Barbeque season is almost upon us and backyard barbeques will soon be happening every weekend. This year, instead of taking the traditional bottle of wine, be creative and give a gift of barbeque accessories. The host’s eyes will light up like a Roman candle in the dark of a midsummer night!

Barbeque gloves and barbeque mitts are to protect your hands from the heat when you are flipping those burgers. So many people use them now that they have almost become a necessity. They are also something that rugged thinking men wouldn’t buy for themselves.

Aprons that have such clever saying such as “Boss of the Sauce” or “Mr. Goodlooking is Cooking” are always a hit with the weekend chef. Whether he is a barbeque genius or a backyard bungler, he will enjoy a barbeque apron of his very own.

Stainless steel barbeque sets are always a nice gift for someone who spends a lot of time over a hot barbeque grill or barbeque smoker. I like the ones that come with a spatula, tongs, fork and a grill basket for vegetables, fish or shrimp. These are items that might ordinarily fall through the grill and into the fire. Grill toppers are baskets, grill pans and non-stick potato racks.

Those of us, who like to use the smoker at night, know that it takes a long time to bring the meat to the right temperature. For us there are barbeque lights galore. While it’s not necessary to stand over the fire while it’s cooking, your will need some kind of light to see with when you turn the meat.

Lights come in basic black or stainless steel. There may be other colors but I haven’t seen them. There are many kinds of bulbs, you just have to pick one that fits you budget.

Charcoal starters are always in demand. The price of liquid starters is getting prohibitive and you never have enough when you begin to start the fire. There are the electric fire starters that plug into a wall socket and the wand at the end of the electric cord gets red hot. At this point you stick it into the charcoal and the briquettes start to burn.

The other type of charcoal starters is the chimney starter. Simply lay the charcoal in the top part of the chimney and stuff some paper into the bottom and light it. The burning paper ignites the charcoal. These charcoal starters work great only if the host is using a charcoal grill or smoker.

Nothing pleases the backyard cook like a set of barbeque rubs. Rubs can be bought in a variety of flavors, perfect for rubbing into a brisket, fish, pork shoulders or a nice juicy steak, Chicken or Turkey can also benefit from a rub with a citrus, garlic and salt base. Besides meat, rubs can be used in salads, stews and soups.

Last but not least there are branding irons featuring your favorite college team, such as the University of Alabama, or your favorite professional sports teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers. If the host of your get together is not into sports are collegiate activities, a branding iron with “R” for rare, “M” for medium and “W” for well-done will please him greatly. Just heat the iron and brand the meat with whichever symbol you choose.

Just about anything you bring to the party, if it’s in the backyard and it has to with cooked meat of any kind, will be welcome and you will forever be on their guest list!

Bob Alexander is a son of the south. He has gained expert status in eating barbeque, telling fishing stories and leisure living.

Visit his site at: http://www.redfishbob.com

Author Bio: Bob Alexander is a son of the south. He has gained expert status in eating barbeque, telling fishing stories and leisure living. Visit his site at: http://www.redfishbob.com

Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: barbeque, barbeque accessories, backyard cook, barbeque rub, charcoal grill, briquettes, rubs, charc