A Boffo Barbecue

By Maryanne Murray Buechner

Dribble Shot This basting bottle ensures that the extra marinade lands on the meat, not your feet. A tiny valve at the top restricts the flow of liquid, and a rubber lip helps contain it. $14 at www.pamperedchef.com

Pretty Swift It takes about five minutes to assemble the Grilliput, a petite stainless-steel grill you can take anywhere. The parts pack up into a slim 11-in. tube weighing just over a pound. $29 at rei.com Optional fire bowl, $13 at amazon.com

Blue-Light Special When grilling after dark, try the LumaTong, with extra-large pincers and a tiny detachable light aimed at whatever you're tonging. The jaw locks with each squeeze for more control. $20 at grilling4all.com

Great Shakes If you can't take the heat ... use these rosewood salt and pepper shakers to season searing meats and veggies. The 14-in. stems keep hands at a safe distance from the open flames. The shakers also unscrew for table use. $20 at chefscatalog.com Ball of Fire The FlameWorks Hot Rod mop brush from Chef'n grabs generous quantities of sauce with its multilayered silicone head. The tail end of its stainless-steel handle doubles as a bottle opener. $15 at chefsresource.com

What's in Those Hot Dogs? The traditional answer is, Don't ask, but the new trend in wieners is to boast about the ingredients--organic, grass fed or nitrite free. Nitrites keep germs at bay and give dogs their hot pink hue but have been linked to various cancers. So the new uncured franks use natural preservatives instead, like celery juice and beets. Hans' All Natural ($4.99 for six) dogs, for example, have a brownish hue and a pronounced spicy taste. Pure Foods Uncured Beef Wieners ($5.49 for six) have a strong meaty taste and a redder hue, thanks to beet powder. Wellshire Farms offers a spicy frank ($4.99 for five) reminiscent of kielbasa.

You say the kids won't eat 'em? Try Organic Valley Organic Hot Dogs ($5.99 for seven), smoked over hickory hardwood to give them a traditional taste. Or serve an Applegate Farms Great American Organic Hot Dog ($4.99 for eight), made from grass-fed beef. It has a slightly mushy texture, but the seasoning and color give it the most authentic hot-dog look and taste.

With reporting by Lisa McLaughlin