Grilling season is upon us, so we’re here to share all of the grill products, tips, and accessories we LOVE!
NOTE: ZERO of the items show in this article are sponsored or ads from us. We buy things with our own money and simply loved the results enough to share. Most of the examples below were found on Amazon.
The BEST Grill Sauces:
BBQ:
Hands down, the most crowd pleasing barbecue sauce? ANY style of Sweet Baby Rays. We prefer the original or honey flavors. It’s just dang tasty! If you’re a bbq mustard person, Sonny’s sells bottles of their sauces in the restaurant – and their Carolina style mustard is a great one (so is their sweet bbq sauce).
Hibachi:
We find the Kikkoman brand has a nice tasting *thick* teriyaki sauce; however our FAVORITE version is a thinner “Island Soyaki” from Trader Joe’s. It even has the sesame seeds in it! It makes noodles, veggies, and fried rice taste just like your favorite Hibachi restaurant. Publix also has a thin teriyaki sauce (Publix brand) that we use in a pinch. Terry Ho’s Yum Yum Sauce (we buy it at Publix) is the closest we’ve found to restaurant-style white sauce. If you’re a ginger sauce person, Makoto makes great restaurant matches too – find it in the Publix (and Walmart) produce section by the refrigerated dressings.
THE SECRET to the MOST DELICIOUS Grilled Chicken and Corn:
BRINE IT. That’s right, a long soak in salty water does wonders for chicken breast, and fresh corn on the cob. See our recipe of the month for cooking corn on the grill!
Safe to Eat:
The easiest way to tell when things are done cooking? A good thermometer! No more squishing all of the delicious juices out of your burgers or chicken. You’ll know when dinner’s ready by temperature alone.
Precision Grilling:
Use a temperature gun to find the exact temperature of your grill. These are especially useful for low and slow barbecuing or making pizzas on the grill.
Charcoal Chimneys:
If you are grilling with charcoal, a starter chimney is a MUST! It gets the coals to grilling temperatures quicker so you can have those hot dogs ready ASAP!
Grilling Baskets:
These little baskets are wonderful for cooking stick-to-the-grill things, like shish-kebabs, veggies, or fish; but also S’MORES, toasted sandwiches, or little pie turnovers. Yes please! 😋
Cast Iron Grill Forms:
Similar to baskets, use these little cast iron forms to enclose sandwiches; like ham and cheese or “grilled” cheese; make pie turnovers with crescent rolls and canned pie filling; omelets and more! Basically any ooey-gooey thing you want to cook on a grill or campfire works great in these. (We love these for the fire pit!)
GRIDDLES:
Blackstone – is an AWESOME grill accessory or alternative that you can use to make all of the typical grill stuff, BUT ALSO hibachi style noodles or fried rice, hot cakes, fish, veg; it’s so versatile!
The best part is the 22″ (fits about 12 burgers) it’s small enough to be portable, so you can take it camping, on vacation, or even use after those post-storm power outages. WE LOVE OURS! You can buy direct or on Amazon, as shown below.
HIBACHI STYLE Pro Tip: Cold day-old noodles and rice make for the best hibachi-style noodles and fried rice on the griddle. Cook (boil) the plain rice and noodles you plan to use the night before and store it in air tight containers in the fridge until it’s hibachi time!
Easier Clean-Up:
Reynold’s Wrap NON-STICK Aluminum Foil is a DREAM! We use it in the oven and on the grill and the food just slides off! Look for this box that says “NONSTICK”:
Dawn’s Power Wash Spray makes tough scrubs SO EASY! Not just for inside dishes, but getting all the baked on goo off of grill baskets or pans too! You just spray it on and let it sit a few minutes, the little micro bubbles break down all the gunk and then it’s super easy to wash. Bonus, the “apple” scented one smells like a big ol’ basket of Granny Smith apples! 🍏
Make the Grill Last:
We noticed a marked difference in how long our grill lasts when it is covered, vs. the ones we thought would be okay because it’s stored under the shade and protection of a roof. Our 5-year-old grill still looks relatively new, and we think that is all thanks to using a weather proof cover that is vented. We usually cover it the morning after we’ve used the grill, to make sure everything is cooled down.
We find this type of brush/scraper cleans the gunk off the easiest.
Do you have a favorite grill accessory? Favorite type of grill? Share all of your product recommendations and grill tips with us on Instagram or Facebook @DeAnnaAndCompany
DeAnna & company 