Grilling gift basket

Years ago I won a grilling basket and recall what was in it, apron, set of grilling tools, mits, brushes, grate cleaner. The basics...it was a good starter kit, simple and useful.

Depends partly on what the recipient likes to cook or wants to learn to cook.
Is it all grilling or also barbecue?
If BBQ, consider a book from Mike and Amy Mills (see their website or booksellers).
If also using the grill for side dishes or frying, consider cast iron griddle, fry pan or Dutch oven. And they can move indoors for winter cooking.
Wood chips for smoking.
Wood planks for cooking fish.

We grill on charcoal so keep that in mind. I like a grill basket 4 veggies and tender things like fish and seafood. Bamboo sewers are cheap and handy. A water spray bottle is handy. Really good & strong tools are a must. There are so many cheap ones. We have some really heavy duty tongs and one side is also a spatula. A variety of wood chips for smoking are fun to try. I agree on the thermometer - a must. I like the polder. If they've never grilled with real hard wood charcoal that's a must try and along with that a charcoal chimney. Hope that helps.

Oh, and if you are going to offer e-books, I suggest think about diversifying the readings, rather than four titles from the same author.

My suggestion would be Meathead Goldwyn's book (featured here at Food52) as well as the Franklin Barbecue book. Raichlen has written some excellent books, but it's wise not to stick with one voice for BBQ cookbooks.

I disagree with the third-party sauce recommendation. It's a one-time use and you don't know if the recipient is going to like it.

I assume you have a limited budget for the gift basket, better to stock it with items that can provide years of use, not a one-shot deal that might not be all that well appreciated.

Now if you want to stick in *YOUR* dry rub or BBQ sauce, yes, I can definitely see that. At least it's a personal endorsement of something you've created and put on your own dinner table for others. But if you do, provide the recipe.

Admittedly, I haven't used that pumice block, but I'm happy using my $5 wire stripper brush.

By far my favorite grill cleaning tool is the "GrillStone Grill Cleaning Block". It's a pumice-y looking brick that works better with less effort than any brush/scraper I've ever tried. While looking for the exact name of the one I have I saw that it was voted the grill cleaner winner by Cook's Illustrated (https://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment_reviews/1531-grill-grate-cleaning-block -I was able to read the review without a subscription, hopefully you will too). They mention only using it once a season, if you press down hard it does remove any seasoning on the grates, but I find a quick graze without the handle it came with as the grill is cooling off works perfectly for me; and to be honest I'm not the best at preventing the odd chicken grease fire so that's pretty impressive.

OR.... if you're familiar with canning or know of a gift-y looking local/artisinal brand of sauces a stone fruit based barbecue sauce is one of the best food gifts this time of year and pair it with a basting brush that's rated for use to 500degrees or higher.

Hands down, the first thing should be an instant read thermometer. Don't waste your money on a $90-110 Thermapen, there are plenty of capably comparable devices in the $15-25 range.

Here's the one I use, the Lavatools Javelin:

https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-PT12-Javelin-Thermometer-Chipotle/dp/B00GRFHXVQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1500237870&sr=8-3&keywords=lavatools+javelin

The second thing I would add would be a wireless thermometer. The Bluetooth ones are supposely rather fussy, here's the $60 one I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Maverick-732-Wireless-Meat-Thermometer/dp/B01FEKGB9Y/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1500238031&sr=8-6&keywords=maverick+thermometer

Basically, if you routinely toss $50-100 worth of meat on your grill, you might as well have the tools to ensure that you correctly cook the meat.


The third item would a complete bargain: a grill brush. Don't buy something that marketed as a "grill brush." Those are inevitably overpriced. Go to the paint section of your hardware store and find the paint removal section. There are wire brushes (including ones with nice wooden handles) that are far better than any BBQ grill brush I've ever found. They are dirt cheap, like five bucks. These typically last several seasons.

Another item would be a set of silicone basting brushes. Find something cheap at Amazon, they are dishwasher safe unlike traditional bristle brushes.

I suppose other items would be a pair of heat-resistant gloves (sizing is an issue here). I don't have a recommendation there. Another option would be some wood chunks, something like applewood, cedar or another fruit wood.

Good luck.