Grill Season Ushered In With The Snap Of A Hot Dog And Crack Of The Bat

Steven Raichlen Double-V Smoker Box

It’s baseball season, which in turn means hot dog season has officially begun. However, hot dogs spinning eternally on stainless-steel rollers are only but one way to welcome in the new season. It’s time for the grill to come out of hibernation, and a good idea might be to step up your grilling game while you’re at it. A simple way is to do it with smoke.

The Steven Raichlen Double-V Smoker Box gives grillers the ability to add complex flavors by imparting foods with not only smoke, but also liquids. The double box construction allows for wood chips to be added to gas or charcoal grills, while the lower compartment is designed for adding juice, beer, wine or other flavored beverages. The traditional snap of a hot dog that accompanies the sound of baseball being smacked across the infield hasn’t usually included a palate-pleasing aftertaste of merlot or chardonnay, but hey, there’s always this year.

Grill, Grill Against The Dying Of The Light

LED Triple Grill Light

It is time to ‘spring forward’ this weekend, meaning the 5’o’clock shadows will be held off until later in the evening. Of course, this means we will be spending more time outside. Outside, and cooking, that is. Even though we are afforded an ‘extra’ hour of sunlight, backyard grillers still know no bounds when it comes to time spent at the grill. So, Daylight Saving Time or not, expect grilling sessions to extend into the night.

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Flames Barbecue Mitt is hopefully flame-resistant

Flames Barbecue Mitt

I’m not sure this is necessarily what you want to see while standing next to the grill, but in case you like your burgers well done, perhaps the Flames Barbecue Mitt is for you. Personally, after an early experience with too much lighter fluid, I tend to appreciate the low and slow school of cooking.

Party on the patio well into the night

LED Patio Umbrella Light

Cooking up a feast in the backyard is a great way to spend an afternoon. So great in fact, that more often than not, grilling sessions extend beyond sundown. Luckily, we live in a modern society where a minor inconvenience such as the sun going down doesn’t have to stop the party in its tracks, However, you will need some illumination to overcome Mother Nature’s early bedtime.

The LED Patio Umbrella Light may be a rather unworldly looking light, but it is designed to keep us firmly planted in our backyards. The 4.25-inch diameter saucer slides easily on to standard umbrella poles. Powered by four AAA batteries, the umbrella light may have enough juice to keep the party going, but as far as any sudden fast directional changes are concerned, that’s entirely up to you.

Small cast iron pan for single serving meals

Cast Iron Sandwich Pan

Sometimes smaller is better. If you have a size-challenged kitchen and a penchant for hot grilled sandwiches (or items of similar size), lugging out the big old fry pan can be a chore. The Cast Iron Sandwich Pan is ideal for cooking up single serve meals and doesn’t take up a lot of room. Having a small pan on the side can certainly be convenient. For a single egg or perhaps sauteing some veggies, the small size makes it easy to work with and best of all, there’s less to clean up.

Tom Douglas skewers improve the grill landscape

tom_douglas_skewers

Every good grill session needs variety. A grill full of hamburgers just doesn’t seem quite right without at least some hot dogs dotting the landscape. The scenery provided by a grill full of these essentials is certainly appetizing, but you can do better. Break up the old hamburger/hot dog club and introduce some variety with kebobs.

No other grill method offers such variety tailored to individual tastes as does grilling with skewers. Guests can each construct their own, catering to their preferences. The Tom Douglas by Pinzon Stainless-Steel Pronged Kebob Skewers make it easy. Sold by Amazon in a set of two, the grill tools come with a comfortable wooden handle with plenty of room to pile on the meats and vegetables. The double-pronged design gives stability for all sizes of ingredients, while a ‘pusher’ installed at the base makes removal a breeze.