Fire It Up for the Fourth: Everything You Need for a Perfect Grill Day

Grilling truly is an artform. And, like any artist, you’re going to need some tools to get the job done. While everyone else is focused on the festivities, you’ll be crafting a masterpiece of a meal. Use these tools and tips to deliver a Fourth of July meal to remember. They’ll help you stay in the game and save a little dough by earning Cash Back at Ebates while shopping for all the best products.

Get the Party Started

If you have a charcoal grill and have never used a charcoal chimney, it’ll change everything you know about grilling. The simple and time-tested design creates airflow around the briquettes to help them get up to temperature. The best part? You can leave the lighter fluid on the shelf. All you need is an old newspaper to get things going. No more lighter-fluid-flavored food for you.

Bring On the Meats

If you’re going to go through the trouble of prepping your backyard for a grill day, you’d better have the right ingredients. Few things are more important than your meat selection. Sure, you could go fight in line at the local butcher with everyone else, or you could do all your shopping with a single click. Omaha Steaks is a trusted choice by many a grill-master thanks to its reputation for quality cuts. Take your pick from the many packages or build your own menu. I’d go for the premier selection.

Give Yourself Some Breathing Room

You have the fancy four-burner grill with all the bells and whistles, but there comes a time in every grill-master’s career when he or she just needs a little more room to practice the craft. A crowded grill isn’t the end of the world, but it’ll take a lot longer to cook your food and you’ll have hangry party guests to attend to. Say hello to the Blackstone griddle cooking station, a versatile cooktop built for odds and ends like veggies, rice and anything else you can grill up.

Deal With Difficult Delectables

When I graduated from tinfoil to a grill basket like this one from Broil King, I never looked back. This simple tool is perfect for anything that might fall through the grates while you flip, pick at and prod the contents of your grill. It’s especially good for chopped onions, peppers and mushrooms.

Chill Out, Man

When you’re tending to the smoky throne, the last thing you want to do is go for an ice run. Spoiler alert: Neither do your guests. Make it easy on everyone and invest in a Yeti Tundra. This tank of a cooler will last you the rest of your life, and it keeps ice cold and intact for days. 

Put Away the Knife and Pick Up a Thermometer

You’re going to work hard on this feast, so don’t blow it by slicing into the meat to check the temperature or taking it off the grill too soon. Upgrade to a digital thermometer with a sensor probe. The key is keeping the juices inside the meat where they belong, and this gadget will help you do just that because it’s fairly non-invasive. Plus, it’s wireless, so you can get a readout up to 300 feet away—perfect for that detour to the cooler or a trip inside to prep the rest of your meal.