Gear
Under the Hood
A Gazeteer of the World’s Great Grills
As we draw closer to the release of my next book, Project Fire, I'm honored to share with you a sneak peek of its content. This is no ordinary preview chapter, however, as it is an exclusive piece of content that we retrieved from the cutting room floor to share with our blog readers. Think of this as an encyclopedia of grills from Planet Barbecue, and a reference point for you to use as inspiration in your grilling journey. When you come across these grills, be sure to share with me on Facebook, Twitter and the Board. Asado al disco: A Chilean grill formed from the disks of a harrow. OK, cooking on it is more like stir-frying than grilling, but don’t tell that to a local. Caja China: The...
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Make 2018 Your Best Year With 12 New BBQ Products
Did you know that one of the best barbecue stores on the planet resides quietly on my website, barbecuebible.com? It’s true. For several years, my staff and I have vetted the many hundreds of products that come our way and placed the worthy ones on our virtual shelves. You’ll find everything from the latest barbecue accessories (including grills and smokers) to hard-to-find provisions and specialty foods: the Alaskan spruce salt that’s incredible on beef; Vermont Maple Sriracha Hot Sauce; authentic bomba rice for grilled paella; and much, much more. To celebrate the new year and its possibilities,...
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Ready Your Charcoal Faster with FiAir
This post is brought to you by FiAir, which provided advertising support. For charcoal grill owners, the necessary first step for any grill session (and on every favorite recipe) is to light the charcoal. . . and then wait. Wait for the ideal glowing coals that finish perfectly white, their delicious smoky scent wafting through the air. If you're like us, the wait time leaves you wishing for a magical instrument you could use to speed...
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Great Gift Ideas for Grillers: Our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide
Here it is, our popular annual gift guide—a timely compilation of cool fuels, tools, and seasonings for the favorite barbecuer or griller in your life. Naughty or nice, permission granted to print it out and distribute it to people who might need gift ideas for you. Happy Holidays! Pit Barrel Cooker Junior: Like its popular big brother, the new Pit Barrel Cooker Junior is one of the simplest, most reliable, and reasonably-priced smokers on the market. With a drum diameter of 14 inches, the “PBJ” is perfect for tailgating, car or RV camping, or even a patio with...
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Essential Tailgating Grills and Equipment for the Best Tailgate Food
The confluence of fall, food, fun, and football is here. It’s called tailgating, and as far as we can tell, it’s a uniquely American phenomenon. According to the polling organization govyou.com, some 27 million of us will attend weekend tailgate parties in the last quarter of the year with millions more entertaining at home (“homegating”). If you’re part of this glorious and fanatical culture, you know how competitive the sport of tailgating is. Anyone can wear their team colors and accessorize with foam fingers,...
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Kalamazoo Cabinet Smoker and Russ Faulk, the Man Who Created It
Most grill and smoker designs have been around for decades, even centuries. It’s not often that a manufacturer comes along with something radically new. Well, Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet has, and I got to test drive it during the taping of Project Smoke, Season 3. (We used it to smoke pastrami bacon and Korean pulled pork shoulder.) It’s the Kalamazoo Cabinet Smoker and it’s simply one of the most intriguing fusions of high design, ingenious engineering, and primal smoke and fire on Planet Barbecue. You’ve probably heard of Kalamazoo—the manufacturer of super premium grills that perform like Ferraris—and are priced like Ferraris, too. Kalamazoo’s first grill—the...
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How to Buy A Smoker, Part 2
If you own a charcoal grill with a tight-fitting lid, you already have a smoker. Simply set it up for indirect grilling, add wood chips or chunks to the coals, and you’re in business. (If you own a gas grill, you can add subtle smoke flavor to your food by using a smoking pouch or smoking box, but the grill’s rear vents will allow most of the smoke to escape.) There are some drawbacks, however. Because kettle grills are designed for grilling, it’s difficult to maintain an even heat at lower temperatures....
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How to Buy A Smoker, Part 1
If you’d like to take the next step toward grilling enlightenment, fall is a good time to do it. Along with back-to-school promotions, many retailers are anxious to reduce their inventories of grilling hardware, meaning potential deep discounts for you. (A few years ago, my assistant, Nancy Loseke, scored a Weber Ranch for half price.) The first step is to select the right smoker for you. There are dozens of types and hundreds of individual models. The right smoker depends on your experience, goals, budget, and how many people you usually cook for—collectively called your smoker personality. Beginner:...
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Sizzling and Sexy: Grilling with a Plancha
What do South Carolina’s oyster roasts have in common with Colombia’s arepas and Japan’s teppan yaki feasts? All are cooked on a flat piece of metal analogous to a griddle, often over an open fire. In fact, nearly every cooking culture on Planet Barbecue has a historical relationship with this simple form of food preparation, none more than Spain. In Spain, the term plancha (literally, “plate”) refers both to the device itself and...
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The Smokers and Grills of Project Smoke Season 3
Oh my God, I’ve died and gone to grilling heaven. That’s a common reaction when people step on the set of Project Smoke (this year taped at the stunning Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort in Solvang, California). If you’re a grilling or smoking enthusiast, our selection of grills and smokers is inspiring and not a little overwhelming. A religious experience the be sure. Perhaps you’ve wondered what sort of grill or smoker I’m using in a particular show, what I cooked on it, and what’s fired up in the background. Here's a guide...
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