Spice up your grill

Want to add features—and some cooking versatility—to a basic grill? Whether you're buying a new one or looking to improve the one you already have, here are some simple, inexpensive suggestions:

• Get smoky flavor without a smoker box. Soak wood chips—all-purpose hickory and oak, mesquite, and pecan for a stronger flavor—in water for an hour, drain, and wrap in heavy-duty foil, a cup per pouch. Poke holes in the tops and put the pouches under the grates above a burner. Use two pouches for a medium grill, four for a large. Turn the heat high until the pouches smoke, then lower the heat and, using a temperature gauge, reduce it to around 350° F.
• Enjoy rotisserie-grilled foods without a separate burner. Most grills have a cutout, so you can just add an inexpensive rotisserie spit and motor for about $75.
• Turn your grill into an oven. Preheat the grill. If you have a two-burner grill, set one on high and turn off the other. Cook briskets, pork shoulders, or other tough or large cuts of meat over the burner that's turned off. If you have a three- or four-burner grill, light only the front and back or outside burners and cook the meat over the center burner. Keep the lid closed to keep heat in.
• Accessorize. Use nonstick, dishwasher-safe grill baskets to keep small items like cut-up vegetables, fruits, and shrimp from falling between the grates. Slightly more than a quarter of people lost food this way, according to our survey.