Few cooking experiences render greater food and pleasure than grilling outdoors.  But what do you do when you want an easy grilling option but are away from your home? Simple.  The answer is to pick up a quality portable propane grill!

Now, you may think that your options are limited to those old rickety green camp stoves you remember from your childhood.  However, thanks to Weber, there are some really nice, streamlined, and modern portable propane grill options from which to choose.

Expectations for Your Portable Propane Grill

Your portable propane grill is your ticket to great grilling on the go.  You’ll want one that folds up for easy transport and storing for sure.  Remember, “portable” is the key here.  No sense in getting one too large, as you might as well tote the one you have in your back yard already!

Keep in mind that the grilling surface of your grill will be smaller than the one you have at home, but it you’re trading convenience for size here.  Once you get to your destination, you’ll be glad you have a trustworthy grill with you so that you can enjoy that great day at the beach, that memorable camping trip, or a simple and peaceful picnic away from home.

Two of the better portable propane grill options out there are made by Weber.  You probably know Weber from their signature kettle charcoal grills, but don’t discount this company’s propane grill offerings.

		Weber 586002 Q 320 Portable Outdoor Gas Grill Overall Rating:   Retail Price: $459.00 Amazon Price: $359.00	Weber 386002 Q 100 Portable Gas Grill Overall Rating:   Retail Price: $149.00 Amazon Price: $139.00

The Q320 and Q1oo portable grill options by Weber are great choices.   From the pictures in this post, you can see that the Q320 is a bit less portable than it’s little cousin, the Q100.  It really just depends on what you’re looking for.

In either case, a portable propane grill by Weber is a safe bet for quality grilling on the go!

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Electric smokers have gained a lot of ground among entry level smoked BBQ food lovers as an change of pace when faced with more traditional grilling or smoking with charcoal or natural wood burners.   What’s not to like?  You save loads of time and the convenience that electric BBQ smokers offer is just too hard to resist.

Main Advantage of Electric BBQ Smokers

One of the main advantages of using Electric BBQ smokers  is that rather than using hot fire to burn wood chips- which frequently cause flare-ups and bad taste if you don’t watch them carefully, the  electrical power source to produces controlled, steady, even and slow smokes to circulate around the barbecue meat.

It really is a “set it and forget it” option for smoking meat, and you should definitely give the Old Smokey electric BBQ smokers a try.

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I talk often to folks new to BBQ grilling and smoking.  Often, they’ve just purchased a basic BBQ smoker or grill, but are a little unsure how to get the best results.

If you’re new to using a grill or BBQ smoker, here are some tips sure to make your 4th of July BBQ cookout a hit.

4th of July BBQ Menu Idea:

First Class Grilled Chicken and Ribs

This BBQ Chicken and Ribs combo is sure to be a hit.  Use this and you’re sure to cook up a hit!  And hey – the sauce is pretty darned good, too!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• One quarter (1/4) cup of olive oil
• 3 lbs. of chicken pieces, skin on (thighs, drumsticks, breasts)
• 3 lbs. of pork ribs (on the slab)
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• Salt and pepper as desired

Get your BBQ Grill nice and ready to receive the “chickeny – ribby bounty” by brushing the grates with canola oil and fire it up to about 350°F.  (Don’t worry, they make BBQ Grill Thermometers to help you with this!)

While the grill is getting hot, rinse off the chicken and ribs, pat them dry, and season them liberally with the pepper, salt, and garlic powder. I tend to go heavy on the seasoning – you may want to play it safe (boo!).

Arrange the chicken and ribs on the grill – making sure to give every piece some breathing room.  You’ll hear some hissing – this is a good thing!

VERY IMPORTANT! Hold off on your desire to turn the meat for at least 5 minutes.  Doing so will help the meat sear nicely. After 5 minutes, turn the meat over and let the other side sear for 5 more minutes. Turn again, and this time, brush the meat with the barbecue sauce. Waiting to brush with the BBQ sauce until after the meat has cooked some prevents the sugars in the sauce from burning before the meat is cooked.  The hot meat will also suck in more of the flavor of the liquid sauce  – boosting the overall flavor.

Keep turning the meat every 5 minutes, repeating the process of mopping the meat with sauce until the chicken and ribs are cooked through and the barbecue sauce begins to caramelize and build a crust on the meat (35 to 40 minutes).

Sweet and Twangy 4th of July BBQ Sauce

Here’s what you’ll need

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, minced
• 2 cups ketchup
• 8-ounce jar honey mustard
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Meat Rules.  And it’s flavor should NEVER …. EVER… be hidden by a sauce.  This said, a good BBQ sauce can absolutely elevate BBQ smoked or grilled meats to new heights.  I think this “Sweet and Twangy” BBQ sauce does this very well.

To get this sauce rolling, first – heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion just until it turns a little clear and is tender when you poke it with a fork – this is called “sweating” the onion.

Once you have the onions “sweating,” dump in the remaining ingredients and simmer roughly 10 minutes.

Once it’s ready, you need to blend it all together.  I use a hand held mixer to keep things simple – but you can use an upright one if you want. Once it’s nice and blended to a smooth consistency, simmer the blended sauce on a low setting  for another 5 minutes.

If you split the sauce into a couple different containers, you can use one batch to sauce the meat during grilling, while keeping the other batch for use as a sauce at the table.

Have your own great 4th of July BBQ outing recipes?  Please share!

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Question is, are you an “in the oven” pro or an honest to goodness charcoal and wood-smoked BBQ rib pro?  Each method has its benefits and can be employed in a variety of situations for a host of reasons.

Here’s one great Smoked BBQ Ribs method…

Chime in on your own favorite way to prepare smoked BBQ ribs.  We’d love to hear from you!

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However, there is another DIY Smoker out there, the “Ugly Drum Smoker” (UDS) that is not only a little bit easier to construct, but is in use worldwide by BBQ Smoker enthusiasts  – some of whom are winning cook off contests with them!

The Ugly Drum Smoker Steel Drum DIY Approach

The Ugly Drum BBQ Smoker is probably the most basic, yet efficient steel 55 gallon barrel smoker out there.   Actually, Jim over at the Backyard Barbecuer has modified this idea down to a 15 gallon drum version that’s pretty darned nifty!  Give him a buzz and I’m sure he’d be willing to share his ideas with you!

It’s been recreated by hundreds of backyard barbecue enthusiasts around the world, and has even been used to create award winning ‘cue at regional BBQ cook-off competitions!

The UDS works differently from pipe-style smokers, because the heat and smoke source isn’t beside, but rather directly under the meat you’re smoking.

Some folks use water pans and diffusers to reduce the amount of direct heat that reaches the meat, but normally – the heat is managed by covering air intake holes.  This is the preferred temperature control method, because it allows drippings from the meat you’re smoking to fall onto the coals and wood chips – adding to the smoke flavor.

One of the best things the UDS has going over side fed smokers is that you can load it with charcoal and wood chips, and then “set it and forget it” – allowing it to burn at a flat temperature for as many as 12 hours.

Though thge UDS smoker’s thin sides keep it from retaining heat like offset smokers, it does offer a huge advantage in it’s price – which can be as little as $60 for the resourceful DIY individual.

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