[SIZZLE] Grill Gadgets For Geeks
Summer is in full swing and that means the air is full of the tangy, smoky, delicious aroma of barbecue. There’s meat (and veggie-kabobs) on the grill for hungry omnivores. All that’s missing to make a geek’s contentment complete are some gadgets. Well, here they are! |
Geeky Gadgets for Your BBQ Grill
Barbecue purists eschew gas grills and insist on a bed of red-hot, evenly glowing charcoal briquets. Getting the perfect bed of coals can be difficult, but not with the LooftLighter from Sweden. It ignites charcoal, wood chips, or whatever with superheated air. You need an AC outlet for the Looftlighter’s 9-foot power cord. It even has a bottle opener, and indoors it can be used to light fires in fireplaces. Currently $64 at Amazon.
The secret to perfect medium-rare steak, or any other meat, is the meat’s internal temperature. There are lots of probe thermometers on the market, but the iGrill Mini from iDevices is made just for BBQ grills. There’s a wired probe that goes into the thickest part of the meat and connects to a controller-readout that’s kept outside of the firebox. But you don’t have to stay close to the grill to check the temperture or listen for an alarm. The iGrill Mini sends an alert to an app on your IOS or Android device when the selected temperature is reached. It uses Bluetooth so its range is limited. Just make sure the badminton or croquet game is within 150 feet of the grill, and you're good. $36.99 at Amazon now.
“Warm beer and bread, they said, could raise the dead,” according to Jimmy Buffet’s ultimate barbecuing song, “Cheeseburger In Paradise.” But the Cooper Cooler will keep your beer cold and the dead safely buried. Fill with ice and water; it spins cans or bottles and sprays them with cold water, claiming to take a 77 degree F can down to 43 F in less than a minute. The only problem is that it can handle only one wine bottle at a time! Going fast at $59.75 on Amazon, and lower prices are available from third-party sellers.
The Best Barbecue Grill Light is handy when it's getting late but there's still grilling to be done. Without adequate lighting on the grill, it can be hard to tell if the food is undercooked or getting burnt. And there's always the risk of burning your hand in poor light. Holding a flashlight while grilling is tricky (I ended up grilling a flashlight once). This battery-operated LED grill light attaches to the grill handle, swivels, and can tolerate temps up to 518 degrees. It's on sale today at Amazon for $17.99.
The worst and most neglected part of barbecuing is cleaning up the grill. My usual method is to turn the grill on high for a few minutes before grilling, and then scrub with a wire brush. But it's far from optimal. Now there’s a robot for that nasty chore. Just set the Grillbot down on the grate and it goes to work, using three heavy-duty motors and a Mad Max array of metal-bristled brushes to get your grill as clean as possible. Yes, a clean grill makes a big difference in the taste of future hamburgers. $102.85 at Amazon these days.
There are dozens of other high-tech BBQ accessories out there. But if you can light a fire and chill beer quickly, and grill meat to perfection, then sip another cold one while the grill is cleaned, I think you have the essential bases covered.
Are you a griller? Share your gadgets (geeky or not) and tips for the perfect steak, burger, or kabob. Post your comment below...
This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 15 Jul 2016
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Most recent comments on "[SIZZLE] Grill Gadgets For Geeks"
Posted by:
Bill
15 Jul 2016
Interesting article, as are all of your highly informative blogs. You did mention "purists" but did not make the distinction between Grilling and BBQ and the tech gadgets for each. Here is a site that explains the fine art of BBQ!
http://amazingribs.com
Posted by:
jphuf
15 Jul 2016
When it comes to making something cold fast, use a CO2 fire extinguisher. Best is placing item in a box or drawer (a little larger than the item), spray the CO2 inside, closed the lid or drawer for a minute or so, and the items contents will be cold or too cold. CO2 is Dry Ice.
Posted by:
Bob
15 Jul 2016
You forgot the best BBQ gadget of them all, the Rib-o-lator Rotisserie. Http://www.ribolator.com
Posted by:
Jon
15 Jul 2016
So some spend tens of thousands on a kitchen and then cook on a barbecue....
A bit like having a 34-inch 4K monitor and using a 5-inch phone to surf the web....
These days I wonder if I sound more like my parents or my grandparents as I get older.
Jon
P.S. Even my tablet is 13-inch (only way I can get large print on it) ;oP
Posted by:
Jay R
15 Jul 2016
I have a Wagner's heat gun that can put out air which is over 1000F. I am going to give this a try before considering shelling out $64 or more for the Looftlighter. What a great idea. Thanx, Bob. If the heat gun fails, I will likely stick with the denatured alcohol. If anyone wants to try this, please note that there will be a small POP when you light the chimney. (I have never even been singed.)
Posted by:
David
15 Jul 2016
jphuf, actually, all dry ice is CO2, but not all CO2 is dry ice.
Posted by:
MmeMoxie
15 Jul 2016
Another good article, Bob! I do like the Robot Cleaning Grill tool. That sounds really cool and geeky. :O)
Posted by:
arusenior
15 Jul 2016
"purists eschew gas grills and insist on a bed of red-hot, evenly glowing charcoal briquets"
No way, the purist grills on wood, carefully selected and well dried.
Posted by:
Nick
15 Jul 2016
Bob - I was interested in the Grillbot so I went to Amazon to look at reviews (as I always do and strongly recommend). 21% only gave the Grillbot 1 star, the worst complaint being that brass bristles came off shortly after starting to use the device. That was a deal killer for me. Stick to computer stuff!
Posted by:
noseitall
15 Jul 2016
So the Grillbot cleans your grill... and then YOU have to clean the Grillbot?
Posted by:
RichF
15 Jul 2016
All your article did was make me hungry for a grilled burger!!!
Posted by:
Kacmor
15 Jul 2016
Arusenior, I love you!
Yes, the ONLY way to grill is on perfectly selected, dry wood. Charcoal gives this kerosene aftertaste, gas is bland. The only good thing about it perfect control of cooking. But wood....what a dream. If you can, try it, all you non-purists, so you know what we are talking about.
And then there is no avoiding the cleanup.
Posted by:
Dave L
16 Jul 2016
http://www.traegergrills.com/
This is the purist grill....
Posted by:
Gene
18 Jul 2016
Naw, the quickest way I found to chill a warm soda is liquid nitrogen. On the carrier, it's easier to get than ice when in the Indian Ocean.
Posted by:
Pat C.
20 Jul 2016
Haha! I grill on a recycled oven rack covered in aluminum foil over burning limbs that got blown down off of trees by all the high winds from all the damned thunder storms around here. (How's that for a run on sentence?)the grill's standing on several fire bricks I got from a fire place in a house I helped tear down. It works fine for me and mine, Cheap, easy and simple but efficient and good enough. We don't have money to spend on stuff we don't need, want, can't use again or need. And we got used to drinking warm whatevers. If we want it cold, we put in a bucket and let it set in the well for awhile. Simple is a lot better and cheaper and a lot more fun.