As the grilling seasons of spring and summer approach us, it is about time that we divert our attention back to creating the ultimate barbecue experience once again. The sun is once again coming out, the insects are alive and buzzing, the temperatures are rising, and it is now the time to once again pull out the barbecue that has been collecting dust in the garage. The weather is becoming absolutely perfect to commence the barbecue festivities and it is only natural that as we celebrate the arrival of our barbecue traditions that we focus on making sure that we have the tools and accessories needed to create the most amazing barbecue experience of the seasons. This means it is time to do close inspection of your barbecue tools and accessories and chuck out ones that will unfortunately no longer make the cut. If you need a heads up on how to update your barbecue accessory collection and are unsure on what you need the most, then look no further than this article. Today we aim to highlight what is hot in all things grill accessories so that you can rest easy knowing you have all the tools needed for a barbecue success.

Behind Every Apron is a Barbecue Master

One of the most overlooked aspects of barbecue accessories would most definitely have to be aprons. Now, many people would often think that aprons are practically useless and a waste of money when it comes to barbecuing. Those who say that have probably never thrown their own authentic barbecue. It is a messy, messy process my friend and if you are especially inviting everyone including coworkers or the neighborhood, then you most definitely do not want to be the host who greets their guests with barbecue sauce and marinade splattered over their once crisp, clean shirt. Aprons don’t stop the messy process from happening, but they surely do help in ensuring that the messy process does not interfere with your ability to look clean and unscathed to your guests when it comes to barbecuing. So, invest in an apron and don’t be afraid to get messy. Sometimes you have to in order to yield the best results!

Basting Brushes

Marinades are the name of the game when it comes to a good barbecue. The marinades make or break the meat and their flavor so obviously it wouldn’t be hard to understand why tools that help with spreading your marinade properly would be a part of the most utilized grill accessories. Basting brushes are an absolute must- have in your barbecue grill accessory collection. You need a good brush to ensure that you get a good spread of marinade on every part meat that you are grilling. If you do not have that down, then your marinade may not spread as evenly. Some parts may have marinade, others may not and this could end up making a very inconsistent meat entree in terms of flavor. Buying a good basting brush will only help with the process of ensuring a consistent spread of flavor on every meat so that you know the meat will cook nicely and evenly on the grill. When purchasing your basting brush, go for a silicone-bristle basting brush because they are not only a lot easier to clean but they help spread very thick barbecue sauces in a very even manner. If you are spreading lighter marinades such as olive oil, vinegar, or butter then it is best to invest in a paintbrush style brush with fine bristles.

Meat Tenderizers

Meat tenderizers are also another important tool for grilling. If you are unsure of what a meat tenderizer is, it is essentially a meat mallet or pounder. It is a hand powered tool that helps to tenderizes pieces of meat for grilling. The overall goal of a meat tenderizer is to help soften the fibers within the meat so that it becomes a lot easier to chew and digest. It helps out especially with thick cuts of meat like steak. This tool is so crucial to the overall flavor and quality of your meat. When meat is more tender and easier to chew then it becomes more palatable to the taste buds as opposed to hard meat. In essence, combine your marinade skills with your meat tenderizing skills and you will end up with soft, slightly chewy, flavorful, and juicy meat. I mean sounds good to me, so why not?

BBQ Tongs

One can see right off the bat why barbecue tongs would be so important for grilling. It is one of the most utilized accessories of grilling and for good reason. BBQ tongs are essential for lifting certain kinds of meat and flipping them over such as chicken wings, the thighs of the chicken, ribs, and more! The ideal tong is one that can lift, turn, and grab your meat without piercing it and compromising its flavor. It has to have handles that are long enough so that when you turn your meat over, your hands are not too close to the flame of the grill. In addition, you need a good BBQ tong so that you can effectively grab and arrange coals along the fire without burning yourself. When shopping for a pair of good tongs look for a long handle and something that is easy to clean. Check out the quality to make sure they aren’t prone to rusting, stiffening, or breaking after some uses. When you keep that in mind, you can greatly add to your growing collection of essential barbecue accessories.

Rib Racks Anyone?

One of the most notable and popular meat dishes that people tend to think of when they think of a delicious barbecue is ribs! Everyone loves a good pair of delicious, tangy, and saucy ribs that they could sink their teeth into. Ribs make any barbecue occasion an absolute success (when done right), so it makes sense as to why rib racks would be one of the most utilized grill accessories out there. If you are unsure about the exact utility of a rib rack then I can surely break it down for those who are confused. Ribs are a bit interesting because of their shape. They have a unique shape that can make grilling them a bit difficult if not done properly. In order to ensure that all meats are coated evenly with sauce and are cooked evenly with the heat distributed properly, rib racks come in to the picture to solve this problem. They hold your ribs upright so that you can quickly baste your ribs as they are in place and cooking. In this way, you can ensure that your ribs get easy and necessary access to the heat while making sure that you have coated them evenly. Simply place them in the rack over the grill and they can do the rest of the work for you! The plus side to this grill accessory is that you can buy them with built-in handles so that you can make carrying them on and off the grill extremely easy and safe!

Meat Claws

An additional barbecue tool that is of super importance and is commonly used by many is meat claws. This grill accessory can look pretty funny at first and you sometimes cannot quite gage their importance upon looking at them, but the meat claw surely does have an important purpose. They can essentially help to tear up any kinds of meat such as turkey, chicken, or pork. One of the most common and popular barbecue dishes often deal with shredded meat such as beef or pork that is smothered in barbecue sauce and tools like the meat claw help to make those delicious entrees happen! You can use these on a day where you want to do a lowkey barbecue lunch or dinner and feature pulled pork, chicken, or beef smothered in a delicious sauce and served on a warm bun. The best thing about meat claws is that they are not only essential for the grill, but you can use them for other dinner recipes. Use the meat claw to shred meat for your salads, tacos, chili etc. They can be used for a lot of different things and they are so easy to use! So, invest in a meat claw and make it an important addition to your barbecue grill accessory collection.

Marinade Injector

Marinade injectors can be one of the most convenient and helpful grill tools. If you are a beginner in terms of barbecuing and are looking for some tools and accessories that can make your experience run a lot smoother then try buying a marinade injector. Marinade injectors are pretty much exactly like what they sound. They are used to suck up your marinade and then easily inject the marinade into the meat of your choice. It is obviously a very easy and clean process for making sure that your meat gets a lot of flavor and it can also be done in a short amount of time, so it is perfect for when you need to rush things up a bit. Marinade injectors can come in a plethora of different sizes so that you can be very specific with exactly how much marinade you can inject into your meat. In addition, the size differences can come in handy depending on what kind of marinade you are injecting. For example, you can purchase a wide tip marinade injector for marinades that have more chunkier ingredients or purchase a solid tip with 12 holes along the needle for small amounts of marinade. If you are on a crazy time crunch and you do not even have time to make your own marinade, then you can buy really good pre-made marinades from the store and simply inject the marinade out of the packet and straight into your meat if need to be! It gets the job done quickly and the flavors are still amazing!

Meat Thermometers

Meat thermometers are another extremely common grill accessory utilized by many. They essentially can be stuck in certain parts of the meat and tell you the internal temperature of the meat at that moment. This is such a crucial tool because understanding what the internal temperature of your meat is, is important to understand how much more the meat needs to be cooked. The tricky part that can be associated with grilling or cooking meat is the fact that the outside of the meat is not always a direct representation of what the inside of the meat looks like. Meat can turn a pretty brown color on the outside and appear cooked, but on the inside, it can be a totally different story. Investing in a really good meat thermometer is a way in which you can prevent illnesses from uncooked meat or suffer the horrible consequences of dry and tough meat when it becomes overcooked. Here are the ground rules set by the United States Department of Agriculture in regards to the ideal temperature of different kinds of meat.

when it becomes overcooked. Here are the ground rules set by the United States Department of Agriculture in regards to the ideal temperature of different kinds of meat.

• Whole cuts of pork need to have a 145-degree internal temperature with a 3-minute rest time
• Whole cuts of beef, veal, or lamb need to have a 145 degrees temperature with a 3-minute rest time
• Ground poultry needs to be about 165 degrees
• Ground beef, lamb, pork, or veal need to be about 160 degrees

These were only a few of the most commonly utilized grill accessories, but they are definitely enough to help you get started and get you thinking about the kind of accessories you need for the kind of barbecue experience that you wish to have. Thinking about creating a list of all the grill accessories that you need can be very daunting at first, but think about how taking the steps today to think about what is commonly needed, can help your overall experience with grilling food go much smoother. Barbecuing is also about having fun and spending time with loved ones. So, learn how to work efficiently to produce the best food, while also remembering to cherish the time around your loved ones. Happy barbecuing!