Top 10 Essential BBQ Accessories this Summer
Top 10 Essential BBQ Accessories this Summer
You got yourself a nice big barbecue grill for the summer, check out our top 10 essential BBQ accessories for the barbie to make it complete. In fact, with the right accessories, your barbecue be it a smoker or grill can be used to cook more than just burgers and sausages.
1. Chimney Starter
An absolute essential to save yourself time, starting a charcoal barbecue the old fashion way, try a chimney starter instead. If your grill runs on gas, skip this and move on to the next item. If you are like me, prefer the authentic chargrilled flavour only available from charcoal or lump wood BBQ, then read on.
A chimney starter is the next best thing since sliced pepperoni. It’s basically an easy way to start a charcoal or lump wood fire. If you get it right, and this comes with some practise, a chimney start will make lighting the barbecue a breeze without lighter fluid or fire-starter cubes. It will be totally chemical-free.
Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter on Amazon
Here’s how to do it. Put crumpled newspaper at the bottom section. Load up the main compartment with some kiln dried kindling wood or sun dried wooden branches. These are good fire starters. Make sure that the wood criss-cross to create a barrier and give it more space. Break or chop the wood to make it shorter if you have to.
Next, load up the charcoal or lump wood to the top of the chimney. Careful not to choke the chimney by stacking it angularly. This allow for more room between the charcoal. Finally, light up the crumpled newspaper with match or lighter. Natural air flow will keep the fire going to burn the coal. Keep it going for 15 minutes or when the coal turns ember then spread it out on the coal grate.
2. BBQ Grill Tool Set Kit – Complete outdoor grilling kit
From 5-piece starter to sets with over 20 pieces, there are many grill tool set available out there. The most important of these are the tongs, spatula and barbecue fork. The tongs to pick up and turn pieces of meat or vegetable. Then you have the spatula to turn slices of meat, burger or vegetable. Finally, the barbecue fork to check the juices are clear and the meat is thoroughly cooked before transferring them to the serving plate.
Cuisinart Grilling Tool Set on Amazon
Other tools you may find useful include basting brush, cutting knife, seasoning box, smoker box, skewers and corn holders. Most of the time, you can find these individually and may not need to buy them as a set. However, as a set, they often come it its own metallic carry case complete with dedicated compartment for each of the tool, latches and carry handle.
3. Burger Broiler Basket and Sausage or Hot Dog Grilling Baskets
If you like your burgers and hot dogs, don’t forget burger and banger grilling baskets. These are convenient grills complete with heat proof handles that holds the meat patties and sausages so you can turn them easily all in one go. No more flipping individual burgers and trying to scrap out stuck on patties. Each basket will carry up to 4 or more burgers or 4 or more sausages. They are often very cheap to buy but the down side is they take up quite a lot of storage space.
4. Fish Grill Basket
In the same vein as the sausage and burger holders, the fish basket will hold a single medium sized fish. If you have a big enough grill, and love grilled fish, consider getting a couple of these. One of these fish baskets will help with the turning of the fish for even cooking and ensures that the cooked flesh stays together. When the fish is cooked, simply pop open by unfolding it like the sausage and burger baskets and tip it on to a serving dish.
5. BBQ Rotisserie Kit (Battery or Mains Powered)
If your barbecue supports it, get a powered BBQ Rotisserie Kit. You can use it to roast or grill leg of lamb, pork joint, beef joint, whole chicken or cuts of game meat. For bigger joints, use it in conjunction with a digital thermometer to check that your meat is cooked through. Battery operated ones are ideal as you can operate it anywhere without worrying about cabling and power source.
A BBQ Rotisserie Kit is ideal to make sure that your favourite roast meat or joint is evenly cooked. A good rotisserie Each kit is made up of a pair of universal brackets for mounting on gas and charcoal grills. Make sure you have the measurement of your grill. Next is the spit rod itself usually fitted with a pair of 4 or 3-prong spit forks. This is to help secure your roast in place. Lastly, there is the motor to rotate the joint.
6. BBQ Vegetable Grilling Basket
It’s vegetable by name but we often use this for small pieces of chopped meat, shrimps, shell fish, mean balls and of course diced or sliced vegetables. For vegetables we recommend diced red or white onions, bell peppers, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, cucumber and root vegetables such as potatoes. As the surface is non-stick, it is easy to cook with and clean.
7. Burger Maker
We have written about burger makers in the past here Best Burger Presses for Homemade Burgers. If you prefer to make your own burgers, especially when you can experiment making them with own custom recipe or flavour, then a burger press or burger maker is for you. There are many different types of burger makers, some with non-stick cast iron while other are made from plastic or silicone. Personally, I prefer the cast iron type but there are those who prefer silicone press or mould. You can peel them open and remove the burger easily.
You may wish to take it one step further for those who prefer certain cut of meat for their burger by getting your own meat mincer and grinder. Check our the Best Meat Mincer, Food Grinder & Sausage Maker.
8. Pizza Stone
Square or round pizza stones are great if you have a kettle, barrel or rectangular barbecue with lid. These pizza stones are made from durable ceramic and is capable of distributing heat evenly. They are the closes thing to a traditional brick pizza oven in a barbecue. But, don’t stop with pizzas on the barbecue, use it to serve warm bread, waffles, tortillas and more. Just make sure you get the right size for your barbecue.
Pizza Grilling Stone on Amazon
Don’t forget your pizza peel and pizza cutter. To place uncooked pizza dough onto the pizza stone, slide the pizza peel under the pizza in one swift action. Place it onto the hot stone on the barbecue. To remove the cooked pizza from the pizza stone when ready, slide the peel under the crust in one swift action again, lift and move the pizza to a cutting surface.
9. BBQ Thermometer
A simple meat thermometer will get the job done but if you are looking for one with cutting edge technology choose the Meater +. This meat thermometer is a smart wireless thermometer that is perfect for meat grillers and an essential gadget for every summer barbecue. Grilling or smoking large cut of meat can be tricky. Take the guess work out with the Meater+. With the companion app, you can quickly check the internal temperature of your meat to ensure that it is cook perfectly to the your liking. The ‘+’ refers to added Bluetooth repeater for better wireless connectivity and included bamboo charger.
10. BBQ Cleaning Brush – Grill Daddy
After all the grilling and cooking, get your barbecue ready for the next BBQ session. Turn up the heat if you have a gas powered barbie to burn off the grease and stuck on bits. For charcoal or wood fired pits, close the lid but open the vent to keep the fire going. Then, use a BBQ cleaning brush on the cooking grate. For example, a good BBQ cleaning brush is the Grill Daddy Cleaning Brush.
Search BBQ Cleaning Brush on Amazon
