5 Grilling Tools for Techies

Just because bringing meat to an open flame is the most primitive form of cooking doesn't mean that there's no room on the back patio for even the most hardcore techie to show off some gear. Here are five tools that will help you, the spatula-wielding, burger-flinging, bartwurst-downing egghead get your nerd on at your next BBQ (and I meant that in a good way).
1. Dual Infrared/Thermocouple Thermometer Ever wonder if there's a more reliable (and safer!) way to tell if your grill grate is hot enough to begin cooking than just feeling it out with your hand? A laser-sighted infrared thermometer is your tool of choice. Just point the laser beam at your grill grates and the digital read out tells you with 1 degree accuracy whether your coals are going low and slow for whole chicken pieces, or screaming hot for searing steaks or burgers.

While most infrared thermometers stop right there, the Taylor Professional 9306 Dual Temp IR/Thermocouple Thermometer ($99.99) goes one step further, offering a fold-out thermocouple probe with a temperature range of -67 to 572 degrees F, ensuring that your medium-rare lamb rack really does come out medium-rare every time.

2. LED Grill Light If you're anything like me, you're often firing up burgers when it's on the late side at night. Sure you can go ahead and guess when those burgers are done in the dark, or you can do what the truly hardcore high-tech grillmasters do and invest in a goosenecked LED light.

The Brinkman 9087 LED Grill Light runs 6 high-output LED's off of three AAA batteries for bright, even light. Unlike cheaper models which attach to the grill with cheap plastic clips, this one's got a metal screw mount that locks it firmly in place no matter how much you move the fully adjustable neck.

3. A Gas Grill Smoker Box Instantly convert any gas or charcoal grill into a hot smoker by adding a smoker box. A perforated stainless steel box holds soaked wood chips, chunks, or even fresh herbs and sits directly on top of the grill grates. All you've got to do is add your food, close the lid, and let'er rip.

While brand-specific models like the heavy duty Weber 7541 Gas Grill Smoker ($88.87) allow wood chips to sit directly on the grill bars, increasing their smoke output, even generic box models like the Charcoal Companion Platinum Gas Grill Smoker Box ($9.99) will help you add sweet smoke flavor to any of your grilling projects.
4. An Electric Rotisserie Cooking a whole chicken on the grill is a chore. The bird requires frequent shuffling to ensure that all areas are cooking evenly, and constant attention to get the skin to crisp just right. The solution? An electric rotisserie. With models large enough to hold two chickens at a time (or even a small thanksgiving turkey), feeding a crowd is as simple skewering the meat and flipping a switch.

The powerful motor in the Weber 7519 Gas Grill Rotisserie ($64.26) keeps even heavy or unevenly skewered foods turning evenly and efficiently, allowing meats to baste in their own juices, and crisping up their exterior surfaces. You may never roast a prime rib in the oven again.

5. An Electric Charcoal Starter Lighter fluid is only for those who don't mind their food tasting like gasoline. While a chimney starter will light the coals quickly, efficiently, and thankfully aroma-free, an electric charcoal starter is even faster, producing a glowing pile of embers within 12 minutes of plugging it in. Sure, it requires an electrical outlet to function properly, relegating it to the back patio or yard for most people, but what true techie doesn't bring their portable generator with them on a camping trip?The Char-Broil Electric Charcoal Starter Wand is cheaper, efficient, and durable.

What are your favorite grilling tools?

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