So You Think You Can Grill? Here Are 22 Tools You Need in Your Arsenal
Don’t call yourself a grill master until you’ve leveled up with these accessories.
Sure, you could fire up the grill without the following items, but if you want perfectly charred burgers and expertly seasoned vegetables—all while looking like a pro—then you might want to step up your game. From a light-up spatula to the most handsome apron we’ve ever laid eyes on, take a look at our favorite grilling accessories below.
Feast From the Fire: 65 Summer Recipes to Cook and Share Outdoors
What better way to celebrate summer than to enjoy the very best food cooked over the fire whether at the beach, camping, or in your own back yard. Combining fresh flavors with exciting grilling techniques including cooking on a fire pit grill, salt block cooking, and cedar-plank smoking, Valerie Aikman-Smith presents 65 recipes for relaxed summer entertaining. The first chapter features delicious seafood recipes including Baja Fish Tacos with Blistered Jalape os, Grilled Snapper in Banana Leaves, and Mezcal Lime Shrimp. For meat-lovers there's a host of ideas for grilling your favorite fare such as Jerk Pork with Mango Chutney and Grilled Honey Plantains, Portuguese Piri Piri Poussin, and an All-American Burger. Valerie includes fabulous vegetable dishes from Grilled Zucchini Flowers with Shiso Lemon Salt to Roasted Cauliflower with Walnut Romesco. Sweet Things designed to round off an alfresco feast include Matcha Ice Cream with Black Sesame Praline or a classic Grilled Banana Split with Dark Chocolate Sauce. Finally, if all the heat has made you thirsty, try a Basil Aperol Spritz with Flowering Herbs, Sicilian Slush Cocktail, or a Watermelon Margarita.
ShopMeater Wireless Meat Thermometer
The first wireless smart meat thermometer, Meater connects to your phone and conveniently gives you notifications as your meat cooks (anything from a whole chicken to a pork loin to a tri-tip), letting you know what you need to do at every step of the way, taking a little bit of the pressure off of you at your next cookout and helping you achieve perfect and consistent results every time.
ShopDreamfarm BBQ Tool Collection
Look at you, pitmaster. We see your regular, run-of-the-mill BBQ tools, and we’ll raise you this nifty collection. Designed by the everyday problem solvers over at Dreamfarm, these accessories have perks that’ll make you stop and say: “Why didn’t I think of that?” First, there’s the Brizzle, a basting brush with a built-in scoop that can drizzle, too. Riding alongside: Meet the Chopula, a stainless-steel spatula that’s flexible enough for flipping, has a serrated edge for cutting, and scrapes the grill grates clean when all is said and done. Finally, there’s the Clongs, tongs that stay open or closed with a click, prick sausages, and sit up and off of dirty surfaces. (Those are great at scraping too.) Snag the 4-piece set, and they’ll all hang together on a magnetic holder that latches right onto your grill, complete with a handy bottle opener—there’s even a magnet to catch the lid. Grilling success is yours, dear friend.
ShopSnow Peak Fire Tool Set
Fire maintenance is the key to successful grilling and this Japanese-designed steel-and-bamboo set lets you safely—and oh-so stylishly—tend the coals. The shovel, poker and fire tongs fit snugly in a canvas case for storage or transport.
ShopChicken and Charcoal: Yakitori, Yardbird, Hong Kong
The first cookbook from cult yakitori restaurant Yardbird in Hong Kong puts the spotlight on chicken—taking grilling to a whole new level. Chicken is the world's best loved meat, and yakitori is one of the simplest, healthiest ways to cook it. At Yardbird in Hong Kong, Canadian chef Matt Abergel has put yakitori on the global culinary map. Here, in vivid style, with strong visual references to Abergel's passion for skateboarding, he reveals the magic behind the restaurant's signature recipes, together with detailed explanations of how they source, butcher, skewer, and cook the birds with no need for special equipment. Fire up the grill, and enjoy. The first comprehensive book about yakitori to be published in English, this book will appeal to home cooks and professional chefs alike.
ShopBioLite FirePit+
Enjoy the warmth, smell, crackle, and feel of a wood campfire, without any of the smoke. Our latest upgrade to the award-winning BioLite FirePit creates hyper-efficient flames with patented airflow technology and gives you a front-row seat to the magic thanks to the X-Ray mesh body. Lift the fuel rack and toss in charcoal to transform it from a fire pit to a portable hibachi-style grill, complete with included grill grate. Control the size of your flames manually or remotely with the free Bluetooth app.
ShopBioLite FirePit Cook Accessory Set
Expand your FirePit's cooking capabilities with this accessory upgrade. This set brings variety and fun to outdoor meals by giving you the ability to utilize an array of cooking methods over the BioLite FirePit.
ShopThe Spice House Barbecue Spice Sets
There's the rub. When grilled meat is on the menu, look to these spice blends. They’re your shortcut to a whole range of knock-your-socks-off flavors (like Jamaican jerk chicken, slow-smoked brisket, or good old-fashioned Kansas City BBQ). And you bet they’re versatile: Rub them right onto steak, whirl them into a marinade, or use ‘em to create your very own signature fry sauce. There’s three lineups here—two for barbecuing, another to give your burgers and chops a smokehouse-inspired touch. We’ll go get the tongs.
ShopDe Buyer Blue Steel Vegetable Grilling Pan, 11"
You'll flip for this pan. You’ll want to cook your vegetables in this pan from now on: Designed to sit over a griddle, plancha, or grill, it’s perforated so you get more direct contact with heat (plus smoky flavor, if you happen to be grilling). Oh, and since it’s built from blue steel? It’s quick to heat and high-temp friendly. With its rounded, typical Lyonnaise shape, flipping your food is a snap. Shoutout to the trusty handles on either side.
ShopTerrain Leather Apron
Perfect for barbecuing or gardening, this leather apron is durable, practical, and gets more supple and beautiful with age. Ties around the waist with an adjustable neck strap and two front pockets.
ShopTovolo Prep & Serve Grill Trays, Set of 2
No more mix-ups. You just fired up the coals, and you’re about to sear a couple of steaks...only, how do you keep the raw juices off of the cooked meat? Lucky for you, these grill trays just swooped in. There’s one for prep work and one for serving (the different colors will tell you which is which). Each one has grooves, too, ready to catch any drippings. They nest one over the other, then zip through the dishwasher when they’re done—talk about convenient.
ShopGrillight 2-Piece Stainless Steel LED Spatula & Tong Set
This set is perfect for any grilling enthusiast. The spatula flips, stirs or serves, while the tongs make it easy to move food from a plate to the grill. LED flashlights built into each handle light up your food, so it’s easy to monitor it as it cooks. Whether you’re at a campsite or grilling outdoors, this set makes it easy to grill at any time—day or night. Comes packaged in a box perfect for gifting. Includes spatula and tongs.
ShopGefu Digital Radio Roast Thermometer
Roastess with the mostest. Meet the roast thermometer that takes precision cooking to the next level. Real time updates on the temperature are sent to a handheld screen by radio, which you can preset according to the type of meat and how well-done you want it. And when it reaches the target temperature? A signal will sound—no need to keep rushing over to the grill or oven to check every two minutes! This one's simply perfect for technical cooks and culinary science enthusiasts.
ShopEsschert Design BBQ Tool Set
Made for the grill-master, this four-piece set of wooden barbecue tools—tongs, spatula, fork and basting brush—comes in a durable canvas carrying bag, which easily snaps shut and packs up for travel, weekenders, camping, you name it. Set includes: Tongs, fork, spatula, basting brush and carrying bag.
ShopEverdure Cube Portable Charcoal Grill
BBQ is a total go. Close your eyes and imagine firing up the coals out on the beach...or snacking on barbecue chicken right on your campsite. Then, open them—and take in this portable charcoal grill. It does all that and more, thanks to its very-smart design.
ShopAll-Clad 4-Piece Stainless Steel BBQ Tool Set
Now we’re grilling. Follow the scent of smoky BBQ, and you’ll be led straight to these all-star grilling tools. The set’s got four utensils for all your burger flipping and veggie charring: a slotted turner, locking tongs, a basting brush, and a two-prong fork. The extra-long handles put you at a safe distance from the heat, while the heavy-gauge, polished stainless steel promises to shine through countless cookouts. (We love that everything’s dishwasher-safe too.) It all comes from All-Clad, the very same makers behind some of your favorite cookware. We’ll leave you to gather the barbecue recipes.
ShopSmithey Ironware Co. Smithey Traditional Cast Iron Skillet
Put the "easy" in over-easy eggs. This skillet sports the single smoothest cooking surface we’ve ever seen on a piece of modern cast iron cookware, thanks to a special polishing process that makes it just the ticket for no-stick fried eggs, seared fish, and Crispy Salt and Pepper French Toast. (Each one is made in South Carolina by talented craftspeople and meant to last a lifetime.) It's hefty enough to get a serious sear on even the most formidable rib-eye, but light enough that you can wield it with ease with the ergonomic handle. A Smithey works on all cooktops, induction, electric, and gas, and is totally oven and grill safe. Holes on either end of the pan let you hang it up when you’re done—because a pan this beautiful deserves to be on display at all times.
ShopImeea Double-Pronged Grilling Skewers
These Kebab skewers are like no other, and will perfectly cook and sear your favorite vegetables and meat, and make you look like the all-time grillmaster. Made from stainless steel to prevent rusting, and outfitted with an elegant wood handle.
ShopJK Adams Reversible Carving Board
See you on the flip. There are a lot of good carving boards out there, but there’s one the pros come back to again and again. We love its versatility: On one side, you’ve got a nice, flat surface for carving up your weekend roasts. And on the other, you’ll find an indentation that cradles your holiday turkey or weeknight roast chicken so it doesn’t tip or slide. Both sides feature generous grooves that are deep enough to hold a half cup of liquid (about the amount that runs out from a roast chicken that’s rested for 30 minutes). And since this carving board is relatively compact, it doesn’t hog counter space and makes washing up a breeze.
ShopTerrain Recycled Glass Oil Dispenser
With a brushed-gold, weighted dispenser tip that opens on its own, this recycled glass vessel is a perfect stove-side addition.
ShopIf You Care Non-GMO Vegetable Oil Firelighters
Get the flames going. Whether you’re firing up the grill for a summer cookout, or cozying up by the fireplace in the dead of winter, chances are you’re going to need some kind of fire starter. Wherever you’re lighting up, go green and opt for a carbon-neutral fire lighter like this one. It’s made from just two ingredients, FSC-certified wood and non-GMO vegetable oil, meaning the wood is sourced from renewable sources and the product itself is completely safe in contact with plants, vegetation or aquatic organisms. Plus, it’s extremely stable, with a long shelf life, so whatever you don’t use in the summer is perfect for fall campfires and winter fireplaces.
ShopFood52 Any Night Grilling: Signed Copy
Become a charcoal champion. Grilling strikes a note of fear in the hearts of many a cook. And we want to change that. In the words of our co-founder, Amanda Hesser: “We wanted a grilling cookbook that wouldn’t be like every other chest-pounding, aggressively typefaced, you’re-a-wuss-if-you-don’t-cook-a-whole-pig cookbook on the market. These books don’t speak to us. They make us feel bad about our Webers. They make us resent grilling. And, yet, we love grilled food! We’d like to do more grilling!” Us, too, Amanda. Us, too. For the newbie grillers, who haven’t so much as touched a skewer, Any Night Grilling has the basics to get you fired up for the first time, from picking the right grill for you, a guide to different types of charcoal, tips for lighting, and how to clean grates. For those who consider grilling their go-to form of cooking, Any Night Grilling has pages upon pages of new material for you to bone up on: mushroom-packed grilled (literally grilled) cheese, smoked beets, monster steaks, and more.
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