Product Review: Charcoal Companion Grill Station and Stuff-A-Burger Kit

The Ranting Chef does not get paid or receive any revenue from manufactures or retailers of products reviewed. I occasionally receive products that I am asked to use and see what I think. I take a look, try them out and tell you all about them.

I was very happy to receive a box the other day from Charcoal Companion.

The first item in the box was the Grill Station.

The Grill Station is a heavy-duty set of two containers aimed at helping you prep and move your food to and from the grill.

The set comes with two containers, a lid and a “side-car”. They are a good size (16.7×14).

The first container is cleverly marked “Raw”. This is for marinating and storing your food before grilling.

In the bottom of the container are these small elevations which help lift your food, allowing marinade under the food.

The lid fits easily on either container. Time to try it out.

I placed these salmon fillets inside before seasoning and adding orange zest. It helped to contain my occasional miss with applying the spices.

Here is where the Raw container shines. Marinating two pork tenderloins at once. They fit easily.

The second container is marked “Cooked”. This is for after grilling.

In addition to the raised bottom (so if your meat releases juices, there is a bit of elevation), there is a “side car” for tools, beverages and anything else you need to take to or from your grill.

The lid fits here too.

Moving my salmon in from the grill.

And those tenderloins.

The second item was the Stuff-A-Burger Kit.

Contained in the kit is one burger press, a recipe book full of great ideas for stuffed burgers and a grill basket that fits four thick burgers. Time to give it a go.

I decided to make a Feta and Red Onion Stuffed Greek Burger (something I made up as I went along). I made a burger of ground lamb and ground beef with some onion. Put about ½ pound of uncooked meat into the press.

Put the top on with the press side down. Push down.

It creates this nice hole for you to put in your stuffed ingredients.

I put a few slices of feta cheese and some red onion inside.

Top with about ¼ pound of meat. Put the top on (with the press up) and push down. It compacts the burger.

Slide the burger out onto the press.

Remove the top.

I made two burgers.

The basket has a long handle that makes it easy to maneuver to the grill.

Looks like they are ready to eat!

I served the burger with some fresh tomato, between two small pitas smeared with tzatziki sauce.

The stuffed feta and onion really made the burger. And by being stuffed, they didn’t fall out all over the place.

Time to try one from the recipe book. This time I used ground turkey.

I made some stuffing and put some inside.

I added a bit of cranberry sauce.

Topped with more ground chicken.

I loved these Thanksgiving Burgers (served on a roll with more cranberry and mashed potatoes on the bun).

My Take: The Charcoal Companion Grill Station serves two basic grilling needs. The first is a place to put your uncooked food. Whether you are brining, marinating or just applying a few spices, you need something that you can put the raw food in that won’t contaminate your cooked food. The other need is to bring the food in from the grill. The lid can serve double purpose, whether protecting your food in the fridge or if loosely put on the Grill Station, it can act as a cover while your food is resting after the grill. I love the heavy duty plastic because if it accidentally gets knocked to the ground out by your grill you don’t have to worry about broken dishes. This will get significant use around the Ranting household.

The Suff-A-Burger Kit helps you apply your creativity to burgers and really have something fun and inventive. Because the ingredients are inside the burger, they don’t fall out of the bun like they would if they were on top. It is so easy to use and the basket makes grilling the stuffed burgers a breeze.

Both products are available at most major retailers and online.