Barbecuing is both an art and a science, so you need to use the right tools to experiment and create delicious meals. Barbecuing goes beyond firing up the grill and throwing a few slabs of meat onto the flames. Certain tools make the job easier while ensuring the meat is both piquant and perfect. Here are a few essential tools every barbecue enthusiast should have. Add them to your repertoire to see and taste the results!
The Right Fuel
If you cook with propane or natural gas, that’s perfectly fine. But you’re missing out if you don’t have a side grill and smoker that lets you cook and imbue more flavor through burning wood. Different woods add extra flavor to your barbecue. You can wonderfully smoke bacon with different woods, for instance. Likewise, apple, cherry, mesquite, hickory, and other types of wood deliver bold to sweet flavor to beef, chicken, fish, and even vegetables on the grill. Find the right “flavored” fuel!
Knives and a Cutting Board
You probably have a cutting board for chopping and slicing vegetables, meat, and more. Get another, larger one for the barbecue. A large heavy-duty board made of bamboo or maple wood provides a terrific surface for preparing uncooked meats and divvying up the results after you cook them. Have a fine set of sharp chef’s knives on hand as well, and keep a grinder handy to slice and dice your servings easily. If you need to pick two essential knives, pick one for carving and another for paring. They’ll make your life and BBQ that much easier.
Thermometers
You can’t eyeball meat to see if it’s done. Different shades of red or white can indicate doneness, but for the sake of your and your guests’ health, measure the internal temperature of the meat to see that it’s safe for consumption. Keep two or three on hand, depending on how wide a selection of meats you’re offering. An instant-read thermometer is good for on-the-fly measurements, while a leave-in thermometer lets you safely and directly monitor meat as it cooks. Naturally, pick a grill with a preinstalled thermometer so that you can see if it’s getting hot in there when you close the lid.
Barbecue Tongs
There are plenty of ways to turn the meat as it cooks, including barbecue forms and spatulas. But one essential tool every barbecue enthusiast should have is a good set of locking tongs. Other tools are fine, but you can’t go wrong with tongs. They can hang by the side of the grill until you need them, and when you do need them, you can use them to pick up and turn over meat without getting your hands dirty or burned. The best tongs lock up to get a better grip on the meat and have serrations, allowing for a firmer hold without damaging the meat.
Those are the basic tools necessary for any satisfying barbecue experience, from start to finish. Add them to your next BBQ!
