Amazon Best Sellers: Top 10 BBQ Products (June '14)

By Dru Chai

If you're a frequent customer of Amazon.com, you've inevitably clicked on the "Best Sellers" link for a particular product category of interest to you. It's always interesting to see what other people are purchasing. Not only is it a good way to find out what the current "hot" products are, but there could be a great deal that everyone is jumping on.

Amazon doesn't have a top sellers section for just BBQ products. They are sprinkled about in the Patio, Home, and Garden / Grills & Outdoor Cooking section. You would have to keep looking through page after page to find what BBQ related product everyone is buying. Luckily for you, I compiled the top 10 and listed them all here.

Amazon Best Sellers: Top 10 BBQ Products (updated January 2014). I've purchased and own 6 of these products, so I'm definitely a contributor to this list! How many products from this list do YOU own?

1. Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter

2. Weber Premium Cover for Weber Genesis Gas Grills



3. Weber 12-inch 3-sided Grill Brush



4. Weber Small Aluminum Drip Pans



5. Ivation Long Range Wireless Probe BBQ Thermometer



6. Weber Firestarter Lighter Cubes (24-count)



7. Weber Apple Wood Chunks (3-lb)



8. Maverick Remote BBQ Smoker Thermometer



9. Bayou Classic Stainless Steel Marinade Injector



10. Weber Apple Wood Chips (3-lb)

Review: BBQ Dragon Fire Supercharger

By Dru Chai

Are you an impatient BBQ griller or smoker? Are there times when you're HANGRY (angry and hungry at the same time)? When I'm hangry, I'm daydreaming about biting into a big, fat juicy steak, burger, or hot dog. I'm too lazy to drive elsewhere for takeout, and even if I do, the food certainly doesn't compare to my own BBQ grilling and smoking.

The last thing on my mind is waiting for the charcoal to light up. I want to get straight to the fun part -- grilling and smoking the MEAT. That's where the BBQ Dragon comes in handy.

Technically, it can also blow dry your hair

I've been testing out the BBQ Dragon for several weeks, checking to see where the device fits within my normal day-to-day grilling and smoking sessions. Simply put, the BBQ Dragon is a device that blows air onto charcoal or wood, which helps to increase airflow to "jumpstart" the fire. I have a Weber Kettle Grill and a Weber Smoky Mountain (WSM) smoker, so I consider myself an avid charcoal user and targeted customer for this BBQ product.

The BBQ Dragon is like a jolt of steroids for the chimney starter

I primarily used the BBQ Dragon two ways -- directly on the chimney starter and for my smoker. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes to get the charcoal fully lit at the top, but with the BBQ Dragon the time was cut in half. On my WSM, when the charcoal is about to die off, I simply fired up the BBQ Dragon to get the flames roaring again in no time.

My smoker getting a heavy dosage of BBQ Dragon breath

There's no question that the BBQ Dragon does what it's supposed to do. If you're someone who values your precious time (I'm hangry!), this is a product that will speed up the boring process of waiting for your charcoal fire to get up and running so you can get right to the grilling and smoking.

Dirty Smoke rating - 4.0 of 5 stars
Pros - Well built, ergonomic handle and sturdy clamp, variable fan speed setting
Cons - Not inexpensive, regular batteries run out rather quickly
Recommended - check them out on Amazon.com

Review: Kassa Meat Claws, Meat Shredder, Handler Forks

By Dru Chai

Ok, true story here. Before I started BBQ smoking as a backyard hobby, I would use my bare hands to shred pulled pork. Needless to say, my fingers would take some serious punishment and I would yell "ouch" or "oww" or "ohh" every other second. Yes, I was simply impatient (not to mention hungry!).

Nowadays, to give my fingers a break, I'll use a couple of forks. But even with forks, it's just too small to do the job, especially if you have a lot of meat to shred. Enter Kassa Meat Claws.

I recently had the chance to use these sharp meat claws on some bone-in pork shoulder, and it just took a few minutes to shred the pork into nicely sized chunks. I especially liked the grips -- I really felt like a giant bear tearing through some flesh for dinner.

Aside from shredding meat, there are also a couple of other uses. Flipping over meat in the oven, putting meat on the grill, or even holding meat while slicing. Whatever the use, just make sure you get a good grip. You wouldn't want the meat to take a tumble on the floor -- that would be a shame, for sure.

Dirty Smoke rating - 4.0 of 5 stars
Pros - Good grip, sturdy, easy to clean
Cons - Not meant to finely shred meat
Recommended - check them out on Amazon.com

Review: The Amazing Heat Resistant Silicone Grill Gloves

"Don't burn yourself!"

How many times have you heard that from your spouse or loved one? I've heard it plenty of times -- whether it's volunteering at the local soup kitchen, grilling outside the patio, or handling hot baked potatoes in the kitchen. I'm always on the lookout for a good set of gloves, and I recently had the opportunity to review The Amazing Heat Resistant Silicone Cooking and Grill Gloves.

The first thing I noticed are the hundreds of tiny heart-shaped (I HEART BBQ!) textured grips all over the gloves. They fit a little snug around the fingers, and I liked how there's some flexibility -- whether it's grabbing a hot tray from the oven, and handling the outside of your BBQ grill or smoker.

These are definitely an upgrade from the standard, cloth-based oven mitts. I like how these gloves are made from silicone, so they are easy to clean and dishwasher safe. You won't believe how many old oven mitts I've had to toss away because they were worn out and infested with mold.

I've used the glove several times, mostly for handling my Weber Smoky Mountain charcoal smoker. Whether it's opening the lid to take a peek at my ribs or brisket, or opening and closing the vents, the gloves did its job protecting me from the extreme heat. The Amazing Heat Resistant Cooking and Grill Gloves is a solid addition to any home cook or backyard griller.

Dirty Smoke rating - 4.0 of 5 stars
Pros - Maximum grip, easy to clean
Cons - Tight fit for dudes with really big hands
Recommended - check them out on Amazon.com

Amazon Best Sellers: Top 10 BBQ Products (Jan '14)

If you're a frequent customer of Amazon.com, you've inevitably clicked on the "Best Sellers" link for a particular product category of interest to you. It's always interesting to see what other people are purchasing. Not only is it a good way to find out what the current "hot" products are, but there could be a great deal that everyone is jumping on.

Amazon doesn't have a top sellers section for just BBQ products. They are sprinkled about in the Patio, Home, and Garden / Grills & Outdoor Cooking section. You would have to keep looking through page after page to find what BBQ related product everyone is buying. Luckily for you, I compiled the top 10 and listed them all here.

Amazon Best Sellers: Top 10 BBQ Products (updated January 2014). I've purchased and own 6 of these products, so I'm definitely a contributor to this list! How many products from this list do YOU own?

1. Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter

2. Weber Premium Cover for Weber Genesis Gas Grills



3. Weber 12-inch 3-sided Grill Brush



4. Weber Small Aluminum Drip Pans



5. Ivation Long Range Wireless Probe BBQ Thermometer



6. Weber Firestarter Lighter Cubes (24-count)



7. Weber Apple Wood Chunks (3-lb)



8. Maverick Remote BBQ Smoker Thermometer



9. Bayou Classic Stainless Steel Marinade Injector



10. Weber Apple Wood Chips (3-lb)