Note: This post is a part of the Big Green Egg Series, a deep dive into the popular Kamado style grill and all that it offers. Follow along on this adventure if you have ever been curious about getting an Egg or want to better understand how to get the most out of your Egg.
Tools and accessories are an important part of live-fire cooking — the accessory market for BBQ and grilling may actually be bigger than the grill market itself! I will admit that I’m not the first person on the block to grab the latest gadget or gizmo to enhance my grilling life. After all, it is my belief that keeping everything as basic as possible lets me focus on the food.
But there are items that I do have in my arsenal, and they have to meet three criteria: they are going to help me get to my endgame, they fill a need, and they save time. I’m going to share with you three tools from the Kick Ash Basket that do just that.
Kick Ash Basket
The Kick Ash Basket is a charcoal holder for your Big Green Egg. You can use it with or without the Fire Grate in place. The basket does a couple of things. It holds the charcoal slightly off the air holes in the fire ring; that helps the holes stay clear of small bits of charcoal, which can clog them. It makes resetting your Egg for the next cook a snap. Instead of stirring the remaining charcoal with the ash tool before relighting you just lift out the basket. Give it a shake over your ash disposal container and all the ash and small bits of charcoal shake out.
You can use the basket with or without the fire grate in place. If you’re not using the fire grate in the Egg, cleaning out the ash in the bottom also just became a lot easier. Lift out the basket and it’s wide open for you to sweep out. Drop the basket back in, top it off, and you’re ready to cook.
In my experience, the Egg responds much faster to temperature adjustments when using the Kick Ash Basket without the fire grate in place. The bottom line is that the Kick Ash Basket saves time both in resetting the egg and getting to the desired temperature a lot faster.
Kick Ash Grate Hook and Super Lifter
Every time to reset your Egg, you need to remove the cooking grate and possibly the convEEGtor. Kick Ash’s Grate Hook and Super Lifter allow you to hang those pieces as opposed to laying them on your work surface. They also keep you and your work surface a whole lot cleaner. There are times you’re going to have to get into the grill when it’s HOT.
A good example: Let’s say you’re making a frittata. You want to sauté your ingredients and start to set your eggs using direct heat. Then you want to drop in the convEEGtor to finish indirectly. The Grate Hook allows you to pull the hot grate and hang it safely off to the side while the super lifter allows you to set the convEEGtor in place over the hot fire.
The convenience these tools bring to the party is priceless. Being able to hang your cooking grate and convEGGtor while you’re working is extremely helpful.
Kick Ash Adjustable Divider
The Kick Ash Adjustable Divider gives you the ability to grill directly and indirectly at the same time. This is a dream accessory for reverse searing. It makes it easy to get your steak up to the perfect pre-sear temperature. Get you direct side smoking hot quickly, then do your sear without ever touching anything other than the steak! The video below gives a few more examples of awesome two-zone cooks with the divider:
I said it at the beginning: I’m not a gadget guy. Space in my cook area comes at a premium but Kick Ash Tools have earned a spot in my world. They allow you to cook faster and safer. The Kick Ash Basket has filled that need.
Don’t take my word for it; cook on your Egg for a while. I’m confident you will say to yourself, “Yeah, I need a basket.” “Yeah, I need a grate hanging thing.” “Yeah, I need a better way to handle this convcEGGtor. “ “Man, would it be nice to have…” When you get there, look at the Kick Ash Basket for your answer.
Till next time Happy Grilling!
Jon
**Affiliate links have been used in this post, which means I could make a small commission if any products are purchased. I only recommend products that I personally use and endorse. (Robyn)
Now we’re cookin! Check out these other tasty recipes and techniques for your Big Green Egg as our journey continues!
