All the grilling technology and tools I use at grilling competitions

Barbecue It can bring people together and is considered an art form for many. Mastering the art of managing fire, smoke, sauces and spices to perfectly cook meat, vegetables, and vegetables takes practice. Because of this acquired skill, competitions are held all over the world where aspiring grill masters gather to showcase their grilling skills. It is also a great way to learn and meet people while tasting delicious food.

My brother, sister and I also recently participated in a local barbecue competition using some of the best grills in the market and some useful tools for cooking chicken thighs, St. Louis ribs, and brisket. Although we didn’t win, we were proud of the food we prepared and many of our competitors enjoyed it.

Here are the grills and tools we used in competitions and that we also use regularly at home.

Fire and Ash: Grills That Were Used

When it came time to decide which cookers to use for the competition, I was fortunate to have a choice. After discussing the types of proteins we needed to cook, the flavors we planned to season, and the type of fuel source we thought would best complement the whole thing, we settled on three: pellet grillAND coal smokehouse and kamado grill.

For the pellet grill we chose Recteq Flagship XL 1400 because of its expansive 1437 square inches of cooking surface and huge pellet hopper. It was perfect for cooking one of our two beefs overnight. Early the next morning, when we wrapped the meat in Reynolds Butcher Paperthere was plenty of cooking space for half a chicken thigh that we marinated overnight and a piece of our ribs. Then we added some mixed fruitwood pellets that created a great smoke that worked wonderfully with the spices and flavors of the meats.

We have designated the second bridge for processing Kamado Joe Connected Joe to take care of it. We loaded the firebox with lump charcoal and briquettes and used an electric lighter to light it. Once the ceramic cooker reached 225 degrees Fahrenheit, we added a few hickory chips for more smoky flavor and placed the second beef on the grate. When we wrapped the meat the next morning, about 12 hours later, the kamado grill maintained its perfect temperature with the same charcoal it started with.

At the end we used Nexgrill Oakford 1150 Counterflow Smoker to cook the other half of our chicken and a piece of ribs. Although this oven does not offer electric ignition, using a charcoal chimney such as this one from Weberthe smoker was up and running in no time. We added the same pieces of wood before loading the chicken and ribs into the smoker.

Every grill and smoker we’ve used has worked exactly as we expected, producing consistent heat and smoke to help us make delicious food. But we needed help to get it right.

Time and Temperature: The Keys to Perfect Grilling

When it comes to grilling and barbecues, the temperature of the cooker and food are essential to achieving delicate results. You need to be able to maintain that temperature long enough to not only cook the food safely, but also properly break down the proteins.

To get accurate temperatures, it’s a good idea to use a reliable meat probe. We used a new Meat Pro XL, TermoPro Lightning AND ThermoPro Dual Temperature Sensor.

Each of the meat probes you use provides accurate temperature readings while you’re cooking your meat, giving you ambient temperatures for your grill and internal readings for each piece of meat. The Meater Pro XL has four all-metal meat probes that connect to a charging block that also has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that connect to the Meater cloud and your phone. This allows you to keep an eye on your cooking and set temperatures to receive notifications.

The ThermoPro Twin TempSpike works similarly, but the probes aren’t all-metal and it doesn’t have built-in Wi-Fi. The Lightning is an instant-read probe that we used for extra temperature checks when we briefly opened the grills to check on food.

In addition to third-party meat probes, we also used the included thermometers that came with the Recteq pellet and Kamado Joe grills. As I mentioned, it’s important to know the temperature of the food on the grill to ensure the best results, but it’s also important to know the entire grilling area so you know where to place your food.

Other gadgets that helped

While grills and meat probes were the primary devices used to properly prepare food, we also used a few other devices.

We used Anker EverFrost Electric Refrigerator to store meat before cooking, and also to hold chicken while marinating. The combination of battery and AC power gave us flexibility in how the device was powered. It can also run on solar power, but it was quite cloudy at the time of the event.

When we had to plug in the refrigerator, Bluetti AC240P Power Plant was exactly what we needed. In addition to the 1843 Wh capacity and 2400 watts of output, the IP65 dust and water resistance was much appreciated as we had to deal with occasional showers.

To keep our spirits up, we played a lot of music, and to cope with this task, we turned to Bluetooth speaker Treblab HD-Max. In addition to the great sound, the 20-hour battery life was a big selling point. But so was the IPX6 waterproofing, because, again, we had to be prepared for rain.

Are all of these things necessary to make an amazing grill? No. But many of these gadgets, and many more that are available, can make the cooking process easier, help you improve your grilling skills, and maybe even save you time. Every grill master, or those who want to become one, has preferences for everything from the grill they use to the fuel they use, the temperature levels, and the spices they use. But what works for you is what matters in the end.