Evening Edge

If everybody grilled the way purists suggest, we'd all use charcoal or hardwood briquets, make our own rubs and sauces and start our baked beans with a package of dried beans. There's a reason that 75 percent of grill owners choose gas over charcoal, and that's the same drive for convenience that lines shelves with new barbecue sauces and rubs each spring. Here's a sampling of what's new to speed up getting food from the kitchen to the grill and onto the plate.

Skewers & Spice: Fire & Flavor, the Athens-based grilling company, has introduced spice rubs packaged with wooden skewers. We tried all three varieties: Everyday Rub, Mustard Herb and Asian Rub. Tasters preferred the savory, rounded flavor of the Mustard Herb; the cumin in Everyday Rub makes it a natural for Tex-Mex and Latin foods. Suggested retail is $5.99 for a package of eight skewers and enough rub to coat a couple of pounds of meat and vegetables. At Whole Foods Market, Fresh Market and Harry's Farmers Market.

JOHNNY CRAWFORD/AJC (ENLARGE)

Skewers and Spice, offered by Athens-based Fire & Flavor, packages spiced rubs with wooden skewers in three flavors. Our testers preferred the savory, rounded flavor of the Mustard Herb.

GRILLING • Atlanta Summer Grilling Guide • Photo gallery New products for the grill • Fish and chicken recipes for the grill • Rating the grills | Grilling gear • Cookbooks | Tasty time-savers • Griling basics: Keys to a great cookout • Grilling safety: Follow these tips to reduce cancer risks from the grill • Recipes for the grill, with photos, plus sauces, marinades and rubs • Cookout blog: Which is best, charcoal or gas? • Pain on the porch: Your cookout is costing more ATLANTA SUMMER GUIDE • Outdoor dining: Dinner spots with great decks or patios • Summer events calendar • Summer music guide

Blue Smoke Carolina Kick: In a world of sweet, tomato-based sauces, Carolina Kick provides a refreshing, vinegar-based zing. Pour it over pulled pork for some great barbecue sandwiches and try not to think about its origins in a New York City 'cue joint. $9.50, Williams-Sonoma.

Bush's Grillin' Beans: Bush's spiced up its baked beans this year with four new flavors. Grillin' Beans include Steakhouse Recipe, tasters' favorite for a hearty red sauce with a touch of molasses; and Southern Pit Barbecue, with a barbecue sauce base. Despite the name, there wasn't much bourbon flavor in the Bourbon and Brown Sugar variety. Suggested retail for a 22-ounce can is $1.89. At supermarkets and mass merchandisers.