Smoky grilled veggies, sweet baby back ribs, a honking great steak — cottage season is barbecue season, and this eclectic array of shops will inspire great ideas for the grill.
Bearbrook Game Meats
If the taste of steak is growing stale, check out Bearbrook to diversify your grill. This Navan farm trades in domestic and exotic meats that are a serious departure from the norm. Try an elk steak on for size, nibble on caribou burgers, or taste-test some rare bison. They also offer lean red kangaroo meat and stringier camel. All Bearbrook’s meats are free-range and raised without hormones and antibiotics. And if game meat isn’t your thing, they sell ground beef too. 5396 Dunning Rd., Navan, 613-835-7575.
Capital Appliance & BBQ
A place for obsessive grill masters only — Ottawa’s BBQ superstore is where you go when you’re looking to take your grill game to the next level. You’ll find big-name gas grills, smokers, electric grills, ceramic grills, grilling accessories, replacement parts, cookbooks, a solid selection of rubs and sauces, even pizza ovens. Capital also has one of the city’s most extensive selections of wood chips, selling black cherry, sugar maple, and pecan alongside more traditional woods such as mesquite. If barbecue is your religion, Capital Appliance & BBQ just might be your new temple. 12 Grenfell Cres., 613-228-0009.
Chilly Chiles
Some say you need chunks of mesquite or pimento wood to make great barbecue. Others say it’s a healthy dose of patience necessary to be sure dinner has been grilled to perfection. For those of us lacking both, there’s nothing quite like the perfect sauce to make dinner go down right. With more than 1,000 bottles lining the walls, Chilly Chiles’ two local locations boast Canada’s largest selection of hot sauces, barbecue sauces, marinades, and salsas. They have authentic Jamaican jerk rubs, hot and sweet Amazon mango sauces, and a jalapeno concoction known as Megasoreass. 5530 Manotick Main St., Manotick, and
218 St. Lawrence St., Merrickville, 1-800-448-5843.
Outdoor Kitchens and Patios
Food culture is taking over, and with its conquest, the once lonely task of grilling has become an ever more social affair. An outdoor kitchen setup gives family and friends a space to gather around the grill while allowing your grill master to get more absorbed in his or her craft. Using interlocking stone, Outdoor Kitchens and Patios specializes in custom patio spaces that integrate barbecues and countertops with seating and dining to extend your indoor cottage space into the great outdoors. 7010 Donwel Dr., 613-762-4300.
Romantic Fireplace & BBQ
Their inventory is some of the best in town, with outdoor firepits and barbecues galore. From country smokers to charcoal barbecues to sleek propane grills,
Romantic Fireplace & BBQ has something for every cottage chef. And for the wood connoisseur, there are cherry, apple, pecan, hickory, and cherry wood pellets to add just the right smokiness or sweetness to whatever’s on the grill. Their barbecue accessories and selection of gourmet sauces makes this a one-stop shop. 5929 Jeanne d’Arc Blvd., 613-834-1777.
Preston Hardware
Whether you’re looking for a $40 gas grill to get you through a one-week getaway or a 60,000-BTU unit with more than 750 square inches of grill space and a $3,200 price tag because you got tagged to host the family reunion next summer, “Canada’s largest independent hardware retailer” has you covered. Carrying a range of options, including grills from such well-known barbecue makers as Weber and Broil King, Preston Hardware has something guaranteed to suit any budget.
248 Preston St., 613-230-7166.
