The backyard BBQ is one of America's great summertime traditions. While traditional fare like burgers, chicken breast and shish kabobs are summertime classics, you can spice it up with creative menu options, innovative grills, and cool BBQ accessories. This summer, skip the hot dogs and try something different in your backyard kitchen.

Burgers and dogs, burgers and dogs, burgers and dogs. If that is what your summer grilling menu looks like, well, you could probably do a lot worse. But you should be aware that you may be committing a couple of minor grilling sins if indeed these two old favorites are all you are serving up. With the right grilling accessories, your BBQ can do a lot more than you think it can.

Retort packaging may not have the catchiest name you've ever heard, but the history and usefulness of this method of packing and preserving food are, at the least, interesting - and at most, nothing short of ingenious. With the ability to do just about anything a can or bottle can do, retort pouches are poised to start a revolution in the food-packaging industry.

With summertime in full swing, BBQ enthusiasts everywhere are firing up their grills and dishing out flame-cooked meals for their outdoor parties and picnics. The smells wafting from an open grill or BBQ rotisserie are as synonymous with summer as ice cream and beach balls, but there are several key safety considerations that can protect both the cooks and those around them.

When first introduced for home use, vacuum pack sealers were touted as the best food storage revelation, guaranteed to protect your meats from freezer burn. However, this is just one of the many ways in which a sealer can prove itself useful in the home.

From Maine to Montana, from California to Colorado, barbeque aficionados flock to the thousands of BBQ competitions that are held each year in our nation's parks and stock yards. At these events, you can find vendors showing off the latest must-have items available to make your backyard barbeque a guaranteed success.

Let's face it - no matter how good you are at grilling, you can't claim the throne of king or queen of the barbeque until you've mastered how to make succulent, tender ribs that just fall right off the bone. Creating the perfect ribs is considered the holy grail of outdoor cooking, and there is no time like summer time to try your hand at this hugely popular and tasty treat.

When they first came along, vacuum pack sealers were nothing less than a food storage revelation, and there is still no better way to keep meats from going to waste due to freezer burn. However, these machines can also help a lot of different foods - as well as non-food items - stay fresh and preserved, and this can be a great way for businesses to display their products and cut down on waste.

Nothing says summer like a barbecue in the late afternoon or early evening hours just before dusk. For condominium and apartment dwellers, having a BBQ within city limits is not always easy. In fact, statewide and city-specific regulations, as well as homeowner associations, routinely issue BBQ restrictions to those urban residents with even a large outdoor space.

As summer approaches, it's time to put away the winter clothes and break out the BBQ gear. For many, BBQ is a way to take the heat and the mess of cooking outdoors. For others, BBQ is an art form and is taken very seriously. Originally a simple way to turn tough cuts of meat into tender, delicious meals, this style of cooking has become increasingly complex, sophisticated, and competitive.

Barbecue sauce is a popular condiment. However, many of us might not realize the sheer variety of BBQ flavors that are used in various regions of the United States and even the rest of the globe. Barbecuing meat is a cooking tradition that has been in use for centuries, so it's not surprising that just about every part of the world has its own flavors and methods.