Grill Masters BBQ Box

Aug 09, 2020

You know the term “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” that is the mantra for the renown cookbook and Netflix special? Well we have our own version and it involves barbecue. We like to call it: Sauce, Rub, Honey, Salt.

Summer is upon us and the smell of barbecue is pervading through our neighborhoods. Especially with all this time spent at home, it can be nice to mix it up with a delicious meal that feels like an experience from prep to plating. The Grill Master’s BBQ box has been crafted to please the novice as well as the die-hard pit master and delivers on our own barbecue mantra.

We love amazing products and truly search far and wide to bring you the best. Our quest for the best barbecue paraphernalia began with an amazing sauce. (Doesn’t it always?) There are so many versions and varieties of well-loved sauces. Kansas City sauces, Memphis sauces, your grandmother’s sauce… North Carolina alone has sauces specific to the North, North East, West, and the South. The difference is often the base – either vinegar or mustard – which have their own distinct flavor profiles and are further defined by the add-ins, giving them tastes ranging from smoky to hot to sweet.

We taste tested dozens of sauces but it came down to one. Lillie’s Q Carolina Sauce, crafted to honor West Caroline barbecue traditions. Holy moly. It’s sweet and tangy, but not too tangy, and is versatile. Great on chicken, pork and beef. We also found it a delicious dip for roasted potatoes, so expand your barbecue horizons.

A great partner to this sauce is Lillie’s Q Carolina Dirt which is very mild and actually tastes a bit like the coating on a great BBQ potato chip. It’s sweet and spicy and also versatile. (Again with the potatoes! We loved to sprinkle some on russets and roast them.) Use the rub first on your barbecue meats and top with the sauce for the sweet, sweet layering of flavors.

Another option or add-on for a unique barbecue main dish is Cloister honey. We met the owners, Joanne and Randy, a few times, and after trying dozens of honeys, sought them out to include in our boxes because of the superior flavor. The Ghost Pepper Honey included in the Grill Master’s box is whipped and infused with ghost peppers for a surprisingly lovely combination of sweet and hot. Glaze your meats and wings, add it to your barbecue sauce, or spread a little on your biscuits with butter. It’s probably been a while since your guests have had a sweet, peppery kick to their biscuits!

The Gun Powder Finishing salt rounds out the ingredients to the perfect barbecue. It features a black Hawaiian volcanic salt, smoky chipotle pepper, garlic, onion, and sumac. It’s full of flavor – tangy and smoky with a bit of heat. A step up from your regular old sea salt and a great finish for grilled meat and fried food.

The new grill master must look the part, of course, so a durable apron from Foster & Rye will make him or her look like a serious pro. Complete with an adjustable neck strap and two front pockets for all the grilling tools, there’s a spot for everything – from a thermometer and tongs to a nice, cold beer.

Get inspired for more of where this came from with the MANBQUE Meat Beer Rock & Roll Cookbook. Even the most seasoned griller (no pun intended) can expand their repertoire. Our founder, Paula, has over 2,000 cookbooks and reads them like novels, saying she can always learn something new from a great cookbook. This one in particular hails from Chicago and is a great resource for outdoor cooks, music lovers, craft beer connoisseurs. Once a month, in cities across the country, these modern urban Vikings meet in back yards, back alleys, rooftops, beaches, and anywhere else that has room for a grill, cooler, and speakers. Inject a little of that barbecue lifestyle into your own party – or seek out this community.