Skip to main content

Tailgate In Style: PK Grills

Football season is not even half over. If you’ve got grill envy every time you pull into your team’s stadium parking lot, you’ve still got time to find a decent grill for pregame burgers and brauts. The only problem with mobiel grilling is the size. Most tail gating kits are baby grills that are heavy on looks but light on cooking power. We discovered the PK Grills line up recently, and whether you’re planning a smoked feast or grill seared steaks, this mighty little aluminum grill is the solution to your problems.

Related: Innovative Tailgating Equipment | Liquor-fy Your Tailgate

Originally started in Tyler, Texas in the early 1950s, PK (Portable Kitchen) Grills cast aluminum design is both timeless and efficient. After a twenty year hiatus following a factory fire, PK is back and not much has changed. Each grill is still made by hand, and features vents to tune your heat and smoke to any meat.

The PK Grill: Made By Hand

Those vents are the secret to getting every last ounce of flavor out of your meat. Open them up above and below your bed of charcoal, and you’ll have a high temperature bed for burgers, dogs, and sausage while you’re tailgating or at the beach. Close a pair of them down, add in a tray of water, and wood chips, and your grill becomes a miniature smoker that can handle anything from pork ribs to a whole turkey (let’s see your wife’s oven handle that on Thanksgiving).

What’s really got us sold is the portability though. When it’s on the included cart, your PK Grill is at home on the back patio for summer barbecues. Go on the road though, and the body detaches and fits in just about any trunk or cargo area. We’ve already got visions of smoked ribs on the beach grilled steak at 10,000 feet at backcountry ski camp.

Editors' Recommendations

Austin Parker
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Austin Parker is a former contributor at The Manual Parker is a powder skier and sport climber and is no stranger hauling…
How to make soubise, a 3-ingredient onion sauce for grilled meat
Jazz up your meat with this delicious sauce
A plate of onion sauce on pork chops

If you're looking to level up your grilled meat dishes without using barbecue sauce, then soubise sauce is the sauce for you. This sauce is quick and easy to make. You only need a few ingredients and you’re good to go. By the way, it not only goes well with grilled meats, but it also pairs well with roasted meats and chicken.

In classical French Cuisine, the five mother sauces are the foundation of all the smaller sauces. One of these smaller sauces is the soubise sauce, which is an alteration of the béchamel mother sauce. With just a few simple pantry ingredients, you are on your way to a thick and velvety sauce that can elevate most meat dishes.

Read more
How to grill corn on the cob: The tips, tricks, and recipes you need
This classic barbecue dish just got a whole lot better
Grilled corn on the cob

Fresh corn is an absolute summertime staple. We don't care how progressive or trend-setting your barbecue menu is; if you're not serving up grilled corn on the cob, you're doing it wrong. Not only is that juicy, sweet taste beautifully accented by the smokey char of the grill, but it's yet another dish that's even better when cooked over the flames.

Forget about that pot of water on the stove, heating up the kitchen on an already sultry summer day. That's a hard pass. If you ask us, that corn always belongs on the grill, and once you master how to grill corn on the cob, these are some of our favorite recipes.

Read more
How to cook lobster the right way — boiling, grilling, and roasting
Prepare lobster in one of three ways, but enjoy it all the same
Lobster on a plate

Everyone needs a little something extra to spice up everyday life -- a spa day, perhaps, or a nice meal. And while ribs in the oven or a perfectly grilled steak will definitely suffice, sometimes you might think about moving from turf to surf, and what better "surf" to have than a sweet, succulent lobster? Meaty, juicy, and slathered in butter, it's about as perfect a meal as they come -- even while in lobster roll form.

For most, a nice lobster dinner sits at the apex of gourmet meals. There's just something about the bright red body sitting on a plate that exudes class. The thing is, though, that you don't have to go out to a fancy restaurant and shell out for that kind of meal. With a little know-how, anyone can make such an incomparable dish at home.

Read more