barbecuing

The Best Grills for Outdoor Barbecues

There's nothing better during the summer months than firing up the grill and barbecuing for family and friends. Today, more than 85 million American households own an outdoor grill.

There's an enormous variety of charcoal and gas grills, which come in hundreds of sizes, shapes, colors and prices. Consumers are demanding more features on their gas grills---from side burners and rotisseries, to sear stations and infrared burners. According to a survey conducted by Weber, 61% of consumers now own a side burner, while 32% own a rotisserie and 17% have a gas grill with an infrared burner. The survey also revealed that 89% of America grill owners are using full-size grills, rather than portables.

"As dedicated grillers continue to become more experienced in cooking a wider variety of foods, the barbecue is increasingly being viewed as an outdoor appliance," says Sherry Bale, public relations director for Weber Grills. "As consumers want good value for their money during these tough economic times, they're seeing the advantages of paying for a durable grill that will stand up to punishing weather and give them years of dependable service."

To figure out the best of breed, we asked our Luxist readers to nominate their favorite manufacturers of outdoor grills. The top five nominees are:

Jenn-Air
Kenmore
Lynx
Viking
Weber

Jenn-Air is known for its precision craftsmanship and distinctive styling while Kenmore, which has a line of grills, is also well-known for its broad range of home appliances it manufactures. Lynx was founded by a group of individuals who started out by manufacturing restaurant ranges while Viking makes grills that one might expect to find in a restaurant setting. Finally, there's Weber, which is a household name that is credited with revolutionizing the backyard barbecue.

Interested in finding out what the best online meat companies are? Check out the Luxist Award's Readers' Choice Nominees for Best in Online Meats.

Tags: awards-main, barbecue, barbecue-and-grilling, barbecuing, barbeque, grill, grilling, grills, Jenn-Air, Kenmore, luxist-awards, Lynx, outdoor grills, Viking, Weber

Sweet Baby Ray's: The Fastest Growing Barbecue Sauce in America

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

Sweet Baby Ray's is a nominee for a Luxist Readers' Choice Award for Best Gourmet Sauces.

The company was founded in 1985 when a local Chicagoan named "Chef Larry" perfected his family's recipe for a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. He entered it into the country's largest rib cook-off ("The Mike Royko Rib-Off"). Chef Larry called his sauce Sweet Baby Ray's after his younger brother, David, who got the nickname playing basketball on the west side of Chicago.

On the day of the rib-off, Sweet Baby Ray's beat out nearly 700 entrants to come in second--an amazing feat for an unknown. Word of Sweet Baby Ray's spread like wildfire. By 1994, Sweet Baby Ray's distinctive bottle could be found on grill pits and dinner tables across the Midwest. By the end of the century, Sweet Baby Ray's sales in the U.S. exceeded 500,000 cases annually and today, is the fastest growing BBQ sauce company in America.

Gallery: Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce

Sweet Baby Ray's products come in a variety of favors, including: Sweet Baby Ray's Original, Sweet Baby Ray's Honey, Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar, Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet 'n Spicy, Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chiptole and Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet Vidalia Onion. It comes in 18 oz,, 28 oz, 40 oz and 80 oz bottles.

Sweet Baby Ray's gourmet sauces are available for purchase at most large grocery store chains, including Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, Cub Foods, Albertson's, Ralphs, Vons, Safeway, Wegmans and Stop & Shop, among many others. For more information call Sweet Baby Ray's toll free line at (877) 729-2229 or email it at service@sweetbabyrays.com.

Vote for the Gourmet Sauce that you believe is the best of breed. The voting period runs through July 31 and winners will be announced on August 1.

Tags: awards-main, barbecue, barbecuing, barbeque, gourmet sauces, luxist-awards, Sweet Baby Rays

Best Online Meat Companies

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

According to Weber, one of the leading manufacturers of grills, hamburgers, hot dogs and steak are the three most popular grilled foods.

But where are the best places to buy meats for an unforgettable backyard barbecue?

To figure out the best of breed, we asked Luxist readers to nominate their favorite online meat companies. Each of the top five finalists has one thing in common---they all offer only the finest USDA prime meat available---and they all ship to locations throughout the United States (and elsewhere in some cases).

The top five finalists are:

Allen Brothers
Chicago Gourmet Steaks
Lobel's of New York
Ottomanelli Brothers
Peter Luger

Chicago-based Allen Brothers, which provides meats to some of the best-known steakhouses in the country, while Chicago Gourmet Steaks was one of the first steak companies to offer mail order. Lobel's of New York has been owned and operated by the same family for five generations while Ottomanelli Brothers is a New York institution with customers around the world. Peter Luger---famous its steak houses---is now selling its meats to customers through a new online service.

Tags: Allen Brothers, allen brothers steaks, awards-main, barbecue, barbecue-and-grilling, barbecues, barbecuing, barbeque, bbq, Chicago Gourmet Steaks, grill, grilling, Lobels, Lobels of New York, Luxist-awards, Ottomanellis, Peter Luger, Peter Luger Steak House, steaks

Gold-Plated Barbecue Grill

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

I recently posted on the Bread Breaker Two Dual-Fuel Gourmet Hybrid Grill for those serious about their outdoor barbecuing, but if that wasn't quite fancy enough for you maybe this one will be. The Gold-plated Barbecue Grill by Beefeater takes some serious bling and slaps it onto an unlikely place: a grill. Completely covered in 24 carat gold (all except for the actual cooking surfaces) you may need sunglasses while flipping your burgers, or risk getting blinded by the glare that's sure to bounce off this glitzy piece of equipment on a sunny afternoon. Complete with 6 high-output burners plus a wok burner, roasting hood with viewing window, warming rack, quartz ignition, vaporizer, and reflector system, it's designed for "those who want to make a statement with their barbecue and have the money to burn." You'll be burning about $12,500.

Well there's definitely a statement to be had here, I won't argue that...

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Tags: barbecue, barbecuing, beefeater, gold, gold-plated grill, Gold-platedGrill, goldplated, grill, grilling