Hot stuff for the cook

Ever since my friend parked a

Big Green Egg grill

in his backyard and effortlessly smoked a pork butt for 12 hours into barbecued silk, I've had a serious case of "egg envy." It's a major splurge, the charcoal-fired equivalent of a Viking range. But it's the ultimate gift for a serious all-weather griller, with a heavy ceramic dome shape and precision temperature controls that can hit thermal-nuclear heat (for that major steakhouse sear), or a low, slow smoke that can make a pit master out of even me.

BGEs come in a range of sizes, but large is the most popular, big enough to cook a holiday bird or five racks of ribs. BGEs are always priced "a la carte," with larges beginning in the high $600s. Fully loaded with accessories, expect to pay closer to $1,100 or more with tax. There are numerous online sources, but a West Chester dealer, Halco Grills, will assemble and deliver it to your door. Halco Grills, 1151 McDermott Dr., West Chester, 800-368-0803; www.halcogrills.com (1)

There's a reason why Dizzy Pig spices have become a cult favorite among the Big Green Egg community. These MSG-free spice rubs deliver some of the most distinctive and naturally vivid flavors I've found, from the Asian-scented Tsunami Spin (great on salmon and tuna), to Dizzy Dust (an all-purpose pork pixie), to the peppery Cow Lick, which turns up the flavor volume on steaks.

Order one or several in a gift box, for example, a five-pack that costs $41 plus shipping from www.dizzypigbbq.com. (2)

I'm a dedicated cast-iron man, and have always been at peace with the frumpy dullness of my well-seasoned pans. But those with a need for cookware bling can finally channel their inner frontiersman, too, now that Lodge has added gleaming stainless-steel handles to a Signature Series of its classic black vessels. The massively heavy preseasoned 12-inch skillet cooks about as well as my beloved $28 basic model - which is to say great. But its rugged good looks won't take any more guff from that rack of shiny All-Clad.

Lodge Signature Series 12-inch skillet, available for $110 at Foster's Homeware, 399 Market St., 215-925-0950. (3)

You don't need to spend this much to find a corkscrew that works - I've used a waiter's $6 pocket screw to wrench out years' worth of corks. Still, this handsome satin metal Screwpull Elegance LM-2000 from Le Creuset is such a joy to use, opening bottles becomes part of the fun. With a Teflon-coated screw and a heavy-gauge lever (noticeably heavier, FYI, than my old plastic Rabbit), one fluid back-and-forth motion liberates my bottles from their corks with almost no effort at all.

The Screwpull Elegance LM-2000, with stand and foil-cutter, is available at numerous online sources, such as www.beveragefactory.com, for about $125. (4)

Silver tequilas too often get drained into margaritas, but many purists consider the best unaged silvers (or "platas") the unfettered essence of blue agave. This new Platino from Jose Cuervo, the hand-numbered silver counterpart to its ultra-luxe Reserva de la Familia añejo, shows what a mega-distillery can achieve when it's focused on quality. This is a mouth-filling powerhouse spirit, buttery, minty, and tooth-coatingly rich, with a fruity hint of heat-roasted green vegetable that is the ghost of the agave. You will not be blending this clear beauty into mixed drinks. Step away from the lime.

Jose Cuervo Platino Reserva de la Familia costs $56.99 at Canal's Discount Liquor Mart, 5360 Route 38, Pennsauken, N.J., 856-665-4202. (5)