What You Should Know About Smoking on the Grill

How to Set Up Your Grill Master Hub on Pinterest

6 Romantic Grilling Recipes for Valentine’s Day 2021

Cupid’s arrow has hit our hearts and made us fall in love… with grilling! No matter your level of infatuation with grilling, you probably have another special someone in your life that you want to woo and amaze this Valentine’s Day. The great news is that you can combine your two loves by making a simple Valentine’s dinner (on the grill, of course) for your Valentine! We have six simple Valentine's Day dinner recipes that are perfect for a lovers’ feast, whether you’re trying to impress a new love or add even more fire to a decades-long marriage.

How to Build Your Dream Outdoor BBQ Kitchen

Have you ever dreamed of an outdoor BBQ kitchen of your very own? Maybe your dream is the perfect setup to watch the big game, or it’s got a beachy feel for cool summer nights, or maybe it’s just the perfect place to host your family and friends for a cookout. Whatever you imagine, you can make it a reality wherever you are and with whatever space you have. On the patio, next to the pool, beneath a pergola, or even right out on the balcony of an apartment,you can make big or small adjustments to create an outdoor BBQ kitchen space that will bring you platefuls of happiness and good times.

Grilling with Rob Lewis: a Kick Ash Testimonial

We’re a community of grillers here at Kick Ash Basket. Our neighborhood of grilling buddies extends nationally and even internationally. We love hearing from our grillers to see how they’re shaking that ash and lighting that fire!

We interviewed Rob Lewis, one of our beloved customers, to share his honest experience with the Kick Ash Basket products. Our team is always looking for feedback, so it was great to hear what he had to say about the brand. We wanted to share his testimonial because Rob, just like you, has a genuine, interesting, and relatable grilling story.

How to Reverse Sear a Steak Over Charcoal

Guest Post By: BBQ and Bottles

Hey Kick Ash Basket fans! We’re excited about the following article, brought to you by our friends and partners at BBQ and Bottles. In this guide, they’ll walk you through the steps of a perfect “reverse sear” on a charcoal grill. They’ve even included pictures for you from a sample cook they did so that you can follow along at home. (The pictures are making us ravenous for a perfectly-cooked steak.)

8 Essential Grilling Rules to Follow for Winter 2021

Winter 2021 is bringing a lot of challenges with it, especially as stay-at-home guidelines are coming back in effect. Grilling is one of our favorite ways to indulge in healthy, delicious food while having a lot of fun— and keeping us sane! If you love grilling as much as we do, you don’t have to give it up just because temperatures start to drop. If you follow a few easy grilling rules, you can continue cooking up scrumptious meats and veggies all winter long.

In this article, we’ll give you tips about how to stay safe while grilling in low temperatures, how to cook on a charcoal grill in the winter, and how to whip up scrumptious food with ease, safety, and lot’s of flavor.

8 Holiday Grilling Recipes You Would Trade for Your Dessert

Our Thanksgiving dinner grilled recipes article was such a huge hit with Kick Ash Basket fans that we decided to bring you another recipe guide for the holiday season. In this blog, we’ll give you some of our favorite grilled recipes for the upcoming holidays, whether you’re having extended family over or just grilling for you and a buddy. We think you’ll especially love our grilled steak recipe with bacon, mushrooms, and wine.

How to Make a Kick Ash Gift Basket Using Kick Ash Basket

One of the coolest gifts you can give a grill master this holiday season is a basket full of grill goodies. Giving a grilling gift basket is a simple, yet sophisticated, present that every griller on your list will love. Not only do grill baskets look gorgeous tied in a neat bow under the tree, but they’re also practical gifts that add heat, spice, and passion to holiday gifting.

5 Easy Side Dishes for Your Holiday Grill Menu

Are you a fan of holiday grilling? Can’t get enough of that smoky, rich flavor of the charcoal paired with sweet veggies and velvety cheese? Then this article is for you! We’re giving you five of the easiest holiday grilled side dishes that will make your winter feast simple, delectable, and divine.

Grilling Gifts Guide For the Grill Master in Your Life

Thanksgiving Dinner – Traditional Grilling Recipes for Your Charcoal Grill

Let’s do Thanksgiving on the grill this year! Charcoal grilling adds a rich, deep flavor to the traditional Thanksgiving menu. Plus, grilling makes prep a lot faster and easier, so you can focus on other aspects of Thanksgiving that are important to you— like family, gratitude, and the big game.

The Best Portable Grills and Accessories to Take Camping

There’s nothing quite like the taste of smoky, grilled food in the fresh air of the great outdoors. Camping food doesn’t have to just be granola, hot dogs, and s’mores. With the right portable camping grill and accessories, you can enjoy deliciously grilled meat, veggies, and even desserts no matter where in the world you set up your tent. Plus, with the healthy benefits of grilling, you and your camping crew can stay nourished while getting close to nature.

In this guide, we’ll give you our top picks for portable camping grills including charcoal, pellet, gas, and over-fire options, as well as some other essential accessories to make your grilling experience easy and fun while camping.

There’s Nothing Scarier Than… An Uneven Steak

Summer always gets all the praise as grilling season, but the autumn BBQ holds a special place in our hearts here at Kick Ash Basket. The air is chilly, the grill is warm, and the fall flavors make us want to scream (with joy). What’s more, we love the tradition of the Halloween BBQ: gathering everyone in their favorite costumes to enjoy some spooky foods on the grill. If you’re looking for a new way to party this October 31st, you have to check out these Halloween dinner ideas that you can cook up on the grill (costumes required!). An outdoor grill party is especially “in” during the COVID-19 Halloween season, so everyone can stay safe outside while socially-distanced.

How to Grill on a Windy Day

Do you have a family BBQ planned, and fear that the day-of you’ll look out the window to grey skies and gusts of wind? Are you worried that your plans will be ruined when a gust of wind strikes out your flame? Grilling enthusiasts can conquer the elements on most days with just a few tricks. Although risky weather conditions are not optimal for grilling, windy conditions do not have to deter you from tossing some juicy meats on the grill for some serious cooking.

Grilled Meat and Vegetables: Better Together

So you’re off to a good start getting the grill ready using our Kick Ash Basket and Can. You’ve got all your grilling essentials ready to go, and now it is time for you to plan a barbecue! You know how to grill steaks and chicken, but you’re stuck figuring out what vegetables to throw in with it. Meat is usually the star of the show, but for once we would like to focus in on the supporting role that deserves just as much attention: the vegetables. After all, they are just better together. Let’s start off with some basic principles for grilling these under-appreciated side dishes:

Everything You Need To Know About EGGtoberfest 2020

How to Prepare Homemade BBQ Sauce

Fresh vs. Frozen Meat for Your Grilling Session

In the age of convenience, frozen foods are almost necessary. Now you can come home late from a busy day at the office and grill up a frozen steak in less than 45 minutes. No planning required, and a happy belly. Some of the frozen foods are better than “fresh” meat! For example, some fish can sit at meat markets for up to three weeks. But frozen fish come straight from the ocean into the blast freezer, and still have outstanding flavor! So let’s compare fresh and frozen meat, and see which is right for your dinner table.

Best Ways to Grill Pork Medallions

How to Host a Football Tailgate at Home This Fall

Tailgating is going to look and feel a little different in 2020, but that doesn’t mean the party’s over. There are plenty of reasons to host your football tailgate at home this season, whether you’re looking to stay safe and healthy away from crowds or keep your budget low and the fun high. Whatever your reasons, we’re going to give you some tips to make your at-home tailgate equally as fun — if not even more fun — than going to campus or to the stadium.

The World of Grilla Grills: Explore the Jungle

Grilla Grills is the brand of grills made to help you explore the jungle of cookin’. Founded by two fishing buddies one day while grilling over a wood pellet grill, Grilla has become a well-known name in the grilling world. In 2010, they started with their pellet grills, which was a type of grill not previously well-known in the market. They made the pellet “cool” and approachable, bringing that rich smokiness into their clients’ lives. Since then, they’ve also designed a charcoal kamado for a faster and higher-temperature cook, adding rich flavor to even grill-baked items.

Let’s talk about what makes Grilla special, the grills they offer, and how to decide if Grilla Grills are right for your BBQing lifestyle. It’s time to explore the jungle!

Best Foods to Grill When You Are On a Budget

Do you have a special occasion coming around that you want to celebrate? Whether it is a birthday, anniversary, or graduation, for many families, celebrations usually mean barbecues. So, you timidly peek at the bank account, but turn away frowning. It seems the get-together is not in the cards this year. But don’t lose hope! You don’t need an over-the-top barbecue to make your guests happy. We will show you how you can make your BBQ a success without breaking the bank.

BBQ and Beer Pairings

Some things just go together, like peas and carrots. You also have your Kick Ash Can and Kick Ash Basket, for example. Then, there is beer and BBQ. Nothing sounds like a better time than enjoying the two of these together! With so many kinds of beers out there, though, it might be hard to find the exact one that will go best with your meal. Let us be your guide!

Kick Ash Chicken

One of the first things you learn as you attempt to up your grill game is to cook to temperature and not time. Steak should be cooked to 120 degrees and then seared, whereas brisket and pork shoulder should be cooked to 205 degrees and chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees.

The classic misunderstanding of time over temperature can lead to some embarrassing situations when cooking for a group. Your wife asks you when dinner will be ready and you respond with 10 more degrees. With steak and now pork, you can safely pull meat early and not risk your health, but never chicken. It must always be cooked to 165 degrees... or does it?

How Does Grilling Work?

We talk a lot about the fine art and details of grilling here at Kick Ash Basket®. But we thought in this post we would step back and ask a basic question: what is grilling? We’ll take a look at the history of grilling, different types of grilling, and why we love it so much.

If you’ve already got your grill, check out our selection of grill accessories sorted by grill type. It’s the easiest way to find Kick Ash Baskets® and cans which make cleanup and prep way, way easier.

Perfect Storage for Your Grill And Accessories

A good builder never blames their tools. Likewise, a great griller never blames the tools that they’ve got—at least while you’re grilling. Afterwards, definitely invest in new tools. Grilling tools storage and maintenance is essential to the art of grilling. In this post, we’re going to talk tools.

Let’s talk about grilling tools storage, maintenance, and use. Plus—what tools should you purchase in the first place?

About Natural Rockwood Charcoal: What You Need to Know

Your source of fuel is just as important to the grilling process as your choice of meat and spices. It will affect the flavor and help you maintain an ideal environment to cook your food perfectly. There are tons of choices out there for grill fuel; so, where should you start?

In this post, we’ll cover the differences in charcoal and briquettes that you can expect to encounter when grilling. Then we’ll look at whether or not natural rockwood charcoal is the right fit for your grill.

Various Types Of Cheese To Cook On A Grill

Cheese. The tasty, creamy, melty companion to all of your delicious grilled meats. To grill cheese on the grill is to pull all the ooey-gooey magic out of it and get the flavors to mix with everything else. Whether on burgers, bread, steaks, Philly cheesesteaks, or veggies—grill cheese and you’ll take the other ingredients to new heights.

In this post, we’re going to look at some tips for working more creamy goodness into your grilling recipes. And we’ll finish by talking about a very grownup version of a childhood classic, the grilled cheese.

Healthy Benefits of Grilling

Grilling doesn’t just have to be massive amounts of meat and cheese tossed between two pieces of bread. Even if you don’t go for vegan and vegetarian options, there are plenty of ways to cook up chicken and red meat in healthy ways. Because you avoid cooking with oils and butters, grilling can even be one of the healthiest ways to make meat. When it’s just you and a fire, healthy grilling can make for a healthy lifestyle.

In this post, we’re going to look at some grilling ideas that make your meals a bit healthier. We’re going to look at some healthy grill recipes, and some ways you can make your favorite meats a bit healthier.

What You Should Know When Grilling Pork

The humble pork chop or pork steak can become a robust, fall-apart-on-the-fork piece of meat when it is grilled to perfection and not a minute longer. Grilling pork can be difficult. It’s not meat that people often reach for when they fire up the grill, and it certainly can get chewy and gross if you don’t cook it right.

In this post, we’re going to redeem the humble pork chop from its position as lesser meat, elevating it to a tasty status that it deserves. Grab from our kick ash selection of grill accessories, and let’s take the best tools to underappreciated meat.

Best Time for Grilling Salmon

A perfectly grilled salmon has a hearty seafood taste that still pairs well with any number of sauces and light crusts or dressings. It’s also notoriously fickle to cook. You’ll need to heat it up enough to melt down the tougher parts, but not enough to turn it to a chalky powder.

In this post, we’re going to look at the wonderful art of grilling salmon. You’ll get advice on how long to cook it, what you should pair it with, and expert salmon tips that will take your plate to the next level.

Alright! Grab a kick ash basket and ash can from our shop by grill section, and let’s fire up some hearty seafood.

How to Fix Overcooked Meat

Once you’ve cooked meat too far, there are some things that you can do to bring back overcooked meat from inedibility. While it may never be the same as steak that you’ve pulled off right on time, there are things you can do to recover overcooked meat.

In this post, we’re going to look at some ways to recover overcooked meat. While if you overcook a single burger, you can easily pop a new one on--if you’re throwing a backyard barbecue party then you might need to rescue the overcooked steaks! We’ve got you covered.

Vision vs Big Green Egg Grill

Big Green Eggs and Vision Grills are both excellent choices for your charcoal grill needs. But if you’re making the purchase of a new grill, then you’ll want to get down into the nitty-gritty of grilling specs!

In this article, let’s compare the Big Green Egg and the Vision Grill. And if you need accessories for both the Big Green Egg or the Vision Grill, Kick Ash Basket has you covered too!

Big Green Egg vs. Kamado Joe Grill

A kamado is just the name of a ceramic grill. The BGE, or Big Green Egg, is the older and bigger name in kamado grills. The Kamado Joe started more recently and has been up and coming as the challenger.

How to Evenly Cook Your Meat on a Charcoal Grill

Learning how to cook meat evenly on a charcoal grill will help you get bold, awesome flavors while cooking food thoroughly. The good news is that a charcoal grill allows you to cook meat really evenly, really easily!

In this post, let’s take a look at how to cook meat evenly on a charcoal grill. Grilling is a lot easier when you’ve got the right baskets and accessories, so check out our selection as well.

The Best Grilling Recipes From Across the Country

There are tons of grill recipes from all across the United States that you can bring to your backyard. Get creative with the grill recipes, and you can learn tons of new stuff about grilling and increase your grill game./p>

Get the accessories that you need to grill, whatever grill you have! Check out our shop by grill section to get accessories that are perfect for your grill.

Grilling Safety: How to Safely Dispose of Coals and Grilling Byproduct

It’s important that you dispose of the coals and grilling byproduct for a whole host of reasons. If you don’t clean things properly, the buildup will make food dangerous to cook. While fire can burn off many kinds of germs, there are still contaminants that can get on your grill over time that simply aren’t good for you. Grilling with fire and smoke is a great way to get close to your food! Don’t let contaminants ruin that bond.

Having a great ash can practically guarantee that you can shake that ash out of your grill space safely, but we’re here to help you explore more tips and tricks for cleaning your grill!

Wine/Drink and Meat Pairings

Take three bites of any well-cooked meat, and you’re going to want one thing: a drink. Knowing how to pair meat with certain beverages, like wine, is going to be critical to your entire dining experience. I mean, think about it, does washing down a tasty steak with a glass of water sound ideal?

Though usually more a practice of fine dining, pairing food and drinks is also an essential part of backyard barbecues. If you’ve got a bigger crowd, you’ll need to think outside the box to create these pairings; but with a little bit of creativity and an understanding of the basic principles of pairing, you’ll easily be able to create fantastic food and beverage combinations on the spot.

How to Cook Different Beef the Right Way

When cooking meat like chicken, you really need to have the temperature all the way up and make sure that your food cooks all the way through. When cooking meat like beef, on the other hand, you’re going to spend more time judging how the meat is cooking through and less time on raw temperature numbers.

Before you really get started though, you may want to check out our article on different cuts of beef, which can help you navigate the differences in flavor from one cut to the next. Ready? Alright, let’s cover cooking different cuts of beef!

A Guide to Cooking Meat: Different Proteins on a Charcoal Grill

Cooking meat can be intimidating, especially if it is on a new grill or is just a new cut of meat you’ve not yet prepared. So long as you know the general times and temperatures that you need to get to though, grilling just about anything becomes a whole lot easier.

Which Charcoal Grill is Best for You?

The perfect way to end a weekend day is with some freshly grilled veggies and meats. It’s easy to set up, easy to clean up, and you don’t have to do a lot to get those foods packed with flavor. The right charcoal grill will be essential to getting you a grilling setup that you use often, instead of one that lies unused.

Once you’ve identified the charcoal grill that you’re looking for, make sure to check out our kick ash grill shop, which has all the gear you’ll need to bring your grill game together.

Kid-Approved Grill Recipes for Picky Eaters

Everyone has had the experience of handing a child something that they’ve pulled fresh of the grill. The scent is amazing, the color is perfect, and you know that it is loaded with tasty, smoky juices. And yet instead of a look of joy and wonder, your picky eater looks up at you with a scrunched face and demands something completely different.

Best Side Dishes to Serve at a Barbecue

The right side dish for bbq makes all the difference for people already salivating over the main dish. If you’ve got some great side dishes for the grill, then you don’t have to worry about making so much steak that it breaks your budget. Also, if you’re grill tailgating, these dishes serve as great apps.

This post is dedicated to the best side dishes; the side dish for bbq that'll make everyone remember the main dish just a little bit more. Side dishes don’t have to just be things that you toss away to fill plates. Pick side dishes that make the meal.

Most Underrated Seasonings of All Time

Seasonings can get boring. If you’ve tossed the same combination of thyme or onion powder based seasonings over the top of your meat, then you might be ready for something completely different. Luckily, with a little bit of know-how, you can get a ton of different seasonings into your barbecue rotation. In this post we’ll check out a variety of underrated seasonings and give some advice on how you can work them into your grill game.

Top Gifts for the Griller in Your Life

Don’t reinvent the gift. If a birthday, holiday, or Father’s Day is coming up, grab them something that you know that they’ll use. If you’ve got a griller in your life, then we’ve got a list of gifts for grillers that are sure to be winners.

Finding gifts for grillers can be difficult. After all, you aren’t sure what they’re going to want to use. So we’ve done our best to give you some options on this list so that you’re sure to find something that is perfect.

How to Properly Clean a Charcoal Grill

One of the best ways to ensure that you can clean your charcoal grill without too many problems is to make sure that everything cooks properly. If you burn the meat or use the wrong kind of sauces and spices, you can easily get things stuck to the grill which discolors the grill and is really tough to get off. Avoiding burning and improper cooking sets you up for a successful cleaning session and a lot less scrubbing! Not sure where to start? Check out these 7 tips for cooking success.

12 Things You Never Thought to Grill

Grilling is just the application of heat and flame to food. There are certain “grilling foods” that are well known for the kind of bold flavors and savory spices that they pair well with. But for the expert grillers who are ready to apply heat and flame to more than just meat and bell peppers, there are lots of other avenues of grilling to be explored.

Backyard Barbecue Essentials

A BBQ is about way more than the sum of the parts. Yes, firing up some great meat and assorted veggies on the BBQ is a great start, but it’s not enugh to throw an awesome backyard barbecue party.

Best Ways to Prepare Different Types of Chicken on the Grill

Chicken has a thin line between perfectly cooked, tender goodness, and so dry that you wouldn’t want to eat it even if you douse it with a ton of barbecue sauce.

Realizing that you don’t like grilled chicken even when it is perfectly cooked? That’s no problem, check out our amazing beef brisket right here!

Guide to Cuts of Beef

There are lots of different cuts of beef, and you may only know how to grill the few different cuts of beef that you’ve actually attempted before. Well, then it’s time to branch out in the meat aisle at the store. This post is meant to give you all the confidence you need to surprise your friends and yourself by bringing home a different kind of cut of beef.

Not sure where to start? Don’t even have a go-to cut of beef already? That’s okay! Check out our 7 tips for cooking like a pro.

Grilling in the Winter: Top Tips for Keeping Your Grilling Going All Year

Winter grilling sounds really intimidating. After all, most of your images of grilling probably involve a camera panning to a steaming grill around some people splashing around in a pool. And when snow dusts the ground or when it gets chilly out, you don’t want to get into the pool. So why would you want to grill? Swimming equals grilling, right?

Wrong. With the right gear and the right plan, you can grill all year. It will take a bit longer and a bit more patience, but there’s nothing like a successful grilling experience in the snow. Check out our essential winter grilling gear and tips to extend your grilling season far beyond your swimming season.

7 Tips for Cooking Success

Sometimes there are items out in the marketplace that receive so much hype and can't deliver on the word-of-mouth that's pushed them forward.

Then there are times, such as with the Big Green Egg Grill, where the hype doesn't do it enough justice!

Seriously, what's better than having any savory meat that you purchase grilled and smoked to perfection? Nothing!

The Big Green Egg charcoal grill will revolutionize the way you grill and have your family and friends begging for a cookout every Sunday for the big game.

The History of the Kamado Grill

Kick Ash Tailgating

It’s time to kick off your tailgate party and you’ve got everything you need for the ultimate tailgating experience: a portable charcoal grill, ingredients for your famous kabobs, a well-stocked cooler, spirit wear, collapsible chairs, some tunes, and a fun group of friends. But have you figured out the easiest way to empty the hot used charcoal out of your grill before the big game starts? What about cooling the charcoal and the grill before you head home?

My Favorite EggFest

Kick Ash Beef Brisket

Kick Ash Connections

Hey Kick Ash Basket Fans,

Check out this story from our Friend Rob Lewis who lives on Beautiful Whidbey Island in Washington State. We met years ago, shortly after we launched our initial Kick Ash Basket for the Large Big Green Egg. Huge Thanks to Rob for his help with some site content and for sharing this Blog Post.

Enjoy and Have a Kick Ash Day! Chad

Kicking Off A New Thing

Hey Kick Ash Basket Fans and those who just don't realize their fan-ship yet! ??

This is the start of what we hope to be a weekly blog about Kick Ash happenings going on in our smokin' hot world. Who knows what we'll get into here with the intention to make it fun, educational, interesting, inspiring, value adding, and maybe some Kick Ash puns here and there too.