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If standing in front of an open flame is not your idea of a good time, stop reading now!
Otherwise, for those of you who like the heat, it’s time to shake off the winter blues and get into grilling shape. Maybe you haven’t touched those tongs in several months or maybe you never have, so we figured that together, in our Grill Master Training Program, we can pick up some tips, tricks and recipes from a range of experts across the country.
First things first. If your outdoor grill hasn’t been used since last summer or fall, time to give it a good clean before you light it up.
Remove the grill grates and place them in a bucket of warm, soapy water.
If you have a wet-dry vac, use it to remove the ash and debris from the interior of the grill. A scrub brush or an abrasive sponge will work to clean the drip pan. Make sure to remove the chimney cap and clean the inside with a scrub brush.
Apply vegetable oil to the clean grates with a rag or paper towels as this will help prevent rust and food build-up. Use mild dishwashing soap with water or grill cleaner to clean the outside of the lid and the bowl. Dry with paper towels or a towel to prevent rust.
When you’re using your grill regularly (not after it has been dormant for a while), to clean the grill grates you just need a long-handled, stiff wire brush. If you don’t have a brush, you can always use a balled up piece of aluminum foil to clean them but we recommend buying a brush as it will make it much easier.
Ash collects at the bottom of the grill whenever it is used. When it builds up, the ash can block the vents at the bottom of the grill which can impede your control of the cooking temperature as well as increase the risk of fire.
Start by pre-heating the grill for 15 minutes on high, then turn off the grill. Now turn off the gas or propane tank. Clean the inside of the grill using a stiff, long handled wire brush that has been dipped in water. Make sure you don’t lean over the grill while you are doing this as it will create steam. If the grill is extremely dirty, you can add dishwashing soap to the water or use a grill cleaner.
After the surface has cooled, make sure to wipe the grate with a damp cloth to remove any brush bristles or residue. To remove any blockages from the burner’s gas ports, remove the burners from the gas supply line and clean the ports with a wire brush. Use a side to side motion rather than up and down so you don’t accidentally push the debris back into the ports.
Clean the burner valve with soapy water and then rinse the inside with water. Clean the inside of the grill with a wire brush and warm water with dishwashing soap. Rinse with water and dry with paper towels or a towel. Towel dry the burners and place back in position.
Use a long handled, stiff, wire brush to clean the grill grates. Apply vegetable oil to the clean grates with a rag or paper towels as this will help prevent rust and food build-up. Use mild dishwashing soap with water or grill cleaner to clean the outside of the lid.
Before you first use your brand new charcoal grill, it’s important that you “season” it. What that means is that you are essentially curing the paint that was used on the grill as well as burning off any oils or materials created during the manufacturing process. Once you do this, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a master griller in no time!
To do that, remove the fuel grate and grills, wash them in warm soapy water and rinse. Coat all of the inner surfaces with a high smoke point cooking oil (corn, vegetable, peanut, canola). Do not use olive oil as this has a very low smoke point. If you don’t want to apply the oil with a rag or paper towel, you can use a spray-on cooking oil.
Put the grates and grills back in the grill. Light the charcoal in the chimney starter and leave for about 15 minutes until it is well lit. Place coals in the firebox or charcoal fuel grate. Place cooking grills back. Close all doors or lid and leave any vents or flues halfway open.
Use a low, steady temperature of around 300°F for about 30 minutes for a Kettle Grill or 2 hours for a Barrel Grill. You want the oil to smoke and burn off. If you are curing a Barrel Grill, keep an eye on the temperature gauge as you may need to add more charcoal. The interior of the grill should look almost shiny when done.
Start by cleaning the grates with a long handled, stiff, wire brush. Use a rag, sponge or paper towels with a mixture of dishwashing soap and water. Wash and dry thoroughly. Coat all sides of the grate with a high smoke point cooking oil (corn, vegetable, peanut, canola). Do not use olive oil as this has a very low smoke point. If you don’t want to apply the oil with a rag or paper towel, you can use a spray-on cooking oil or fill a spray bottle with your preferred oil. Wipe off any excess oil as this could cause a flare-up when you heat up the grill. Oil the inside of the grill as well as the inner lid.
Preheat the grill on medium heat with the lid closed and the grates removed for about 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low, place the grates back inside the grill and close the lid. Wait two hours for the process completes. Then turn off the heat, keep the lid closed and wait for the grates to cool completely.
After seasoning, your stainless steel grates may turn dark bronze…that indicates proper seasoning.
Now that your grill is sparkling and ready to go, let’s get cooking! We’ve partnered with a few of our Arctic Zone® ambassadors to share some of their best BBQ recipes below. Bon appétit!
If you’re grilling for a crowd, our hard coolers are great as backyard coolers for keeping beverages icy cold. Keep one stocked with ice and assorted beverages and your guests can just help themselves. Another great usage for our hard coolers is for brining meat or poultry. Yep, you just put your protein inside the cooler along with all of your brining ingredients, close the lid and wait for the magic to happen. With built-in Microban® antimicrobial protection, our hard coolers are made for messy backyard barbeques. After you’ve rested your protein in your backyard cooler and are ready to throw it on the grill, the hard cooler cleans up easily with dishwashing soap and water.
SHOP HARD COOLERS
Our Zipperless™ coolers come in a wide range of sizes. They feature our easy access, Zipperless™ lid so guests can grab a cold one in a snap. Our Zipperless™ coolers are great to use as backyard coolers! Just load one up with cans and ice near your outdoor grill and let guests help themselves. You can also have your drinks, mixers, etc. on ice on the bottom of the hard liner of and use the included interior shelf for lemons, limes and olives. A perfect backyard cooler!
SHOP ZIPPLERLESS COOLERS
If you plan on using an outdoor grill at a campground or park, our backpack coolers are great for bringing all the essentials. If you have a long walk to the outdoor grill, this hands-free mode of carrying is perfect. If you’re heading to a backyard BBQ party and don’t want to show up empty handed, our insulated backpacks are the ultimate portable drink coolers.
SHOP BACKPACK COOLERS
Apart from the very obvious use of keeping a cold one close at hand, our mugs and tumblers can also be used to hold your special secret BBQ sauce so that you can liberally apply it to whatever you’ve got cooking on your outdoor grill. Not only good for BBQ sauce, our drinkware can be filled with olive oil or any other marinade that you will be using to make the best bbq.
SHOP DRINKWARE
Our different sized containers can be used for storing all your leftovers OR for filling with mix-ins for drinks like lemons, limes, olives or berries. Use can use any one of the coolers mentioned above to keep assorted mix-ins and garnishes fresh and on ice beside your outdoor grill.
SHOP ACCESSORIES
We’ve got a team of BBQ ambassadors from all over the country! Check them out for more mouthwatering recipes and grilling tips.
Celebrity Chef, Chef Hoppie is on the journey of revolutionizing the culinary industry, while showing the youth, and anyone for that matter, that you can live the lifestyle of athlete, artist, or entertainer while doing what you love. If it’s not being done yet, create it!
After 25 years in NYC, Mike Puma took his love of food and burgers to the streets, literally! During the pandemic Puma was asked to help out suffering bars and restaurants by doing Pop-Up's. He now attracts people from all over the world for his Gotham Smash, the 2021 SOBEWFF Burger Bash Winner.
Josh Hunt is the self-taught backyard chef behind @JoshHunt_Griddlin. He bought his first Blackstone in July of 2020, and the rest is history! He is passionate about cooking and loves the way food brings people together. He has found a great community of home chefs, chefs and foodies on social media who all have a love for making and eating great food, and sharing it with the world.
What’s better than therapy in the form of BBQ, beer, and bourbon? That’s what Meat Therapy is about, using what we are passionate about to bring healing to yourself and others. After a rough transition from the Army to civilian life, Jason craved normalcy and sought it out in the form of red meat and BBQ rubs. His cooks became his therapy, his coping mechanism. For the last three years he has had the opportunity and privilege of sharing his cooks with others while encouraging them to find their “therapy.”
Paul inherited his love of cooking from his mom and enjoys sharing his grilling passion with family and friends. Whether tailgating, on vacation, or at home, you can find him cooking up something delicious on a Traeger. Titan/Arctic Zone coolers provide the portable flexibility he needs when grilling anywhere.
Ryan Haggadone, from @michigantraeger on Instagram! He loves to cook and enjoys time outdoors with his wife and kids! As a family, they love going on roadtrips to parks and beaches, always keeping their Arctic Zone products close by!
Kris grew up in Texas, where he learned how to cook. He loves adventuring outside as well. He enjoys camping and competitive BBQ. One of the biggest thrills for him is cooking for others and having them enjoy his food. He belives that aside from sunscreen, the most important thing to have is a quality cooler to keep those drinks ice cold or keep a brisket warm!
Brian's motto is Family, Friends, and BBQ. He enjoys cooking on his Blackstone, smoker, and charcoal grills. He loves camping and sharing all of his adventures. He enjoys time outdoors and being close to a good fire next to his cooler loaded.
Jordan fell in love with smoking meat about 8 years ago when his grandpa gave him his first smoker (Little Chief) and taught him how to smoke jerky with it. Just before he passed away Jordan bought his first Traeger and has grown to love not only cooking on (all 5 now) but having his family and friends together around one table to enjoy a great meal and simply being together. That’s what its all about for him!
Adam is a self-taught backyard BBQ guy from Grand Haven, Michigan. In 2021 he decided to venture away from the gas grill and learn to make awesome backyard bbq on a charcoal grill. Now he likes to share what he has learned along the way and enjoys making awesome BBQ for friends and family. As a dad to four boys, it was a necessary skill to learn. Whether its keeping the beer cold for a long brisket smoke or letting the brisket get a nice long rest, his Arctic Zone products aren't far away!
Matt Chapman started smoking meat on his patio after getting his first Traeger grill in 2018! The bbq community has become like his family, and his passion for smoking meat and making delicious sides is shared by his friends, family and community. Matt loves the outdoors and camping, and he is always up for any adventure that comes his way.
Jessica loves the challenges of culinary bbq and developing recipes! Grilling calms Jessica down after a busy day at work, and is an outlet for her creative side. Nature and food photography is her other love... capturing a single shot that tells a story never gets old!
Jonathan loves BBQ and this great community! If it ever starts to feel like work, he will stop, because BBQ is therapy for him. Wherever he's at, he's cooking, even on vacation. When he's listening to music, having a few beers, watching football, and grilling with the family, it brings back great memories of grilling with his father.
Marcus is a die hard Dallas Cowboys fan, who loves bringing southern style cooking to the west coast! His favorite duty of all though is being the best husband and father he can be. Check out all of his culinary creations!
After receiving his first grill as a present from his fiance, now wife, 12 years ago, he has developed a passion to cook outside as much as possible! He has expanded his cookers, to now having over a dozen...from smokers to grills to fryers and pizza ovens. He is planning to begin catering and popups very soon, along with starting a foundation with his wife so that they can give back to those in need. Arctic Zone fits all of his hosting needs, from being able to keep cans cold, to carrying food or holding briskets for hours on end!
Tyler has a passion for cooking and trying new recipes on all of the grills in his backyard! He loves living the shore life and enjoying all the seasons that New Jersey has to offer!
Just your above-average dad from Indiana who likes to BBQ and tell dad jokes. During his free time, Christian enjoys hanging out with family and seeing what the world has to offer them! His passion for cooking sparked during the pandemic as he needed something to keep himself busy. Now he enjoys cooking for others and learning new techniques and tricks along the way.
TJ started his journey of outdoor cooking over 15 years ago. What started as a way to cook over fire the way he remembered watching his grandfather’s cook turned into much more. Once married, TJ and his wife quickly fell in love with entertaining and having cookouts for their family and friends. This has turned into a way of life for them and has led to the start of Cannon’s BBQ. Love of BBQ and entertaining has created what he is today.
Mike is a proud father with a passion for crafting delicious food on his Traeger Grills! He brings a refreshing dose of creativity to the BBQ scene with unique recipes that are sure to catch your eye! If he isn’t cooking something up, you could probably find him at the beach enjoying quality time with his family!
Michelle was born & raised in California and she currently lives in Wisconsin where she bought her first Traeger Grill in 2019! She is a Backyard BBQ Mom and loves sharing her happiness as she cooks on her Traeger Grills. One day you might see her bow hunting or on a random road trip outdoors, but most of the time you will find her dancing in the kitchen with her kids or outside sitting next to a campfire enjoying the country life!
Meet Brian of @g_bque, a passionate home cook/backyard bbq’er with a love of all things cooking. Brian has always enjoyed cooking, but it was the start of his page in 2020 that the passion was awakened. He loves learning new ways to cook, trying different cuisines and inspiring others to try new recipes. With the help of Arctic Zone, he’s able to keep beer cold while BBQ’ing, transporting food to friends or going on a weekend adventure.
Erik is a dedicated barbecue enthusiast who enjoys cooking on a large variety of grills and smokers. For Erik, the best part of his passion for barbecuing is gathering with friends and family over delicious food while sharing techniques and recipes.
Based in Colorado, Vicky has been cooking since she was young with the help of her mother. Her mother instilled the ideal of love through food by ensuring everyone was fed. Vicky will make sure to carry on that memory of her and try to convey that through her cooking.
Tyler Bundy, AKA "The Grillin Daddy" is a social media content creator and influencer from Central Florida. He enjoys cooking and grilling a wide variety of meals from easy weeknight recipes to the more challenging long cooks on the smoker or charcoal grill. Overall, his goal is to show others that it is possible to make delicious restaurant quality meals from home that even the kids will love!
Nick Nesgoda is an outdoor cooking enthusiast who goes by @Burnt_Pellet_BBQ. Nick has a passion for sharing relatable, flavor packed recipes that everyone can make themselves at home.
Welcome to the world of smoky deliciousness! Meet Sammy, the man behind BeardedBBQBoys, your ultimate BBQ pit master.
He has a fiery passion for all things barbecuing, and he's honed his skills over the years to become a true maestro of the grill. And yes, the beard is the perfect complement to his culinary powers.
Jeremy, a native Californian, proudly wears the hats of a father, husband, and outdoor enthusiast. Whether on the grill in his backyard or setting up his outdoor kitchen at a campsite, his passion for cooking in the great outdoors shines through. His win at Traeger Grills’ #TraegerGameDay in 2023 fueled his passion further. For him, the essence of BBQ goes beyond the incredible flavors and enticing aromas; it’s about the warmth of connection and the joy of togetherness it brings.
Chef Hannah has been a private chef for 6 years in the Atlanta Metro area, but travels all over the Southeast cooking for people! She specializes in intimate dinners for 2, small dinner parties, anniversaries, birthday and bachelorette parties. From seafood towers, smoked meats and Southern food, her culinary creations can be found on Instagram @decaturchef. When not cooking you can find her foraging in the mountains of North Georgia or fishing one of the many trout streams.
Keeping your food and drinks at the right temperature is what we do best.
★★★★★
"I love this little guy. I use it for road trips. Holds drinks, and a few snacks in the top part. I also use it for an ice bucket when we have guests over for BBQ and swimming. I bought 5 of them last year for gifts. They all loved it. Love that it doesn't zip and is still secure. And we have used every pocket for something. Took it to the beach in May and it was handy and perfect for a day cooler."
Shop 12 Can Zipperless HardBody® Cooler★★★★★
"I can not say enough great things about this cooler!!! This bad boy will keep ice frozen for OVER A WEEK. It's certified “bear resistant” for all of you hardcore camping dads AND its easy to clean bc it has antimicrobial protection built right into it. It's bright blue color makes it perfect for the beach, poolside, or a backyard bbq. It looks PERFECT next to our pool! Also, it's cheaper than that other brand of hard cooler we always hear about. Really, it's a win win all around. Couldn't love it more!!!"
Shop 55Q High Performance Hard Cooler★★★★★
"Excellent Purchase Choice for any outdoor activity at a decent price compared to many over priced coolers I researched. I'm so happy I did not waste my money on an expensive over rated ice chest. For starters this cooler is attractive, its built tough and overall unique. The Titan Deep Freeze does what it says. I took this cooler on a 5 hour ride and stayed two nights in the mountain pass with my family. I must say this: The way you pack items in ice in any cooler is important to how long ice will maintain. I was able to store 6 water bottles, 6 pack of beer and seltzers, cheese and small snacks with no problem. I added about an inch or two layers of ice between layers and a small layer on top with no problem. Arctic Zone- this company has a great customer service team. They respond quickly and ready to make things right."
SHOP 36 Can Welded Cooler★★★★★
"We gave this to our daughter in law who loves to cook and take her excellent creations to other to enjoy. This Thermal carrier was placed into service to a New Years eve party keeping her hard work pipping hot and made a great presentation because of the easy of transportation."
Shop Food Pro Expandable Thermal Carrier★★★★★
"Loved it!! Used the strap instead of roller and it was comfortable to carry. Plenty of ice left next day. Love the easy access top flap."
Shop 60 Can Wheeled Cooler★★★★★
"This mug keeps my coffee hotter than any other stainless steel mug I have. I highly recommend it. Absolutely Love these Mugs, Super Cool Colors Too! Excellent Mugs, They are Fantastic for cold & Hot Liquids.."
Shop 14 Oz. Mug★★★★★
"This cooler keeps your beverages cold as ice for hours! It is so convenient just opening the lid and not having to fight with a zipper. The included shelf works great for your lunch or anything you want to stay dry. Highly recommend it! Great value. Great performance 👏 Love it. Keeps my drinks cold, tons of storage, easy to carry and very nice looking!"
Shop 30 Can Zipperless★★★★★
"This cooler is everything I expected it to be I could not be happier it’s durable and keeps everything icy cold."
Shop 9 Can Zipperless★★★★★
"I love the coral reef color first of all. Plus, it fits perfectly in my car cup holder. It keeps ice in the cup for over 24 hours as well. I have not tried it out with hot liquids yet though. I have small hands, so I can easily wrap my hand around the cup with no problems. I did knock it over by accident once, and it kept all my liquid in the cup! It really surprised me! I would highly recommend this 20-oz cup to anyone looking to keep drinks cold for a long time. Love it."
20 Oz Tumbler
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