There are people who grill, and then there are the people who GRILL. We’re talking the apron wearing, phone app-using grillers who jump at any and every chance to fire up the ol’ Traeger, Green Egg, or Weber. Their adoration for their grill-game rivals that of a parent for their child, and they know no bounds when it comes to pushing their grilling to the next level.
If you’re searching for the perfect gift for the person who already has the top-of-the-line grill and carefully curated arsenal of sauces, rubs, and accessories, take a cue from the South’s seasoned grilling cultures. From Texas to the Carolinas, grilling and smoking are practically religions in these states.
'Tis the Season(ing)...for Grilling
Find inspiration beyond the supermarket shelves with spices, marinades, barbecue, and hot sauces crafted by Southern barbecue lovers and carnivores.
Prep meat for greatness with Spiceology’s Six-Pack of beer-infused spice rubs. Blends, such as hickory peach porter and cherry chipotle ale, offer smoky and sweet treatments to pork, beef, and lamb. And the clever packaging in the miniature beer-can-resembling six-pack feels right at home beside the grill.
All expert grillers know that saucing needs either a before-or-after approach: Do you flavor the meat before it hits the heat or after it comes off? Before saucing means picking a perfect marinade, and we love the spicy, honeyed notes food gets from soaking in this Bourbon Honey Marinade.
Prefer to after-sauce? Channel flavors of North Carolina’s legendary barbecue with Charlotte-made Ogre Sauce. Gift this sauce to the griller who’s ready to step outside of their comfort zone—while an obvious companion for smoked pork, it also works as a sweet-savory glaze for seafood or chicken wings, pizza sauce, or seasoning in a vegetable stir fry.
For the griller who likes covering all the bases between prepping for the grill to plating the meal, get them a barbecue bundle complete with the spice, grill sauce, and hot sauce. A griller who can handle their heat (flavor-wise, that is) will appreciate the Lillie’s of Charleston Hot Gift Pack. Not exclusive to just grilling, sprinkle the rub over eggs benedict to kick it up a notch, or put a dash of the hot sauce into your Bloody Mary.
If your griller prefers smoky over spicy, the Battery Barbecue Gift Pack keeps to the Charleston theme. Made by South Carolina-based Food for the Southern Soul, the BlackJack barbecue rub and sauce dresses meat for grilling and roasting, but save the sweet-forward Peach Slow Burn Hot Sauce until serving.
The Gift of Grill Gear
Finally, get your griller dressed for success. Sure, the “Daddio of the Patio” apron is cute, but there comes a time when dad jokes must take a backseat to functionality. The Grill Kilt is designed with the modern griller in mind. The ten pockets on this 360-degree apron are each customized to hold every tool that could be required at the grill, from long tongs to barbecue sauce to a cold beer.
