MEAT THERAPY A Clean Grill is a Happy Grill + Meat Therapy Musts

a clean grill IS A a happy grill

BY JASON WILSON, MEAT THERAPY Nothing says “Spring is in the air” more than the smell of a brisket on the smoker. You know what that means? It’s time to dust off the grill and get the outdoor kitchen prepped and ready for warmer days ahead. Pour a cold one, turn up the hype music and give yourself a pep talk…you can do it! A clean grill is a happy grill. The old folklore is that all the grease build-up adds seasoning and flavor, that’s a negative Ghost Rider (Google Top Gun, it’s basically a cool way to say “no”). All it is? A catastrophe waiting to happen. That build-up can cause unwanted flare ups or fires within your grill or smoker. I don’t know about you, but with the price of proteins these days, I’m not leaving anything up to chance. Been there, done that and thank goodness for Taco Bell party boxes. After about every 24 hours of cook time, I fire up the grill to prep it for its scrub down. The heat will help burn off some of the residual food, then a grill brush and a little elbow grease will take care of the rest.

Now, it is time to accessorize your outdoor kitchen. Make it pretty (and functional) with a grill mat, hang your spatula on the hook and have your favorite meat thermometer nearby. More importantly, decide what you are going to make first on your freshly cleaned grill. Try out the fresh smoked salsa recipe--so simple yet guaranteed to impress.

SMOKED SALSA

5 Tomatoes 3 Jalapenos 1/4 Cup Red Onion 4 Cloves of Garlic Salt or season to taste (Meat Therapy preference: 1 Tbsp Meat Church Holy Voodoo) 1 Cup Chopped Cilantro Juice of 1 Lime

Smoke tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and garlic at 250 degrees with hickory or lighter smoking wood/pellets for 1.5 hours. Add all the smoked veggies and cilantro to a blender with the juice of one lime. Pulsate to the consistency you are looking for, grab a chip and dive in!

MEAT THERAPY MUSTS

BUILD A SOLID PROFESSIONAL BACKYARD BBQ’R FOUNDATION WITH THESE GRILL ACCESSORIES AND MY PERSONAL MUST-HAVES

STORY, RECIPES & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON WILSON, MEAT THERAPY

TRAEGER GRILL MAT “PLACE A MAT UNDER YOUR GRILL FOR EASY CLEAN-UP AND TO PROTECT FROM ANY SPILLS AND SPLATTERS.” TRAEGER LARGE SPATULA “WITH A MASSIVE SURFACE AND A STURDY HANDLE, YOU CAN TRUST IT TO TRANSFER YOUR BIGGEST CUTS OF MEAT AND FISH.”

GRILL DADDY GRILL CLEANER

“EASY TO USE! SIMPLY PREHEAT THE GRILL, FILL YOUR GRILL DADDY WITH WATER, AND CLEAN WITH THE POWER OF STEAM!”

THERMAWORKS THERMAPEN

MEAT THERMOMETER “FOLDING PROBE, HUGE DISPLAY, AND UNMATCHED SPEED AND ACCURACY.” PIT MITT GRILL GLOVE “UNMATCHED PROTECTION AND VERSATILITY FOR HOME GRILLING. HEAT RESISTAN T UP TO 475°F.”

FIELD COMPANY CAST IRON

SKILLET “THE CLOSEST THING TO A VINTAGE CAST IRON. A GREAT CAST IRON SKILLET SHOULD BE THE PAN YOU REACH FOR MOST OFTEN.”