Must-Have Tools and Gadgets for Grilling

Photo: Williams-Sonoma

Grill? Check. Thermometers? Check. Charcoal chimney? Check. What else?

Unless you’re a pit master or blessed to live where you can barbecue year-round without risking frostbite, chances are your equipment has lain dormant all winter, bundled and boxed up in the shed or scattered about wherever you grilled the last steak of the season.

If so, now’s the time for barbecue inventory: confirm the grill hasn’t rusted through; make sure you can find your special spatula; plan to finally buy whatever essentials you’ve been putting off, like that super-accurate digital meat thermometer. In other words, you don’t want to find your charcoal chimney broken on the morning of the big smoke or that the expensive roast is cooking at the mercy of an inaccurate grill thermometer.

To help out with your inventory, and to offer some suggestions for new gear, we’ve compiled a list of tried-and-true gadgets and tools that should serve you well for years to come. The beauty of barbecuing is that the basics are pretty much all you need to cover most any situation, from grilling a few backyard burgers to smoking a sublime holiday turkey or several racks of juicy baby-back ribs.

With Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and graduation season right around the corner, barbecue gear also makes fantastic gifts. Your dad may not think he needs that smoker, but once the neighbors start gushing over his ribs he’ll be glad he has it.

Charcoal Grills and Smokers

We stick with charcoal kettle styles on this list. They’re relatively inexpensive, portable (depending on the size), come in a bunch of sizes, and provide the flavor, sear, and texture that’s tough to replicate on gas grills.

For info on 50 of this year’s “best value” charcoal and gas grills and smokers, check out Amazingrib.com’s latest reviews. Meathead Goldwyn and his team, a highly regarded bunch in the world of outdoor cooking, put the grills, and lots of other gadgets, through rigorous tests to come up with the best on the market.

Weber kettle grills and smokers continuously top Amazingribs’ best-of lists, as well as ours. They’re all built to last, easy to use, have the right features, and can cook just about anything perfectly. Over time, you can easily find most of the replacement parts you’ll need at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and online. My collection includes versions of the three listed below. They’re nearly 20 years old, constantly used, and left outside uncovered year-round. All three are still going strong.

Photo: Weber

Weber Smokey Joe 14” (about $30)
If there’s one grill to have, this is it. Keep it in the backyard, take it with you camping or to the beach, stash it in your dorm-room closet. The 147-square-inch cooking surface handles a good amount of food. Move onto the Original Kettle series if you need something bigger.

Photo: Weber

Weber Original Kettle 22” (about $99)
This is a solid go-to when cooking for big families and larger groups. With its 363-square-inch cooking surface and high dome lid, it can comfortably handle large steaks, a big butterflied leg of lamb, a couple of whole chickens, and large turkeys. Internal temperatures are easy to control using the top and bottom vents, making it a fine smoker for briskets, pork butt, ribs, turkey, etc. If you need to smoke a lot at once, then graduate to a dedicated smoker.

Photo: Weber

The Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5” (about $299)
When the barbecue fanatic in your life starts getting serious about smoking, this slick, bullet-style smoker will satisfy and fuel the addiction. The two 18.5-inch grates provide plenty of space for smoking several racks of ribs and a brisket or roast in one shot. It’s perfect for holiday turkeys and hams and those big backyard parties when you’re looking to turn neighbors and friends on to some of the best ribs they’ll eat all year.

Photo: The Pit Barrel Cooker

The Pit Barrel Cooker ($299) is also worth checking out. Amazingribs reviewers call this one of the best smokers for the price. A lot of barbecue teams have also started using it. Hang your prepped meat on the hooks and let it smoke. As easy as that.

When buying or ordering a smoker, make sure to include two rib racks in the purchase. The racks hold the ribs side-by-side, so you can comfortably fit more in your smoker. Always a good thing.

Digital Rapid-Read Meat Thermometers

The bi-metal thermometers attached to grills are wildly inaccurate, throwing cooking times and ultimate doneness way off. A high-quality digital rapid-read thermometer takes all the guesswork out of the equation. Buy one now. They’re easy to use and extremely accurate. Simply stick the probe into the section of the protein you want to measure, being careful not to hit a bone, and within a few seconds you’ll know the temperature.

Photo: ThermoWorks

Many professional chefs and pit masters consider ThermoWorks Thermapen (about $96, 14 different colors) one of the best on the market. The long probe, great for hitting the center of big cuts, folds into the unit, making it easy to slip into a pocket and safely store later on. It’s also perfect for indoor roasting and baking. For a deeper dive, check out the Amazingribs reviews on dozens of digital thermometers. In its review last summer, Consumer Reports chose the CDN ProAccurate I (about $57) and the Polder Stable-Read (about $18) as top picks.

Grill and Smoker Thermometers

A major problem with built-in grill thermometers is they measure temperature in the area they’re located, usually at the top of the grill cover, instead of close to the source of the heat. The new breed of grill and smoker thermometers use a probe that sits on the cooking grate for far more accurate reads.

Photo: iDevices

iDevices iGrill2 Bluetooth Thermometer ($99) garners some of the best reviews and recommendations in the category (despite a recall last September for probes that melted under high heat, which the company handled quickly). The unit can read up to four separate probes (two are included) for monitoring the internal temperature of several cuts of meat simultaneously, as well as ambient grill/smoker temps. Compatible with iOS and Android devices, the related app features temperature alarms, customizable probe views, and timers. Bluetooth range is about 150 feet. An illuminated, magnetic-mounting display also shows temperature progression.

Weber Charcoal Chimney Starter (about $15)

If you’re still using lighter fluid, throw out the bottle and buy a charcoal starter. They’re easy to use and light the coals as fast or faster than those doused in fluid. More important, your food won’t pick up that gassy flavor when you’re cooking with a closed lid (one reason never to use “ready light” charcoals). Like the Weber grills mentioned above, this chimney is durable, affordable, and works amazingly well.

Photo: OXO

OXO Good Grips Barbecue Turner and Tongs

A good spatula and sturdy tongs are about all you need to work the grill. OXO Good Grips Barbecue Turner ($10.99) and Tongs ($14.99) (about $20 for the set) both get solid reviews. They’re stainless steel, built to last, and are long enough to keep hands safely away from flames.  The spatula has a thin, tapered front, making it easy to lift and flip food, while the serrated edge comes in handy if you happen to forget your knife in the kitchen.

Photo: Williams-Sonoma

If you’re looking for a full tool set or a gift for your favorite pit master, you can’t go wrong with the Williams-Sonoma package ($79.99). The stainless steel tools include a basting mop (always comes in handy), fork, tongs, and a slotted spatula, along with a slick metal storage case (convenient for beach or camp grilling). I’ve used an older, wooden-handle version of this set for 20 years. Each piece has admirably withstood the abuse. This collection looks even sturdier.

Can’t wait to get grilling? Here’s more from Yahoo Food:

Learn how to cook like a Meathead

Simple DIY barbecue sauce for Father’s Day

One grilling trick you may not have tried

Did we miss one of your favorite BBQ gadgets or tools? Let us know.