Teaming Up Technology, Cooking to Make Your Backyard Barbecue the Best

Verizon Wireless and Righteous Que have partnered to offer Metro Atlanta area residents tips to make their backyard barbecue the best all-around bash of the neighborhood with the right combination of spices and electronics, just in time for Fourth of July Weekend.

Don’t be caught in the backyard or on your deck or patio without any power for your phone or electronic devices. Music or a way to stream the big game can liven up any cookout or summer celebration.

Verizon has a full array of accessories that can bring audio and video to any backyard barbecue, including:

· Speakers to crank up the music.

· A Sling Box to watch the big game outdoors.

· Fast charging wireless charging devices to keep your phone and other devices charged

include a Samsung fast charge wireless charging stand, Morphie power charger and wireless portable charger.

· Whether you love snapping selfies or taking pictures of your guests at your backyard barbecues, the HTC 10 has a crystal clear 5.2-inch 2K display and a 12 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) in both rear and front cameras.

· Bluetooth speakers bring quality sound outdoors without cables and provide better sound projection. Many even include waterproof options. Controlling music on one phone is a thing of the past.

Marietta’s Righteous Que offers smoking and grilling tips for expert, intermediate and novice grillers.

Before you fire up your gas grill, light the charcoal or start up the smoker, make sure you have selected the right type of heat source for what you are cooking:

· It’s important to select the right type of grill. If you are cooking ribs, charcoal is probably best, while gas grills (which burner cleaner) can take good care of most other items like steak, burgers, hot dogs, brats, chicken and veggies.

· A great idea for backyard chefs is to spend a few minutes calibrating your grill to make sure your cooking temperatures are 225 to 325 degrees for indirect burners and 425 for direct burners.

· Pre-heating a grill is very important for good results. Make sure you pre-heat the grill (400-450 for high, 350-400 for medium and 250-300 for low) for 15-25 minutes before cooking begins.

The keys to successfully smoking your meats include:

· A good moisture source will lead to juicer and tender meats.

· Create a good rub, which can be commercial or your own recipe, for flavor.

· A mixture of hard and fruit foods in the smoker will help flavor the meat (an example of this combination is oak and cherry wood).

· Smoke the meats “low and slow.”

Don’t forget to marinate your meats and cook them “low and slow” on the grill to savor the natural juices and marinades for optimal flavors.

· Keep a water bottle handy for flare-ups

· Keep the lid off of the grill for meat ¾ inches thick or less, but put the top down for meats 1 inch or thicker. Keeping the cover down traps the smoke for added flavor.

It’s important to clean your smoker and/or grill after EVERY use so that it’ll be ready for the next time you use it.

· A clean grill will cook better and limit flare-ups from grease buildup that can burn your food.

· For smokers, clean out the ashes, wash cooking racks and clean the meat probe after each use.