Great gas grill gizmos

Sunset, May, 1995 by Bill Crosby

Five new ways to improve your barbecuing prowess

After testing a score of new gas grill accessories that claim to do everything but compliment you on your barbecuing apron, Sunset narrowed the list to five worth using. Four cater to barbecuers' newly rediscovered passion for rotisserie cooking. The fifth is an accessory for a propane tank. If you can't locate dealers in your area, call the manufacturers and mail-order sources listed.

The chicken cage. This simple attachment saves you the work of tying the chicken so it won't flop around while it turns. It replaces one of the two prongs that hold your bird on the spit. A standard fryer slips neck first into the cage and is held snugly. You can still baste it, the finished bird is easy to remove, and you can throw the cage right in the dishwasher. It costs about $30 from Fire Magic; for distributors in your area, call (818) 369-5085.

Adjustable counterbalance. You try to balance a spit as best you can, but rarely do big cuts turn smoothly - there's that straining of the spit motor, followed by the free-fall of your leg of lamb, turkey, or whatever as the load topples over the top of its rotation. This simple adjustable weight lets you balance the load on the spit so the motor turns it at a constant rate. The food cooks evenly, and you save wear and tear on your spit motor. This product is also sold by Fire Magic. Cost is about $10.

Kebab and sausage wheels. At first glance, you might be inclined to put these two items in the "why would I ever want this?" category. But have you ever cooked kebabs or sausages on the grill and had the outsides burn and the insides stay raw? These rotisserie attachments bring perfectly even rotisserie cooking action to perennial grill-top favorites.

The kebab wheel ($13) will hold six 17-inch skewers; the sausage wheel ($8) holds 10 links. Both products are from the Grill Lover's Catalog; call (800) 241-8981.

Propane gauge adapter. We tested every propane gauge we could find. Some work okay, but none works if you forget to check it. So when you run out of gas, this adapter will let you hook up a little 1-pound camp-stove propane bottle to your grill so you can get through a meal's cooking. It costs $9 from the Northern Hydraulics Catalog; call (800) 533-5545.