temperature, they are not perfect. A dial setting of medium may equal 300°F on a hot day; 275°F on a 70°F day; or 225°F on a cool, windy, or rainy day. But once you get to know your cooker, it is pretty easy to manage the temperature. On a three-burner grill, you might use a hot zone for meat, a medium zone for veggies, and a low zone for holding finished foods. The heat diffusers above the burners are pretty good at preventing flare-ups, too.
Cleanup is easier on gas grills because there is little ash, and drips are usually vaporized on the metal drip-protector bars, lava rocks, or ceramic rocks, sending smoke and steam back up to the food much like charcoal would. Most have grease trays that are relatively easy to empty, so the only day-to-day maintenance is scraping down the grates.
Another advantage: Gas grills usually offer a wider range of accessories. Most have rotisserie kits as an option, an add-on I highly recommend. Many come with side burners, also recommended, so you can keep sauces warm or cook side dishes. You can get night-lights, side tables, spice racks, storage drawers, bottle openers—some gas grills are even Bluetooth enabled. GrillGrates (see page 100) can be added to most gas grills, and this accessory can significantly improve the cooking characteristics of a grill by amplifying heat, preventing flare-ups, minimizing hot spots, and allowing you to smolder wood right on the grate below the food.
Some high-end gas grills come with smoke boxes for wood chips, but most require you to make foil packets or put pans of wood under the cooking grate near the flame. For fire safety and to prevent explosions, most gas grill lids do not seal well by design, so a lot of the smoke leaks out and more wood is needed than on a tight-lidded charcoal grill.
Gas can explode if you don’t handle it properly. ESPN host Hannah Storm was severely burned in 2012 when she tried to ignite her propane grill after the wind blew the flame out. Unbeknownst to her, the gas continued to course through the jets and pooled in the lower chamber because it is heavier than air. When she hit the spark button, the accumulated propane exploded in her face. Windblown flameouts happen on some grills, but it is hard to predict which ones are susceptible. Nonetheless, gas remains slightly safer than charcoal because there is little or no way for sparks or hot objects to escape a gas grill. If there is a problem, just turn off the knob on the tank.
Gas jets and venturi (air intake) valves can get clogged on a gas grill. Water can condense and block the lines on extremely cold days. Carbon and grease build up below the burners, and if you ignore it, this grease can catch fire. It is very difficult to put out such fires without a fire extinguisher rated for grease fires.
Gas grills tend to be more expensive because the mechanisms are more complex. That also makes assembly more complicated, and there are more parts that may break and need to be replaced. It is hard to tell if your tank is about to run out of gas in the middle of cooking, unlike a charcoal grill, where you can just eyeball the number of embers. As for fuel cost, it is hard to compare the two. Charcoal is often on sale, especially in spring, while propane fluctuates with petroleum prices. It is rarely on sale. Both fuels are inexpensive compared to the food.
Many gas grills don’t have the important sear burners, and many sear burners are small and can only sear one or two steaks at a time. That’s perfect for empty nesters, but if you’re hosting a graduation party, you will want more super-hot real estate.
Imagine two slabs of center-cut ribs side by side. Both were cooked at the same temperature with Meathead’s Memphis Dust (page 167) and no sauce. One was cooked with charcoal and wood chips for flavor. The other was cooked on a gas grill with exactly the same amount of wood chips by weight. In a taste test, the charcoal ribs had a deeper, smokier fireplace scent and flavor. The gas ribs had a stronger pork flavor with hints of bacon, and they were moister. Which was better? That’s a matter of taste. I loved them both.
If you’re just starting out and you want no-fuss, no-muss, convenience grilling, go gas with an infrared/sear burner. If red meats and smoking are your highest priority, go charcoal. If taste is the most important factor, go charcoal.
I have many gas and charcoal grills. I cook almost all my birds, fish, veggies, pizzas, breads, and quick-cooking foods on my gas grills. I cook almost all my red meats on my charcoal grills. If you can afford it and have the space, get one of each (and a smoker, while you’re at it).
Some new grills have one side for gas and the other for charcoal. It’s a great idea, but most of the combos I’ve seen are cheaply built and compromise the advantages of both fuels.
The database of equipment reviews on AmazingRibs.com covers about 400 grills and 250 smokers, and there are probably another 50 or so that we haven’t discovered yet. The grills vary from small disposable units for picnics to huge monsters that attach to your trailer hitch and have as many wheels as a semi. Boy, do they range in price. Not long ago I saw a pricey stainless-steel job in my neighborhood hardware store that advertised “financing available”!
A good grill is an essential tool for the modern cook, not just as a backyard diversion, but as a second oven. It even comes in handy in emergencies. Just ask people how they cooked dinner after a hurricane or tornado knocked out the power. (Yes, you can use that line on your spouse when you tell her how much you need a new grill.)
What a grill does best is create food with well-browned flavor. Because of the high heat, it comes closer to turning out steakhouse steaks and better burgers than indoor cookers. Configured properly, a grill can even smoke low and slow just as well as a dedicated smoker.
There is no single answer to the question “What is the best grill?” because the question lacks two essential words: “for me.” Before you go shopping, ask yourself what you want to cook most often. Ribs? Steaks? Two very different cooking processes are needed for those foods. Then ask how much you want to spend.
You have six fuel types to choose from—charcoal, gas, logs, wood pellets, propane, and electricity. Don’t make up your mind based on what you’ve heard. Don’t let your neighbor—the charcoal evangelist—or your coworker—the gas hothead—sway you. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. Keep an open mind and check the reviews on AmazingRibs.com before you hand over your credit card. Here’s what you need to know.
Price. What is your bottom line? As with a car, a better-equipped model is more expensive. The old reliable, very capable, versatile, and indestructible Weber Kettle charcoal grill can be had for under $100. High-end charcoal grills can go for as much as $2,000.
You can get a really nice gas grill for $400 or be the envy of the neighborhood for $800. Prices can even go up above $5,000. But keep in mind that quality does not necessarily increase with price. A lot of the $1,000 units I’ve used did not outperform some $400 cookers.
Quality will last. I had a Weber Genesis gas grill for fifteen years until I gave it to a nephew. He used it for five years before he gave it away and bought a new grill. It’s probably still out there somewhere churning out fine dining. On the other hand, I know someone who buys a new big, shiny, stainless-steel grill from a discount store every five years because they always fall apart.
Remember to budget for thermometers. Notice I say thermometers, plural. You need a good digital grill thermometer and a good meat thermometer (see page 96).
If you are buying a propane grill, plan on buying a second propane tank as a backup. If you are going with natural gas, budget for a licensed technician (usually a heating contractor or plumber) to do the hookup.
You may also want to invest in a good protective cover for your grill. Many grills really don’t need it, but some will collect water in the drip pan or cabinet unless they are covered in inclement weather. And of course, you’ll need spatulas, tongs, and cleaning tools (see pages 105–113).
Most hardware stores want to get rid of their grills by September. They take up too much space, and by then they’re stocking Christmas trees. The end of August and early fall is the best time to get closeout bargains. By midsummer, you can also get bargains on discontinued models and floor demos. A few years ago, I bought a sweet $500 Char-Broil gasser for $250 at Lowe’s. It was a display model that had a dent and was missing a couple of knobs. I found the manager, offered him half the list price, and he didn’t hesitate. Sold! Char-Broil has great customer service, and they sent me the two knobs at no charge (and no, I didn’t tell them I was a food writer).
Size of the cooking surface. Size matters, and it relates to price. Look at the number of square inches of primary cooking surface, or the size of the main cooking grate. Some manufacturers list total cooking area, including the warming rack suspended above the primary cooking area. Yes, you can cook up there, but its distance from the flame means that food cooks differently. A removable warming rack is a nice feature, but the important measurement is the total square inches of the main cooking grate.
Area = Width x Depth
If the width is 28 inches and the depth is 14 inches, then:
Area = 28 x 14 = 392 square inches
If the cooking surface is round, the formula is
Area = pi x the radius squared
Pi can be rounded to 3.14. The radius is the diameter divided by 2, so measure the diameter (across the widest point through the center) and divide by 2. To square a number, you multiply it by itself. So the area of a 22.5-inch Weber Kettle is calculated like this:
Area = 3.14 x (22.5 ÷ 2) x (22.5 ÷ 2) = 397.4 square inches
Remember: You do not want to crowd a grill. You should leave at least ½ inch between foods being cooked. As a rule of thumb, allow 25 square inches for each 4-inch burger. So a Weber Kettle can handle about 15 burgers across the entire surface.
For two-zone and indirect cooking, you’ll need enough space to get the food on one half of the total cooking surface. So that kettle will handle about 7 burgers. If a chicken cut into parts takes up 12 by 12 inches, or 144 square inches, then you need 288 square inches for one chicken. If you will be cooking veggies or other sides, then you need more space. You need a minimum of 72 square inches per person—about 9 by 8 inches, or the size of a dinner plate—to cook a whole meal for a person. Multiply that by 2 for two-zone cooking.
Try to determine how many people you will normally be cooking for, and don’t forget the Fourth of July party. You can grill some foods in batches, but that could be really slow.
Footprint. Will it fit on your condo’s balcony? (Speaking of balconies, does your building code allow grills? Check any restrictions before you whip out that credit card.) Don’t forget that you need plenty of space around your cooker for ventilation and airflow, and so you don’t set something on fire or melt the vinyl siding on your house. When measuring a grill’s space requirements, open the lid. Sometimes it requires a foot or more of clearance behind the unit—not to mention above it.
Head space. You will want enough room to smoke a turkey in there, so make sure there are at least 12 inches of head space between the cooking grate and the inside of the lid. If there is a warming rack, it could get in the way, so it should be removable.
Smoking. To smoke food properly, you must be able to control airflow. For example, the Weber Kettle charcoal grill does a fine job of smoking because it has excellent airflow control and a tight lid. There are some add-ons that make it even better at smoking (see page 88). Gas grills usually don’t have tight lids because they need to allow combustion gases to escape during cooking and flammable gas to escape in case of a flameout. But you can still smoke on them; you just need more wood.
Safety. Is the grill child- and pet-safe? Are electrical parts safe from rain and snow? Is the grease pan right where the dog likes it? Do the wheels lock? Do the handles stay cool? Coiled stainless-steel handles are the best because they remain cool by dispersing heat.
Grates. There are a wide variety of materials used for grill grates. But don’t let crappy grates kill the deal. You can always buy replacements. They are not expensive. (Read more about grates on pages 100–103.)
Easy cleaning. Personally, I don’t care what the outside of my grill looks like. But cleaning the interior is a requirement. Before you buy, study the unit and ask yourself how you will clean it and if you are willing to do the work. If it’s too hard to clean, you won’t do it and you’ll end up ruining food or starting grease fires.
Materials and durability. The best grills are made from powder- coated steel, vitreous enamel bonded to steel, cast aluminum, or high-quality stainless steel. Heavy steel holds and distributes heat better than thin steel or cast aluminum.
Paint is the least desirable coating, since it chips and peels easily. Powder coating is thick and durable. It is produced by giving a positive electrostatic charge to a polymer powder, grounding the metal of the grill, and spraying the powder on the metal. The electrical charge makes the powder stick, and it is bonded with heat.
Vitreous enamel is another excellent coating. This glasslike powder is sprayed onto the metal and melted. It is durable under heat and doesn’t fade, but it can be brittle and crack if you bend or drop it, and then rust will form in the cracks. Weber Kettle grills are enamel coated.
Workmanship. Does the grill have sharp edges? Sturdy legs? How solid are the latches? How are the welds? Does it have a lot of cheap plastic parts? Will the screws rust? Do the moving parts look like they’ll last?
Wheels. If you want to move the thing after you set it up, perhaps to store it over the winter, make sure it has wheels or can be broken down easily. The wheels should be well built with sturdy welds and bolts. Are they durable rubber or cheap plastic? Are they large enough to roll smoothly on a rough or uneven surface such as pavers or grass?
Work surfaces and storage. Look for sturdy work surfaces and storage shelves. Will the worktable hold a turkey? Is the storage area rainproof? Will the doors withstand repeated opening and closing?
Side burners. A side burner is not strictly necessary. They’re handy for making side dishes or warming sauces, but most have trouble maintaining a low simmer, so you have to watch carefully to avoid burning. I recommend side burners, but if you’re on a budget, instead of paying $200 for one that’s built in, consider picking up a $25 standalone butane or propane burner, which is also portable for picnics and tailgates.
Other accessories. Does it come with tools? Tool hooks? Most kamados offer deflector plates for indirect cooking, extra racks, and other add-ons, but some companies charge for them. You need them. You may also want a propane tank fuel gauge, night-lights, a cutting board, wok, steamer, drink holder, bottle openers, griddles, surround sound—there’s no end to accessories.
Assembly. Grills can be tricky to assemble. And you will lose a screw. If you don’t have the necessary time, tools, or skills, many merchants offer assembly services. For a fee.
Manual, warranty, and support. Is there a manual? Was it translated from Chinese by a high school student? What kind of warranty and/or guarantee comes with the grill? On gassers, check the warranty on the burners. Sometimes the burner warranty is separate from the rest of the grill. Look for a 5- to 10-year warranty. Also, what is the dealer’s reputation? Is there a phone number and e-mail for tech support, or are they hiding? Is the website informative? What if you need parts? How long have they been in business? Reputable companies like Weber still supply parts from models discontinued years ago.
Bottom line. Don’t buy on looks. Don’t buy crap, or you’ll be shopping again in two or three years.
The most important thing a good cook needs is a reliable thermometer. Even high-end grill manufacturers install cheapo heat indicators. (I hate calling those things thermometers.) These junky dials have ruined more meals than flies on potato salad. You absolutely cannot rely on them. They are often off by 50°F or more. Most manufacturers mount the thermometer in the lid several inches above the cooking surface, useful only if you plan to eat the lid. If you have a two-zone setup with the left side hot and the right side off, the dial thermometer rests in the center where it averages the temperature of the two zones, giving you a meaningless number. Even with direct-heat cooking just below the thermometer, the air above a piece of meat exists in a heat shadow, and its temperature will be a lot cooler than the temperature on the underside of the meat that sits directly above the flame. For an accurate measurement, you need a probe clipped to the cooking surface a few inches from the food you are cooking (see page 116).
Please, buy a good digital thermometer with a probe that can be placed on the cooking surface near the food (see page 96). It will make a massive difference in your food quality and on-time delivery.
Gas grills can be divided into two main categories: convection and infrared. In both designs, the cooking grates absorb heat and produce conduction heat where they contact the surface of the food. The dome reflects mostly convection heat. The exterior of the food absorbs heat, mostly from below, and produces conduction heat that moves to the center of the food.
Convection grills. Most gassers are convection grills. They usually have burner tubes that sit below the grates upon which food sits. Gas travels through the tubes and out holes drilled in them, where it burns and generates heat. They usually have a heat diffuser over the burners to protect them from dripping grease and to distribute heat more evenly. Most use inverted V-shaped metal plates for diffusers. Stainless-steel diffusers last longer than enamel-coated. Some gas grills use lava rocks or ceramic rocks as diffusers. They eventually become saturated with grease and need replacing. Burners and the drip protectors produce a little radiant infrared heat and a lot of convection heat.
Infrared grills. These more recent designs use a highly efficient plate made of ceramic, glass, or metal above the gas burners. The plate absorbs heat and emits it as infrared radiation. Infrared grills also get hotter, often in the 500 to 700°F range—steakhouse temperatures. With infrared, there is less dry air motion, which means less moisture evaporates from the food, plus the radiant surface is usually so close to the food that dripping juices or marinades incinerate and go right back up onto the meat, adding flavor without flare-ups. Unfortunately, it is hard to get two distinct heat zones on IR grills.
Liquid propane or natural gas. You need to choose between liquid propane and natural gas. The most popular grills burn liquid propane. Propane contains more cooking energy, about 2,500 BTUs in 1 cubic foot, than natural gas, which has about 1,000 BTUs in 1 cubic foot. But natural gas kits are designed to deliver more gas per minute than propane, so if they are set up properly, the BTU ratings should be about the same for either fuel. Most grills are set up for propane that comes in steel tanks weighing about 20 pounds empty and holding 15 to 20 pounds of liquid propane. Some grill kits include the tank, but most do not, so plan on buying a tank filled with propane for about $40. When it is empty, you can exchange the empty for a full one for about $20 at many hardware stores, convenience stores, or gas stations. Prices really vary during the year and from place to place.
Natural gas is the more permanent option. It must be delivered to the grill by a pipeline from your house and delivered to your house by the public gas utility company. If you go with natural gas, you’ll need an adapter kit and a certified contractor, usually a heating contractor or plumber, to do the installation. Some grills come with adapter kits, some manufacturers sell them as options, and some grills cannot be adapted.
The natural gas line is a hard pipe with a short, flexible connection attached, so your grill will remained fixed in a permanent location. On the plus side, natural gas comes from your house in a gaseous state, so it is more efficient in the winter than propane, which has to be converted to gas. The other advantages of natural gas are:
1. It is perhaps 20 percent of the price of propane.
2. You don’t have to run to the store for refills.
3. You will never run out as long as you pay your gas bill.
If you are buying a liquid propane gas grill, check to see if it can be adapted to household natural gas and if the adapter kit is included or costs extra.
Propane is a hydrocarbon (C3H8) produced from both crude oil and natural gas refining, which is compressed into a liquid state (LP). It boils, or returns to gas form, at about –44°F, so it must be stored in heavy tanks under pressure to maintain its liquid state. It turns to gas immediately after exiting the tank, so it doesn’t need a carburetor to vaporize. All grills that use propane have a regulator that drops the pressure from more than 200 pounds per square inch (psi) to 0.5 to 10 psi, depending on your grill. The exact pressure in the cylinder is related to the amount of liquid in the tank and the ambient temperature, so the pressure declines on very cold days. In order to burn, propane needs to be mixed with 90 to 98 percent air, which is one reason that gas grills have so many air vents. It burns relatively cleanly, but not as cleanly as natural gas. It is colorless and odorless, so ethyl mercaptan or other “odorants” are added to give it a foul smell, which promptly alerts us to any leaks. The odorants are destroyed by combustion. Some propane is also mixed with small amounts of butane.
Natural gas is a hydrocarbon mix that is mostly methane (CH4). It is found deep underground, and it can be made from petroleum products. After processing to remove impurities, it also has ethyl mercaptan added, and then the gas is piped into homes for heating and cooking. It is among the cleanest of the petroleum products, meaning that when burned, it produces less carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide than other fuels.
The ignition system. Gas grills need a starter to generate a spark to ignite the gas. Many ignite each individual burner when you turn the dial, and many use “crossover ignitions,” in which one burner is lit and then the flame from that burner crosses over and lights the others. There are two basic ignition systems: electronic and piezo. Electronic ignition systems use batteries and they go dead. For piezo ignition, you turn a knob or press a button and a small spring-loaded hammer strikes a quartz crystal, creating voltage that produces a spark, which arcs from a wire to the burner tube. It makes a distinct clicking sound. Make sure the grill has a manual ignition hole so that if your igniter breaks, you can insert a wood match or stick lighter. Keep one or the other on hand in case the ignition fails, as it occasionally does.
Electric cars are a great innovation. Electric grills? Not so much. Electric grills use a metal coil for heat. Often made from an alloy of nickel and chromium, the metal glows hot when a current is passed through it and the metal resists the flow. It works like a toaster coil and cooks like an electric frying pan. Although George Foreman, Cuisinart, Grundig, Coleman, Char-Broil, and even Weber call their electric devices “grills,” there is no combustion, flame, or smoke, so I consider these devices to be large panini presses or, at best, low-temperature griddles. An inexpensive hardware store gas or charcoal cooker, if well chosen, can cook circles around any electric grill tastewise.
Burners. A good gas grill must have a minimum of two burners. This is essential for two-zone cooking. With three or four burners, you can have hot, medium, and low temperature zones. Most burners connect to the front and rear with knobs on the front. Others connect to the sides with knobs on the side. The best arrangement for most cooking is with the knobs on the front, so you can easily turn off one side to create an indirect cooking zone for slow roasting, and then move the food over to the direct zone for high-heat searing. You can also put food in the indirect zone for holding. The bigger the cooking surface, the more flexibility you have. Either way, you want the ability to get even heat across the entire cooking surface. If the burners are too far apart, there will be hot and cold spots. Look for high-quality stainless-steel or brass burners. Aluminum burners corrode and cast-iron burners rust.
Sear burners. Usually when a manufacturer says its grill has a “sear burner,” it is referring to a small section that has an infrared radiant plate to amplify heat or a special burner that delivers extra heat. If you’re in the market for a gas grill, try to get one with a sear burner so you can get better browning.
BUSTED! Grill manufacturers often tout their grills’ BTUs, but the BTU rating is not indicative of the heat a grill can generate. It is derived from a calculation based on gas pressure, the size of the opening in the gas valve, and the type of gas. More BTUs indicate more fuel used, not higher heat. If you were shopping for a really fast car, the miles per gallon would not be a useful guide to how fast the car goes. It’s like that.
The heat output of a grill must be calculated by BTU per square inch, or “heat flux,” something that grill manufacturers never tell you. To guesstimate the flux, divide the BTU by the square inches on the primary cooking surface. Do not include warming racks. For example, a four-burner grill with a 48,000 BTU per hour rating and 500 square inches of primary cooking surface produces 96 BTUs per square inch per hour, or a heat flux of 96. A five-burner that generates 52,500 BTUs per hour with 650 square inches of grates delivers 81 BTU per square inch per hour, or a flux of 81. These examples show how, even though the bigger grill has a higher BTU rating, it actually delivers less heat to the food. Typical heat flux is about 85.
But heat flux is not a perfect measure. If the burners on one grill are a lot closer to the cooking surface than another, the closer burners will deliver more heat to the food. The distance between the burners might also create cool spots. Plus, infrared grills can generate more heat per BTU per square inch than convection grills because they are more efficient at delivering heat.
Lid. A few grills, even some expensive ones, do not have lids. Without a lid, you are severely limited in the type of cooking you can do. Without it, you can’t cook with convection. Some gas grills have lids made from two layers of metal with an air gap in between that helps with heat retention.
Rotisserie kits. Many foods benefit from rotisserie cooking, among them turkey breasts, roasts, and, of course, whole chickens. Some high-end gas units come with a special rotisserie burner at the back above the cooking grates. This is a nice addition, but you can still cook rotisserie without it (see page 119). Some also come with a built-in rotisserie motor and attachments, but on most grills it is optional. If your grill does not offer one, buy one online. Rotisserie kits run from $100 to $200.
The typical kit comes with a spit, two forks that slip over the spear to hold the food in place, and a motor. Make sure the spit is long enough for your grill and not so long that it interferes with opening the side burner if you have one.
Be sure the kit has a sturdy motor that won’t easily burn out, an on/off switch to stop the rotation so you can insert a thermometer to check doneness, and a water-resistant case in the event of rain. You will also need a utility-grade extension cord, because rotisseries rarely have a cord long enough to be of any use. You can also get baskets that slip over the spit to hold shrimp, kebabs, or veggies. And if your grill doesn’t already have a bracket on which to mount the motor, you’ll need to buy one of those.
Charcoal grills are less expensive than gas grills and produce more smoke and therefore better flavor. With the exception of gas grills that have small sear burners, charcoal burns hotter, so it is better for searing steaks. As with all things cooking, temperature control is paramount. Many of the same requirements for a gas grill apply equally to a charcoal grill, such as safety, workmanship, and cleaning.
Lid. You must have a lid to capture heat, and the tighter it fits, the better.
Dampers. Charcoal grills need at least two dampers, an intake and an exhaust. That’s how the oxygen gets in to feed the fire. Make sure the dampers fit tightly so you can accurately choke off oxygen when you want to lower the temperature.
Adjustable. Another way to control temperature is by raising and lowering the bed of charcoal. Temperature drops off as the coals drop down. Not many grills offer this feature, but I like those that do.
Two-zone cooking capability. The most important technique an outdoor cook must learn is how to create a two-zone setup. This allows you to move the food off the flame into a cooler area where it roasts from convection and indirect heat. A good grill must have space to move the coals to one side. If your grill doesn’t allow two-zone cooking, you will be handicapped. This is a problem on most round kamados.
Access to charcoal. It is important to be able to easily add more charcoal or move the charcoal around. Some grills have a door. This is a very nice feature.
Ash removal. Ash is an excellent insulator, so if you don’t remove it, it will absorb heat and reduce performance.
Grates. This is a minor concern. If the grill doesn’t have good grates, you can replace them. For more on what I consider good grates, see pages 100–102.
Almost all grills can have wood added to create smoke, but only a few are designed to burn logs as the primary fuel. In southern California, the Santa Maria–style grill is especially popular. It has an open top and a wheel-and-pulley system that lets cooks raise and lower their famous tri-tip steaks to decrease or increase heat. Santa Maria grills come in all sizes, from small backyard rigs to the one shown below, which is used for catering.
My favorite backyard model, by Engelbrecht, has all sorts of bells and whistles and sells for $2,300 to $4,700.
In South America, grilling red meat on a movable grate is common. Most of these wood-burners have V-shaped grates sloped forward to drain away drippings and minimize flare-ups. A company called Grillworks has several beauties that are popular with restaurants. They run from $3,300 to $14,000 and up.
There is even a small portable wood grill called Cook-Air that weighs only 17 pounds and costs only about $150. It has a blower system that gets the fuel up to 700°F in about 5 minutes. I’ve cooked some of the best steaks of my life on it with untreated scrap oak left over from a flooring project.
For the tailgate party, balcony, beach, backcountry hike, cattle drive, or RV trip, you need a portable grill. There are many options, from cheap throwaways to tried-and-true hibachis to pretty snazzy rigs with lids and multiple burners. Most of them have fairly limited functionality due to their size, but they operate like other grills.
When shopping for one, the same rules apply as for other grills. You need to consider price, temperature control, ease of cleanup, high heat, durability, safety, and, of course, size and weight. Many of the smaller portable units don’t have lids, but a lid will increase the cooker’s versatility, give you better temperature control, and help cook thicker meats without burning. Try to get enough surface area so you can create two cooking zones. Having at least two burners is ideal.
When out and about, I want convenience from a grill. A small bottle of propane will last a long time and is a lot lighter than charcoal, so my favorite portable is a lightweight gas grill. It’s less messy than transporting charcoal in the trunk, too. Keep the small propane tank out of direct sunlight and don’t store it in a hot car, which can exceed 120°F inside on a sunny day.
Smoke is the sexy scent and inescapable difference between the Crock-Pot pulled pork served at a ballpark and the handcrafted sandwich that gets you a standing ovation in the backyard. Smoke is what makes Texans drive 150 miles just for a brisket lunch. Once, while I was marveling over a brisket sandwich at Opie’s Barbecue in the middle of nowhere near Spicewood, Texas, a chopper landed out back and two guys hopped out, had lunch, and flew back to Austin.
But not any old smoke will do. Nobody wants their turkey tasting like cigarettes. As detailed in chapter 2, there is an art to getting the right-tasting smoke. It’s possible to make superb smoked foods on just about any grill with a lid—even a gas grill. But adapting a grill for smoking is like adapting the family sedan for racing: The better solution is to buy a race car.
With a smoker and a little practice, you can make better food than the ribs, brisket, and pulled pork sitting in the warming oven of your local restaurant. Invest in a high-quality smoker, and you won’t need to hover over your machine for 5 hours, constantly monitoring the temperature, fiddling with the vents and dampers, shoveling coals, adding wood, and spritzing your meat with moisturizers.
Most smokers have an indirect convection heat source that protects the food from searing infrared radiation. They generate smoke by burning wood. A few use wood for both heat and smoke, but most use charcoal, gas, or electricity for heat, and wood for smoke.
The checklist of things to look for in a smoker starts with many of the same things outlined in the checklist for grills, especially features related to construction (see page 75). When considering a purchase, check for ratings and reviews on the Internet, starting at AmazingRibs.com.
Price. Prices range from $100 for el cheapo charcoal smokers that don’t work well, up to $10,000 and beyond for all-in-one smoker-grill combos. You usually get what you pay for. You can get a nice gas unit for under $250, a good charcoal unit for about $300, and a nifty pellet smoker starting at about $900.
Weight, insulation, and seals. The best smokers are heavy from thick steel, and some even have double walls and insulation. Thick steel absorbs heat and distributes it evenly around the cooking chamber and then radiates it back, moderating fluctuations. The better smokers have doors and dampers that close tightly, making it easier to cook on windy and rainy days. Cheap units leak heat and smoke, and that makes it hard to stabilize temperatures and manage the smokiness of your food.
Dampers. With wood and charcoal cookers, you control the heat by controlling the oxygen supplied to the fire. Dampers on the firebox and the chimney give you that control. Make sure they are easy to reach, operate, and seal up tight.
Even heating. Sometimes the temperature in the unit differs drastically from top to bottom or end to end, especially with offsets, where it can be 50 to 100°F hotter near the firebox. Look for tuning plates or reverse-flow construction in offsets (see page 90), and heat deflectors or water pans in drums, cabinets, and bullets.
Temperature range. Most smokers are designed for low-and-slow cooking, usually under 250°F. But you need to get the Thanksgiving turkey up to about 325°F to crisp the skin. Or you may need to crank it just to get dinner done on time. Most electrics and gassers can’t get that hot.
Drip pan. Fats and other fluids drip from the food. Sometimes it is nice to have these liquids fall onto the fire and create steam and smoke. But you may also want to capture the drippings to create a sauce, as in my Ultimate Smoked Turkey (page 307). Some smokers have a place for a pan for collecting drippings. The water pan often doubles as the drip pan.
Access. With a charcoal, pellet, or wood smoker, you’ll need an easy way to add chips, chunks, or pellets. You also want easy access to the food so you can move it around and check its temperature. Front-loading, cabinet-style smokers give you much easier access to the shelves than top-loading bullet-style smokers. Removable shelves make cleanup easier, and if they’re adjustable, you can configure the unit to handle everything from half slabs of ribs to whole turkeys.
Grill. Some smokers can be converted to a grill. That’s a nice feature, but check to see that you can you control the heat.
Some vertical smokers are called bullets because they are usually tubes standing on end with a dome lid. Some are called Ugly Drum Smokers because they are made from steel drums. You can get cheap bullets and drums for less than $100, but they are a real pain because their air control is poor. They usually have water/drip pans between the charcoal and the food to help stabilize the heat and to add moisture to the air. These pans are also great for making gravy.
The most popular bullet smoker is the Weber Smokey Mountain (below left), and I highly recommend it. The WSM comes in three sizes. The 14-inch diameter sells for about $200, the 18-inch for about $300, and the 22.5-inch is about $400. The parts can even be rearranged to use it as a grill or for sizzling on sauce at the end of a smoking session.
My favorite drum is the Pit Barrel Cooker (above right) for $300, including delivery to your door. It has a cooking grate, but it also has meat hooks for hanging things, and using them adds surprising capacity. Temperature management on the Pit Barrel is incredibly easy.
These egg-shaped cookers are sold as grill/smoker combos, but most are best thought of as smokers, not grills.
They are usually very thick and well insulated. Although they take a while to heat up, they are especially good at holding a steady temperature, even in cold winter weather. Because of this, kamados excel at smoking, roasting, and baking. They are unmatched as backyard pizza and bread ovens.
Easy to run in all wind and weather conditions, they use very little charcoal. Get a kamado started and bring it to temperature, and there’s little need to touch it until the food is ready.
In other smokers, even expensive offsets, the airflow can cause a pork shoulder to lose 30 percent of its weight. Meats lose less water on kamados because ceramic cookers are extremely efficient, so oxygen use and airflow are relatively low.
Ceramics do have some drawbacks. The round funnel shape of most of them puts the charcoal dead center, so it is not easy to set them up in a two-zone system. Some of them come from the factory with a deflector plate that sits between the coals and the food so you can do indirect cooking (you will definitely need it for smoking), but then you have to remove it to switch to direct cooking and vice versa. When the unit is hot, this maneuver can be tricky, and it is not as quick and easy as sliding a steak from side to side as you can on a conventional grill with a two-zone setup. Because of this design limitation, it’s trickier to do things like reverse sear (see page 48), a very important technique. The Komodo Kamado and Kamado Joe both have an optional insert plate that covers the coals on one side only, creating a two-zone system. It works, but it’s still not great on smaller models.
Because it is oval shaped, the Primo Oval (right) can easily be set up for two-zone cooking, and that goes a long way to making it my favorite. The XL model costs about $1,300.
Another thing to keep in mind before you buy: A lot of the necessary tools, like the deflector plate for indirect cooking, often cost extra.
Already have a Weber Kettle grill, the most popular grill in the world? Then you should consider getting the Slow ’N Sear (right). For about $80, this simple contraption, which works only on the 22.5-inch Weber, easily converts the grill into a smoker capable of making restaurant-quality smoked foods.
Invented by David Parrish, one of the moderators on AmazingRibs.com, Slow ’N Sear can be inserted into the lower half of the kettle and divides it into two distinct heat zones. Hot charcoal goes in the Slow ’N Sear, wood goes on top of the charcoal, and some water goes in the water trough. A steel plate blocks your meat from direct exposure to the heat, and the water bowl adds humidity. You can place meat on the lower (charcoal) and upper (cooking) racks, so it is possible to get eight to ten slabs of ribs smoking in the kettle at once. Put on the lid, adjust the dampers, and go drink a beer. The Slow ’N Sear pumps out aromatic smoke at just the right low-and-slow temperature for several hours. You can cook just about anything the fancy-schmancy smokers can smoke. I’ve had no trouble keeping the temperature under 250°F on 100°F days.
Stainless steel is a popular choice for grills and smokers, but before you spend extra, give it some thought. What kind of stainless is it? Most manufacturers use either austenitic basic grade 304 or ferritic basic grade 430. Austenitic 304 contains more nickel in the alloy. That extra nickel makes the 304 higher in quality and cost. Ferritic 430 contains much less nickel and is not as durable, but it costs less. Most grills are made with 430. But if you want a top-of-the-line cooker, look for 304.
Either way, the biggest problem isn’t the type of stainless but the thickness. Thick steel absorbs and retains heat and holds a steadier temperature, especially when you open and close the lid. Steel thickness is expressed in “gauges,” usually 10 to 18. The lower the number, the thicker the steel.
Some manufacturers use heavier-gauge, higher-quality steel on the lid only. They know a heavy lid creates a good first impression. Look at the screws, too. Sometimes they are not stainless and can rust.
All stainless shows dirt, dust, grease, and rain spots, and maintaining that beautiful shine is an ongoing task that many, including Yours Truly, cannot bear. I had a well-worn cheap grill made with 430, and it held up just fine after many years of heavy use. The exterior looked like crap because I didn’t cover it. I don’t care if it’s dirty on the outside. It’s the inside that matters.
If you have a choice between naked stainless steel, powder-coated steel, or enamel-coated steel, coated surfaces are just as rust-proof as stainless, and they are usually thicker and will retain heat better. Plus, coated steel is cheaper than stainless. Powder-coated is my first choice, enameled second, and stainless last.
The offset smoker is one of the oldest and best designs for a smoker. Originally they were welded from oil pipes by Texas roustabouts so they could be towed to remote job sites. The fire is built in a lower side chamber, while the heat and smoke are directed horizontally into the cooking chamber. Because the fire is off to the side, you can get a really hot fire that produces blue smoke more easily than on just about any other cooker. And it looks so macho. It says, “I’m serious about barbecue.”
Slow down, Mario Andretti. The cheap ones that sell for less than $500, like those from Char-Griller and Char-Broil, are a serious pain. The problem is that the end closer to the fire is usually a lot hotter than the other. Plus, only the expensive units have enough thick steel, tight-sealing doors, and venting to retain smoke and temperature properly. A few models commonly found in hardware stores are Brinkmann Pitmaster, Brinkmann Smoke ’N Pit Professional, Char-Broil Silver Smoker, Char-Broil American Gourmet, and especially the Char-Griller Smokin’ Pro. Stay away from them, please.
Expensive offset smokers, on the other hand, are made from thick metal that absorbs and distributes heat more evenly end to end. Their doors and dampers are tight, so you can fine-tune airflow and control the temperature. Some even have “reverse flow,” a duct system with a thick metal plate along the bottom of the cooking chamber and the chimney on the same side as the firebox, both of which force the warm air and smoke to travel the length of the cooking chamber and then across the top of the food.
Expensive offsets start at about $800 for smaller backyard models and go up to $10,000 or more for the fancy ones on trailers with attached grills, holding ovens, and other bells and whistles. Some of the best are made by Horizon, Jambo, Klose, Lang, Meadow Creek, Peoria, Pitmaker, and Yoder. My favorite backyarder is the Lang 36 with reverse flow (shown right), which lists for about $1,100.
This design usually has two doors and opens in the front like a refrigerator. The top section is for the food, and the bottom holds the firebox and vents. That makes it very easy to refuel and add or remove food to baste and sauce it. There is often a water pan between the two sections. The better models are very tight and well insulated. I highly recommend this design. The Backwoods Smoker is the gold standard. The Backwoods Party model (right) lists for about $1,500, and the smaller Chubby is $1,300. Several newcomers include some smart innovations like a gravity charcoal feeder, but they are not cheap.
If you are looking for a simple smoker on a modest budget, that is pretty close to set-it-forget-it easy, go gas. Gas-fueled smokers are almost as easy to use as electric ones. They produce a lot of clean heat. That’s why large gassers are the most popular smokers in barbecue restaurants. The smoke flavor comes from wood chips, chunks, or pellets. Gas smokers are among the best values on the market. If your budget is very tight, I recommend them.
Most consumer units use propane and cannot be adapted to natural gas. The burner, at the bottom, is usually brass or cast aluminum, has numerous jets, and can be very durable. Above the burner is a shelf for a pan to hold the wood, and above that is a shelf for a water pan. Above that are four or more shelves for food. The bottom vents cannot be adjusted, which ensures that the gas gets enough oxygen. A chimney or damper sits at the top. You should always leave the top vent open all the way to prevent soot buildup on your meat. Sometimes the water and wood pan are combined in one unit. I don’t recommend this design.
Most gas smokers are thin metal and the doors are loose, so they leak heat and smoke like a homemade submarine. That means they burn more wood chips than a tighter bullet smoker (see page 87), for instance, but the leaks don’t really impact food quality, just fuel efficiency.
It is much easier to control the temperature of a gasser than a charcoal or wood-fueled smoker. They’re also portable because they don’t require access to electricity. And they are lightweight, although the gas tanks weigh up to 40 pounds. Plan on buying a tank, because most units don’t come with it. You’ll also want a spare tank to avoid running out of gas in the middle of a 12-hour cook. If the tank is low, check on it every 30 minutes or so to make sure the flame is not dead. It’s a bit of a pain, especially when you’re smoking a 9-pound pork butt that could take 10 hours to reach an internal temperature of 203°F. Inevitably, the flame will die at 2 a.m. If your tank is running low, hook up a fresh tank before starting a long cooking session.
The biggest drawback to these smokers is that most are too narrow to fit a full slab of ribs or a whole brisket on a shelf. You can cut the meat in half, or get creative and hang it. I have been known to use stainless-steel shower curtain hooks and hang meat from the top shelf.
One other word of caution: I love the flavor of meat from propane smokers, but it is a tiny bit different than the taste of meat from charcoal smokers. The combustion gases combine with the moisture and the wood smoke and produce a fragrance and flavor that is sometimes reminiscent of bacon. Log burners complain about this undertone, but what’s wrong with a little bacon flavor?
Alas, they are not allowed in most barbecue competitions because organizers consider them too easy or untraditional. It’s a silly rule because competitions allow pellet smokers, and they are so automated that you hardly need any skill to operate them.
The Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24" (right) is one of the best values on the market. It lists at $344, but it can be found for as little as $250. It’s big enough to handle long slabs of ribs and whole packer briskets, and it can be hard-piped for natural gas.
Nothing beats a pellet cooker for convenience and ease of use. Truly set it and forget it. This cool, new-generation tool burns pellets made from compressed hardwood sawdust about the thickness of a pencil and about ½ inch long. A digital thermostat manages the temperature by controlling a motorized auger that feeds the pellets into a burn pot, and it also controls the air supply by regulating a fan. Of course, this means the cooker has to be plugged into a power outlet with the amperage to handle it. Flare-ups are a thing of the past with these cookers. Because combustion is so efficient, the smoke flavor is clean and understated. Cooks used to burning logs or charcoal sometimes think the food needs more smoke.
These are great smokers, but they are not very good at grilling or searing because they are really indirect-heating ovens. A few models offer direct-heat cooking, but these smokers aren’t good at the task yet.
All but the cheapest pellet cookers have digital thermostat control that can be incredibly precise, typically plus or minus 5°F. Beware of the cheap models that have temperature controls that say only “Low,” “Medium,” “High.” You want one that allows you to set the temperature and walk away. My favorite is the MAK 2 Star General (right) that lists for $2,600. It has plenty of capacity with the upper rack, and even has a warming oven on the side. Green Mountain and others have some nice smaller models for about $800. In fact, Green Mountain has a small portable with Wi-Fi controller that lists for only $399.
Ready to start a catering biz and drag a smoker to picnics, ball games, corporate retreats, and horse shows? Fantasizing about hitting the road, getting an armful of tattoos, and doing state and county fairs? Envision yourself grabbing big prize money and trophies at the cook-offs you see on TV? You’ll want a big rig on wheels. Most are high-quality offsets with the firebox separated from the cooking chamber so you can burn wood hot. Many have reverse-flow systems. Some come with a separate grill attached and/or bins for hauling wood. Prices start at $4,500, and most are north of $7,000.
No lighting charcoal, no checking the fuel supply every hour or so, no messy ash to clean up. Just turn it on and take a snooze. Electrics need only 2 to 4 ounces of wood to give meat a smoky flavor. And if they are well insulated, they are great for winter use. They excel at fish and things like smoked peppers, sausage, nuts, bacon, and cheese.
The bad news: I find the flavor of food cooked in electric smokers inferior to that from charcoal, gas, and pellet smokers. Remember, the heat in gas, pellet, and charcoal cookers comes from combustion, which produces gases that mix with smoke to impart a distinct flavor. That flavor is absent in electrics, where the heat comes from a glowing metal coil. Electrics also have very tiny vents, which makes them good at retaining moisture, but if you want crispy skin on a chicken or turkey or a thick, crusty bark on your pulled pork, it will be close to impossible. In addition, because the combustion temperature is too low, electrics don’t usually produce a smoke ring. Even though it has no flavor, that pink layer of meat says “Southern barbecue” to the eyes.
If you already have an electric, I know you love, love, love it and you think I’m a flaming idiot. But I’m here to tell you, I’ve tested scores of smokers, and you don’t know what you’re missing. There is no substitute for live fire and the flavor it generates. A VW Beetle can be a delightful drive until you sit behind the wheel of a Porsche. If you want to e-mail me and tell me what you think of me, go right ahead. Many of you already have.
On the other hand, an electric smoker is better than no smoker, especially if you’re in an apartment or condo where they won’t let you have gas, charcoal, or pellets. But if you are considering an electric smoker, gas smokers are almost as easy to use, make better-tasting food, and are much less expensive.
If you are shopping for an electric, Cookshack makes the best, and they start at $700 and go up to $1,900 for backyard models.
The Smoking Gun from PolyScience has created this new category of handheld smokers. Resembling a pistol, it has a small bowl like a hash pipe in which you place sawdust, herbs, spices, tea, even hay. Light it and a small motor powered by four AA batteries draws in air through the bowl and expels smoke through a flexible hose. It’s not a lot of smoke, but it can be used to add a quick undertone of smoke to sushi, butter, salads, sauces, and meringues. I use it to amp up Bloody Marys.
An outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill sure looks spiffy. But I recommend you use the space for a countertop and buy a standalone grill or smoker. Here’s why. Let’s say you buy a built-in gas grill that is 28 inches wide by 20 inches deep. After a few years, it gets rusty and you need to replace it. Or you don’t like the sear burner and you want a more powerful one. Or you decide to go with a charcoal grill. Or you want a bigger grill.
But you are stuck with that hole and whatever you buy must fit it. Grills and smokers don’t come in standard sizes like indoor ovens. Do yourself a favor. Buy standalone grills and smokers on carts. They’re easier to move around, replace, sell, give away, and upgrade.
These cookers range from simple and relatively inexpensive to large and overwhelming. You can build your own, or buy one of the many clever designs on the market. Some are boxes such as the popular La Caja China (right). Called “the Cajun microwave,” it encloses the meat in a coffin-like box. The charcoal goes in a tray on top of the box so there is no smoke. La Caja China starts at about $340. Spitjack makes simple rotisseries that turn the meat on an open spit alongside a campfire. They can be had for as little as $460.
The built-in cords on outdoor cooking devices are pretty short. Household extension cords will not carry enough juice to keep your pellet smoker or electric smoker going and could become a fire hazard as they heat up trying to deliver power to the unit. Get at least a 10-amp, 12-gauge, three-pronged cord. That’s more than you need, but better safe than sorry.
I am often asked, “What is the single most important piece of advice you can give a barbecue cook?” My answer, without hesitation, is, “Get good digital thermometers.” In 2014, Consumer Reports tested hundreds of chicken breasts from around the nation and found that almost all were contaminated with pathogens—about half of which were antibiotic resistant. As scary as this sounds, pathogens are destroyed and chicken is safe to eat if you cook it to 160°F or higher (see page 53). Gauging doneness is not possible without a digital thermometer. Cooking without a good digital thermometer is like driving without a speedometer, building furniture without a tape measure, or filling your tires without a pressure gauge.
Invest in good thermometers. They’re inexpensive, fast, and accurate. They will pay for themselves. Nothing will improve your cooking more.
Temperature is paramount in cooking, and you must measure it accurately in three different places: the cooker, the food, and your refrigerator.
Oven/grill/smoker thermometer. Can you imagine cooking indoors if your oven did not have a thermometer? Then why try to cook outdoors without a good oven thermometer? (And a grill or smoker really is just an outdoor oven.) To be king of the grill, you’ve got to know what your cooker temperature really is. I recommend the dual probe models that combine a leave-in meat probe and an oven probe or use them both to meter different parts of the cooker or two pieces of meat. The probes are on the ends of cables, so you can snake the wires under the lid or through an access hole to the display unit. They cost $50 to $100. The Maverick ET-732 (pictured below) does a great job for about $60. It includes a radio frequency transmitter so you can cut the lawn or watch the game while monitoring the pit. It lets you monitor the meat’s progress without having to open the lid and stab it every 15 minutes or so. It is especially helpful for big cuts like pork shoulder, hams, whole hog, pork loin, beef rib roasts, tri-tip, and turkey.
Instant-read thermometer. The difference between juicy chicken breasts and cardboard can be as little as 10°F. And two pork chops sitting side by side can cook at different rates. Minutes matter. I recommend that you also have an instant-read digital that can read the temperature of meat in 5 seconds or less. Good ones like the ThermoPop (pictured below, bottom) cost about $30, and a top-of-the-line Thermapen (top) costs about $100.
Refrigerator thermometer. Below 35°F, frost can form, and above 38°F, microbes grow too fast. Because fridge temperatures can vary from top to bottom, buy a thermometer that can be moved around. A liquid thermometer has enough accuracy for this task, has no batteries to die, and costs under $10.
Optional: Infrared gun thermometer. If you want to make perfect pizza, so the top and bottom are done at the same time, you need an infrared (IR) gun thermometer. Point an IR gun at a your stone or pizza pan, and it will tell you if it is time to slide on the dough. It also is useful if you cook on a griddle or frying pan. But other than that, these toys aren’t much good for anything else on the grill. (They are good for finding leaks around your windows in winter, however.)
BUSTED! So many “experts” say you can gauge the temperature of a grill by holding your hand over the grate and counting “one thousand one, one thousand two” until you have to pull back or your palm starts to smoke, or something ridiculous like that. Each of us reacts differently to heat, and the heat 1 inch above the grate can be significantly different than 6 inches above. Maybe an old pro who cooks 100 steaks a night can do this parlor trick, but you cannot.
Here is a checklist of things to look for when you go shopping for a good thermometer:
Small sensor. For a food thermometer, you want the sensitive part to be small and in the tip of the probe. A long sensor can give you misleading data because the temperature just below the surface of a piece of meat may be a lot different than the temperature in the center. Most digitals have small sensors.
Speed to read. How long does it take to get a good reading? Look for 5 seconds or less.
Length of the probe. A meat thermometer has to reach the middle of a big roast such as a ham or pork shoulder. A 4-inch-long probe will do the job.
Adjustable. Some thermometers can be calibrated if they slip out of kilter.
Water resistant, durable, and easy to clean. You don’t want barbecue sauce and soapy water inside the probe. Check the seal between the probe and the cable. Some cables can fail if they get crimped or smashed by the grill lid. Look for sturdy cables. Most cannot stand flame or temperatures above 450°F.
Timers and alarms. Some digital thermometers include timers with alarms and settings for doneness. If it comes with preset doneness temperatures, many of them are wrong, so make sure that they are adjustable or that you can ignore them.
Remote read. Some leave-in thermometers have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or radio frequency (RF) transmitters that can send temperature readings to a computer, smartphone, tablet, or a dedicated receiver. This allows you to watch the temperature while you are in the kitchen or even across town, record and chart cooking, set alarms, and more. I have had nothing but trouble with the Bluetooth devices, but the Wi-Fi and RF units work as advertised.
Ease of use. Some new models have too many bells and whistles and are too darn confusing. Will you remember how to use all the buttons and settings? Is the readout clear? Is there a backlight for nighttime use?
Warranty and customer service. What is the warranty? Does the manufacturer have replacement parts and sell them at a reasonable price?
Price. Some very good units cost only $30, while all the bells and whistles might run you $200.
BUSTED! As if everyone’s hand has the same firmness and bounciness! Does the flesh on the hand of a 120-pound, 26-year-old woman who works out have the same resilience as that of a 250-pound, 50-year-old man who works in an office or a 70-year-old retired ditch digger? Of course not. Does a filet mignon have the same firmness and bounciness as a sirloin? Of course not. Almost all professional chefs carry a meat thermometer in their chef’s coat. You should do the same.
BUSTED! A lot of weekend warriors cut into their meat to check the color for doneness. The problem is that the color they see on the grill is not the color that they will see on the table. That’s because myoglobin is the source of most red color. When myoglobin comes into contact with air, it changes color. When you cut into a steak, it may look perfectly done to you, but as the myoglobin absorbs oxygen, it can turn brighter red.
In the photo, we see two slices of meat from the same steak. The bottom one was exposed to air for about 10 minutes after carving. As it was exposed to the oxygen, it turned brighter red and looks to be medium-rare. The top one was sliced from just behind it, moments before the picture was taken. You can see it appears medium. In reality, both slices were medium, since I cooked them to 145°F.
The temperature at which myoglobin turns gray can range from 140 to 170°F, depending on species, slaughtering conditions, and more. In fact, under some conditions, a well-done steak can appear bright pink.
Light can deceive, too. Incandescent light is yellowish orange, fluorescent is greenish blue, and CFLs and LEDs are all over the place. Bottom line: If you really want to know when the meat is done to your liking, don’t go by looks. Use a good digital thermometer.
Cast-iron grill grates have mystique. They absorb and hold a lot of heat, and they brand the meat surface with that heat. But grill marks mean that only about one third of the surface has been altered by the magical Maillard reaction (see page 43). You want the radiant heat of the fire below to do the browning—not just the grates.
Grill marks come in handy for thin foods like skirt steak, asparagus, shrimp, and kabobs because they cook so quickly there isn’t time to darken the whole surface. That’s why my two favorite grill grates are polar opposites with completely different purposes.
Thin stainless steel. Thin stainless-steel rods (right) are my favorites—especially on charcoal grills—because they allow more radiant heat through. Thick rods make large, dark burn marks, and they block radiant heat. Don’t confuse stainless-steel grates with chrome or nickel-plated grates, which are not as long-lived.
Whether thin or thick, the real advantages of stainless are that it has the life-span of a zombie and it’s easy to clean. Good stainless grates will never rust or corrode. Chrome eventually needs to replaced because you don’t want rust or other oxides migrating from the grate to your food.
Cast-aluminum hard-anodized GrillGrates. These amazing inventions are my other fave. I recommend GrillGrates (right) for all gas grills and pellet smokers. Made by extruding aircraft aluminum into interlocking 5.25-inch-wide rectangles, each section is a flat plate with raised rails on which the food sits. They are available in various lengths and can be custom cut. They even have some with rounded corners for round grills. Each plate has large holes in it, so some hot air, smoke, and combustion gases can rise through, while most of the heat is trapped below and builds. As a result, the plate can get very hot, but the aluminum alloy distributes the heat evenly across the cooking surface, minimizing hot spots. The bottom of the plate, ¾ inch below the food, becomes the main heat source, amplifying heat by 100 to 200°F in gas grills and pellet grills. The concept is similar to the infrared cooking systems on the market.
You can also throw wood chips, pellets, or sawdust into the valleys between the rails and then put food on top to impart a delicate wood smoke flavor to quick-cooking foods.
If you leave a gap between two GrillGrates panels, you can easily set up a two-zone cooking system (see page 8). I don’t use these on my charcoal grill because there is usually ample heat from below, but on gas grills and pellet smokers, they can improve the surface color of foods.
Thin porcelain enamel-coated. A sturdy porcelain enamel coating is applied to a variety of metals of different weights. You often find it on rods and on upside-down U-shaped rails. I prefer thin rods, which don’t block the radiant heat needed to brown the surfaces of foods.
Porcelain (above right) is easy to clean, but vigorous scrubbing and scraping can scratch it and eventually wear off the coating. Dropping these grates can also crack the surface, and then they start to rust. However, with proper care, these grates work just fine, last for years, and are a lot cheaper than stainless. I recommend them for charcoal grills.
Cheap chrome or nickel-plated wire grates. Yes, they warp under extremely high temperatures. And yes, after a year or two, they pit and the plating chips off, then they rust, and you’ve got to toss them. But they’re so cheap that replacing them is not painful.
Their chief advantage is that they stay out of the way of radiant heat from below, leaving the surface open for real searing. If you have a Weber Kettle, I strongly recommend upgrading to Weber’s Hinged Cooking Grates (above right) so you can easily add more coals and wood.
Cast iron. Well-seasoned cast-iron frying pans and griddles are virtually nonstick, so many people believe that cast-iron grill grates (right) will be nonstick as well. They are not. Pans and griddles become nonstick because the metal is slightly porous, so oil nestles in there, then is polymerized by heat and forms a slippery surface. Cast-iron devotees call this the “seasoning” process.
But grates get a lot hotter than most frying pans, and that heat burns off the oil or turns it to carbon. Grates also get scraped with rough abrasives, which remove any polymer that might remain. There goes your nonstick surface. Plus, many are cheaply cast, with rough, sharp edges or deep pores that grab on to food. Not only that, but the exposed iron easily rusts when stored outside in the elements, and rusty cast iron is a serious pain to clean. To handle them properly, you should serve the food, run back out, and scrape them, and after dinner, coat them with oil. They are just too thick and too much bother.
Thick enameled bars and thick stainless-steel bars. As with cast iron, these bars (right) retain and transmit a lot of heat, making bold grill marks. They are sturdy and easy to clean, but if you drop them, they can crack and rust.
Tempered steel. Common on large barbecue pits, tempered steel grates (right) often come in diamond-shaped grids. Their main strengths are low price and light weight. On the downside, they rust, warp, and are hard to clean. They need the same maintenance regimen as cast iron.
Teflon and nonstick coatings. Found on electric “grills” and some portable gassers, these surfaces have two things going for them: They prevent sticking and they clean easily. On the other hand, they also scratch easily, so you can’t use a metal spatula, and they emit dangerous gases if they get above 450°F, a temperature you often want to reach when grilling.
Grill toppers are essential for grilling all sorts of little foods like onion, peppers, and shrimp, as well as smoking things like almonds. For small chunks of meat, I’ll take a grill topper over skewers any day.
Try a Frogmat (right) and you’ll never go back to skewers. This inexpensive, sturdy wire mesh has a nonstick coating that is easy to clean. I use it for everything from delicate fish fillets and whole fish to onion rings and potato slices to mushrooms, bacon, and biscuits. While they’re perfect for smoking and indirect cooking, they can’t be heated above 400°F, but you don’t have to cook fish that hot anyway. Frogmats come in a variety of sizes, even large enough for a whole hog, and you can cut them to fit. When you are done, just roll them up. A 17-by-25-inch Frogmat sells for about $25.
Another option is a grill basket. I prefer the mesh type, such as the stainless-steel Mr. Bar-B-Q Mesh Roasting Pan shown at right, because the mesh lets in lots of smoke and flavor. The handles allow you to toss the food so cubed meats and veggies get evenly cooked. The pan lists for about $30.
The Weber Stainless Steel Grill Pan (right) works well, too. It has a greater surface area for browning things like salmon cakes, but still has plenty of slots for smoke to travel through. The grill pan lists for about $20.
In a pinch, you can even use the perforated top of a broiler pan.
Food seems to have a magnetic attraction to grill grates. The best way to prevent food from bonding to metal is to pat your meat dry and then put some oil on the food rather than the metal. As you lay the oiled food down, the oil fills microscopic nooks and crannies in both the food and the grates, creating a relatively smooth, slippery surface. The cool food lowers the temperature of the grates and keeps burnt oil residue off the food. Just be sure to use oil that has a high smoke point. I use an inexpensive refined olive oil. Corn oil is good, too, as are most refined cooking oils with a smoke point around 450°F.
Keep in mind that, as the food cooks, heat causes water vapor to exit the meat where it touches the metal. That’s the sizzle you hear, and it continues until the surface of the food in contact with the metal dries out, forming grill marks. Because oil and water don’t mix, the steam that’s created in this process lifts the meat above the oil, and eventually the food lets go. If the food is sticking when you go to turn it, try simply leaving it alone for a few minutes more. Vapor from where the meat meets the metal should eventually steam the two apart.
Sometimes, no matter what you do, food just wants to stick. Learn how to slide a thin, flexible spatula at an angle to the grates to shear off stuck food, retaining most of the browned surface.
BUSTED! Almost all the grill books say to roll up a paper towel, grab it with tongs, dunk it in vegetable oil, and use it to swab the grates. Grill grates, even shiny clean ones, are not really smooth but have microscopic scratches, pits, valleys, and ridges. Your food is much colder than the grates, and when the two meet, a bond forms between them. If you oil the grates when they’re below the smoke point of the oil, let’s say 400°F, the oil actually does coat the grate and helps the food release. But if the temperature of the grates is above the smoke point, the oil smokes and carbonizes almost instantly. The carbon and smoke don’t taste good, and the dry, uneven carbon layer on the grates simply makes the sticking worse. I’m not a fan of spraying on oil, either. Many spray oils are a blend of oil and water with an emulsifier. The tiny droplets of oil can create a dangerous fireball.
It is vital that your food go on clean grates. Before you cook, get the grates ripping hot, close the hood, and heat the grill until the smoke subsides, about 15 minutes. After heating and before cooking, scrape the grates. I start with a scraper like CharGon (below). Then I dip a stainless-steel wire brush in water and scrub the hot grates with the wet brush, creating steam in the process. A wet towel will often work too.
Every year, there are several news stories about people eating meals with bristles hiding in them. The bristle gets stuck in their throats or digestive systems, and they spend the night in the hospital. Every so often, someone dies. Be sure to check your cooking surface for stray bristles after brushing, or give it a quick wipe with a damp cloth. Some readers tell me they run an onion or lemon half over the grates after brushing.
Periodically take the grates off the grill and lay them on a cloth on the ground. Fill a bucket with hot water and dish detergent. With a brush, scrub both sides of the grates and rinse thoroughly. For stainless grates, you can even use steel wool. You can also place the grates in a large tub, pour on boiling hot water, mix in some dish detergent, and come back the next day. The mess cleans off easily with a stainless-steel pad or a pressure washer.
Whatever you do, do not run grill grates through the dishwasher! The grease is pernicious and can coat everything inside the dishwasher, and you’ll be sleeping on the couch for a long while.
Unfortunately, there is no single tool that does the job perfectly for all types of grates. Here are some recommended options. Pick the best one for your grates.
CharGon. This solidly build metal scraper with a U-shaped tip (below) makes it easy to scrape the tops, sides, and bottoms of round grill grates with no risk of rogue bristles and the health hazard they present. It takes longer, but it does a better job. List is about $20.
Stainless-steel welder’s wire brush. Designed as a paint or rust remover, these are usually found in your hardware store in the paint or plumbing department (pictured below). The bristles don’t rust if the brush is dipped in water or left out in the rain. They’re good and stiff, so they dislodge stubborn carbon deposits. They are anchored to the wooden handle well enough that I’ve never had a bristle pop out. The narrow ones fit between the rails of the aluminum GrillGrates well. There are a variety of options under $10.
Pumice blocks. These bricks (right) do an OK job on wire cooking grates, but they should not be used on porcelain or cast-iron grates. They work fast, but they only clean the tops. The bricks are made from ground recycled glass, and they leave a bit of dust behind, which concerns me. You will need to follow up with a wet paper towel to finish the job. Each brick will scrub only about a hundred grates before it wears out.
Stainless-steel scrub pads on a handle. This device (right) uses a woven stainless-steel pad that does a great job of cleaning the grates—at first. When it starts to disintegrate, and it does, the woven steel can fall off onto the grill and could get into your food. You can buy replacement pads, but they are not cheap.
Scrub and spray brushes. I was impressed with these brushes (right) on paper. You get replaceable stainless-steel brush heads, and you can drip water while you scrub, creating steam. In practice, I was unimpressed. You have to fill them with water, open a small spigot, scrub, and close the spigot. And they freeze in winter. I get better results with a simple brush dipped in water.
Fish is notoriously sticky. I have several strategies.
Mayonnaise. Coat the fish with mayo, which is about one third oil, after seasoning it. Coating fish with oil works, but mayo works better.
Use a fish basket. Most of these gadgets (above) resemble two skinny tennis rackets, hinged at the top. You oil the fish, lock it between the two sides, and put the basket on the grill. Flipping is a cinch. Because the handles of the rackets are long, they might keep you from closing the lid of the grill. And, yes, sometimes the fish sticks to the basket, but usually, if you oil it well, it will release. Weber has a new handle-free design that has spring-loaded cross-members. It looks like an army cot, and, although I was never fond of my army cot, I like this a lot.
Use a grill topper. See page 103.
Start on foil. Dr. Greg Blonder starts stick-prone foods like fish or ground chicken burgers on oiled aluminum foil. Then, after the meat’s surface dries out a bit and the food firms up, he transfers it to the grates.
LamsonSharp fish tongs. A jumbo hybrid of tongs and spatulas (above), this is the best tool for flipping fish, burgers, and other crumbly foods. Slide one 8-inch spatula under the fish and gently clamp down with the other. They come with a lifetime warranty. I find them to be indispensable, but they are expensive, about $125.
GrateTool. GrillGrates (right) includes a special spatula with fingers that go into the troughs between the rails, and with them, you can easily lift fish. They come free with an order of two of their grate panels. Prices start at $40. They even make a Gratetool that has two heads like the Lamsonsharp above.
Your most important cooking tools are your hands. They provide important feedback about weight, temperature, and texture, and no mechanical tool can match the dexterity of human fingers and thumbs. Wash your hands thoroughly with hot water and soap often when handling food, but don’t be afraid to use this vital tool.
Your most important cooking tools are your hands.
You don’t really need a lot of expensive toys. But here are a few gadgets that can help make you a better cook. Many are made by small companies and are available only online.
Suede welder’s, barbecue, or fireplace gloves. If hands are the most important cooking tools, heat-resistant gloves are the next most valuable item for the outdoor cook. Look for heavy-duty suede gloves with a cotton lining. They should be 15 inches long. Mine go almost to my elbows, and I use them to lift hot grates, push coals around, reach into the firebox to reposition logs, and lift food from deep down inside Weber Smokey Mountain smokers and ceramic egg cookers. I have even used them to pick up hot coals. They beat the heck out of oven mitts because they have fingers, making it much easier to manipulate tongs and handle grates. I have two pairs: one for lifting food, and one for all the sooty jobs. When they get dirty, I just wash my gloved hands with a bar of soap. I’m not a fan of silicone gloves. They are slippery, lack dexterity, and can melt. Good suede gloves sell for $20 to $30.
Silicone brushes. Silicone brushes load up with lots of sauce, deliver it evenly, and because they are dishwasher safe, they are easy to clean and decontaminate. There are many variations on the market: long handle, short handle, take your pick. Whatever you do, please don’t buy those rustic-looking corded mops. They might look like an important tool of authentic down-home barbecue, but they are impossible to clean properly and pose a health risk. Silicone brushes sell for about $10.
Bear paws. These handy plastic paws (pictured right) are designed for shredding pork, but they are also helpful for lifting large roasts and birds. I’ve tried all manner of gadgets for pulled pork, and these are the best. They are dishwasher safe and cost less than $15.
OXO Good Grips tongs. OXO tongs (below) are spring-loaded, dishwasher safe, stainless steel, and feature nonslip rubber handles, scalloped ends for better gripping, a mechanism that locks them closed for storage, and a small loop for hanging. The 18-inch tongs don’t have the locking mechanism, but they are very helpful if you have a deep pit. (I store them with the ends tucked into a cardboard toilet paper core.) Be forewarned, though, that the longer the tongs, the harder it is to get a good grip. They run from $20 to $30, depending on length.
Stiff metal spatula. Given the choice between slotted and solid spatulas, I prefer solid, especially for pressing things down, like when you are making thin Diner Burgers (page 272) on a griddle or in a frying pan. Look for one with a sturdy handle. I like the Weber Style Professional-Grade Fish Turner (below), which sells for less than $25.
Hovergrill. This high-quality stainless-steel grate with legs (below) can do two good things for your cooking: It stands on top of your Weber Kettle grill’s cooking grate and pretty much doubles its capacity, and it can be placed below the cooking grate and used to sear steaks, putting the meat within inches of the coals and applying maximum heat to the meat’s surface. It sells for about $35.
Rib holder. If you have a small cooker, you probably need a rib holder. Although it is $75, the stainless-steel rib rack from MAK (above) is built to last and holds eight racks of ribs. Weber makes a good one that holds five slabs and costs about $15.
Rib holders like the one shown above are a great way to squeeze more meat into a small area, but beware potential problems. The meat is almost touching. The air between the meat in the holders will be a lot cooler than if the meat were flat on the grate and the air could surround it. That’s also a lot of cold mass to heat up at the start of the cook, so expect the meat to take about an hour longer to get up to temperature. If the gap between the meat is less than 1 inch in your holders, you might need to add yet another hour to the cooking time.
A good grill cover. You need a cover to keep rain, snow, wasps, birds, and other vermin out. Cheap covers last only a year or two; a good one will last five years or more. All the plastic and vinyl ones I’ve tried over the years have cracked and fallen apart in two to three seasons. The canvas covers also rotted in a few years. My recommendation: canvas that’s laminated or impregnated with polyurethane or PVC.
Butane burner. If your grill didn’t come with a side burner, buy one. Butane burners like the Coleman InstaStart butane burner (right) cost less than $40, get very hot very fast, and are good for keeping sauces warm and cooking side dishes. Butane bottles look like cans of spray paint, and you can find them in some hardware stores, outdoor stores, or Asian grocery stores.
Cuisinart Grilluminate Universal LED Grill Light. This light (right) easily attaches to hood handles on most gas grills. Six very bright LEDs affixed to the end of a metal tube extend downward far enough to clear the bottom of the hood and deliver more light than one might expect from a compact, battery-powered device. Weather and heat resistant, it has an automatic tilt sensor switch that activates the LEDs when the hood is opened, and it illuminates a large area. It also has an adaptable clamp that can open and close down to accommodate different shaped handles, or you can slide it out of the clamp and stand it on its magnetic base. It sells for less than $20.
Mo’s Smoking Pouch. In recent years there have been perhaps a dozen new products brought on the market to hold wood and add smoke to the cooker. They work by limiting oxygen to the wood so it smolders and produces clouds of white smoke. Dense white smoke is fine, but not as good tasting as thin blue smoke (see page 19), but when you are cooking something that finishes quickly, like fish or thin steaks, you want dense smoke. This clever design (below) impresses me most. It is a pouch of fine-mesh stainless steel that holds wood chips or pellets. The air spaces in the mesh are small enough so the wood never bursts into flame. It puts out plenty of smoke, usually within a few minutes. Best of all, it smokes just by putting it on top of the cooking grate. You don’t have to squeeze it down by the coals or burners. For long cooks, you will need to refill it or buy a second pouch. Refilling can be tricky since the steel gets hot and stays hot for a while. With good insulated gloves, no problem. It sells for less than $25.
Grill pad. A lightweight, flexible-fiber, cement pad lies under your grill and protects your deck or patio from runaway coals, spills, and grease. Grill pads come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and designs. I got mine with a Florida Gator logo, for my alma mater.
Butterball 2-Ounce Stainless Marinade Injector. This heavy, stainless-steel injector (right) holds 2 ounces of fluid and has a 2¼-inch-long needle with two staggered holes on the sides. It’s a great all-purpose injector and the one I use most. It works for thick meats like turkey breasts as well as thin cuts like thin pork chops. There is a comfortable three-hole finger grip and a removable lid to make cleaning easy. The silicone gasket provides a good seal. There are many models in the $20 range.
Galvanized ash can. When my fire cools down, I dump my ash into a 5-gallon metal ash can and discard it. Depending on size, they sell for $20 to $40.
Digital kitchen scale. I don’t know how I lived without a good, accurate digital kitchen scale for so many years. It is indispensible. Take salt, for example: 1 cup of table salt has almost twice as much salinity as 1 cup of Morton’s kosher salt because kosher salt has more air space between the grains. But 1 pound of any salt contains exactly the same amount of sodium chloride. Without a scale, making a brine requires a calculator. Packed brown sugar measures differently in volume than loose brown sugar, but weights are constant. All the best bakers use weights for flour, not volumetric measures.
My favorite scale is the OXO Good Grips Stainless Food Scale with Pull-Out Display (right), which sells for about $50. It accurately weighs food up to 11 pounds and down to fractions of an ounce. Push a button and it converts to metric. Put the bowl on the scale, slide out the display so it’s not obscured by the bowl, push a button, and it zeros out so the bowl’s weight is not included in the measurement. The top also comes off for easy cleaning. It will significantly improve your cooking.
Kitchen Shears. You need good stiff scissors for cutting a chicken apart. Regular scissors won’t do the job. Get sturdy stainless blades that come apart at the hinge so they can go in the dishwasher to clean every nook and cranny. Try the OXO Good Grips Professional Poultry Shears (below).
Garlic Press. When a recipe calls for garlic to be crushed, minced, or pressed, I use a garlic press. A good garlic press releases more oils and flavors than a knife does, and pressed garlic coats the food more evenly. Get a press that is sturdily built, easy to grip, easy to clean, and has a large hopper to hold big cloves. I have a well-used Trudeau Garlic Press that sells for about $25, and I recommend it.