50 of the Best Grilling Gifts and BBQ Gift Ideas for Meat Smokers in 2023

The Looftlighter is the brainchild of Richard Looft, a former Swedish actor, and director.

It looks like either a shotgun microphone, or a curling iron, but it’s actually a super insane lighter for charcoal and kindling.

Honestly, you’ve never seen anything quite like this (unless you’ve already seen it).

Why We Like it

What’s not to like? It ignites a pile of charcoal in about 60 seconds without making a mess or using any lighter fluid. Lighter fluid can taint the flavor of your meat — it is evil and should never be used for a cooking fire.

It is well-thought-out and engineered and includes a built-in stand to protect whatever surface you put it down on.

It uses forced air blown over a heating element to cause combustion of paper, kindling, and of course, charcoal. It weighs just two pounds but heats air to more than 1250F. Watch this linked to video, it’s impressive as hell.

Yeah, and it’s also got a bottle opener in the handle. Take my money.

After watching the video, ask yourself three questions:

1. How have I ever lived without this?
2. Does he always carry a beer in his back pocket?
3. Where did the bottle cap go?

For a more detailed look, you can check out my review of the Looftlighter.

Many charcoal users have already discovered the convenience of using a charcoal chimney starter. If you don’t know what that is, we’ve got an in-depth look and buyers guide right here: Best chimney starter buying guide, 2023

A chimney starter can really speed up the painstakingly slow process of igniting your charcoal.

In a nutshell, you load the metal cylinder with briquettes or lumps, load the bottom with newspaper and set the paper on fire.

The chimney action draws up the heat and gets the briquettes blazing in short order. Once lit, simply dump them in your barbecue and start grilling.

Why We Like it

The Chimney of Insanity has a 90-degree elbow air intake. It’s a bit like having a jet engine in that it forces air into the chimney with greater power, and that speeds up the ignition.

Wouldn’t you rather spend less time lighting, so you can eat sooner?

We also like it because it has a dragon on the outside, and the name reminds us of the Cliffs of Insanity from The Princess Bride.

That may not have been intentional on the part of BBQ Dragon, but it’s still cool.

This is a compact, portable fan for helping to speed up charcoal ignition. Just clamp it on to the edge of your grill, aim it towards the embers, and turn it on.

Just like a set of bellows — we used to use a Frisbee when we camped — the blast of oxygen fuels the fire and gets it roaring in no time.

Why We Like it

The combination of clamp and flexible arm makes it super-versatile. You can even use it in conjunction with the Chimney of Insanity above for, uh, extra insanity.

It also works for fire pits, fireplaces, chimenea — anywhere you’re trying to get a fire going.

Since it’s battery-operated, you’re not limited by the length of your cord. If you use rechargeable batteries, you can recharge them with a USB hook up.

Anything that gets us closer to enjoying some good barbecue more quickly is cool in our books.

A smash burger press is exactly as it sounds: A large, heavy, flat item for ‘smashing’ burgers flat on your grill.

Smash burgers have been around for many years, but they gained in popularity in a big, big way in 2023, being one of the rising trends over the summer.

Any BBQ lover in your life will know what this is and what it’s for, and would love to receive one as a gift.

Why We Like it

Smash burgers take maximum advantage of the Maillard reaction, where seared and caramelized meat has incredible flavor. This reaction can only happen on the surface, though.

By squashing your burger patty flat on a grill, you create the thinnest patty possible, with the highest surface area to volume ratio possible, and hence have the highest amount of meat subjected to the Maillard reaction.

In a nutshell: Smash burgers are one of the most incredible tasting burgers you can create!

We particularly like this Cuisinart smashed burger press because it’s made from cast iron, so it will last a lifetime, and at this price, it is incredible value. Many presses cost upwards of three times as much!

Make gourmet burgers stuffed with cheese, sauce, bacon, peppers, or whatever takes your fancy.

It can shape patties like an ordinary press, but it’s designed to go one further and allow you to stuff the center of the patty with ease.

Why We Like it

Stuffing anything into ground meat is devilishly tricky to do without the right tools. This simple device makes it a piece of cake.

You can also use it for sliders, making it a true 3-in-1 grilling gadget. It has a non-stick coating, so your burgers will pop out intact every time, and it’s dishwasher safe, too.

If you or someone you know is crazy about burgers, this is a must-have tool.

AKA The Smoking Gun, this is the fastest way to add a mild smoke flavor to your food indoors.

You put your combustible material in the chamber — Breville says you can use wood chips, tea leaves, dried herbs or spices — light it up, and switch on the fan. Pretty soon you’ve got scented smoke blasting from the nozzle.

It’s a bit like one of those steam-blasting fabric de-wrinklers they have at some clothing stores.

Why We Like it

Although there’s no substitute for a real smoker running for hours on end, sometimes fast and easy is ok.

It’s especially great for someone who lacks the space, or even the interest, to own a full-size smoker.

This is a fun and simple way to add a touch of smoky flavor to almost anything and deserves a place as one the best BBQ gift ideas — even if it’s not truly BBQ related — because I guarantee it would be loved by any griller in your life.

Meat claws are basically large forks that allow you to tear into meat with far greater control and considerably less effort.

Anyone who regularly makes pulled meat really should have a pair.

Why We Like it

We like anything that makes our life easier, and these totally fall into that category.

Half the battle of making pulled pork (or any pulled meat) is pulling it! Using a pair of forks can be tedious and hand cramp inducing.

Each claw is a single piece of BPA free durable plastic and should stand up to regular and rugged use. This is probably the simplest way to get evenly pulled meat every time.

Dressing up like Wolverine while you use them is a matter of personal choice.

Made of cast iron, this garlic roaster is shaped to hold one or two garlic bulbs.

Pop in the garlic, and slap the roaster on the grill for beautifully roasted garlic to add to your meal. The silicone squeezer makes it easy to remove the roasted garlic from the bulb.

Why We Like it

If you’ve never tried roasted garlic on your meat, or spread on a crostini with some cheese, you really don’t know what you’re missing. It’s so soft you can spread it with a knife.

Having a dedicated roaster protects the garlic from your grill and makes it a piece of cake just to set over indirect heat and leave it while you tend to other things.

The cast iron looks great, and you should get years of enjoyment out of your roaster.

Add extra smoke to your food with this stainless steel pellet or sawdust basket. It’s meant for generating smoke for cold smoking, but also works for hot smoking too.

You can use it for supplementary smoke in an electric smoker — which don’t always smoke well at low temperatures — or with most other grills to add some smoky goodness.

Why We Like it

It’s lightweight and portable so that you can use it anywhere. Take it camping, if you like!

This is the ideal way to add some smoke flavor, even without owning a smoker. Simply use it in any standard gas or charcoal grill!

Fully loaded, it can smoke for up to 12 hours, which you’ll need if you’re cold smoking.

For anyone thinking about cold smoking, or who just wants to add a lick of smoke to any food cooked outdoors, this is a great gift.

Protect your clothes from grease, and your dignity from embarrassing novelty aprons with a serious, high-quality apron.

This one is made from heavyweight cotton and has metal grommets and rivets. Pockets in the front will keep you organized, and the size is adjustable.

There are 9 styles and colors to choose from.

Why We Like it

So help us, if we see one more bikini body apron, or “funny” phrase about grilling or beer, we’re tossing that thing in the fire pit.

An apron should be functional, not funny. That’s just our opinion, of course!

There are many good aprons available, but this one has the best combination of features we’ve found. It’s very durable, but because it’s made of 100% cotton, it still breathes. You’ll be much more comfortable in this than a leather apron.

We also love the crisscross straps and buckle release. You’ll be able to load up your pouches with gear, but not feel the weight of it on the back of your neck.

One of the best grilling gifts you could possibly buy for any messy grillers in your friendship circle, An apron like this should be part of every grillers essential equipment list.

Who better to say what these are than Grill Grates themselves?

“Traditional grill surfaces hold food over the heat letting flames through and drippings fall away. GrillGrates concentrate and even out the heat of any grill. They are additive to the cooking

process via patented raised rails that are heat injectors and contribute to precision searing.”

Basically, with Grill Grates, you get a hotter sear for perfect sear marks and greater Maillard reaction flavor, drippings vaporize for extra moistness and flavor, and the higher surface area of the grates can protect food from flare-ups.

Why We Like it

Good grill grates are essential to good barbecue, so if you or your intended recipient has substandard (sometimes stock grates aren’t that great) or worn-out grills, new grates are an excellent investment.

However, these should be considered more than just for replacing worn-out grates, as they improve your grilling results!

These grates never rust and are easy to clean, too, problems that many standard grates suffer.

Just make sure you get grates you know are going to fit correctly. Ill-fitting grates are annoying as heck.

A connected scale that tracks how much propane you have left in your standard 20-gallon tank based on the weight of the tank.

You use the free app to check the level, and you can use it remotely since the scale connects via Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth.

Why We Like it

Running out of propane is incredibly annoying. Wouldn’t it be nice to check on your level when you’re out buying stuff for your next epic barbecue? Now you can!

We love the idea of not having to remember to keep tabs on our tank. Sure, it’s just a glorified scale, and yes, it’s only suitable for 20-gallon tanks. Since that’s pretty much ubiquitous for home gas grills, these aren’t significant drawbacks.

It’s much more accurate than lifting the tank and judging for yourself.

Yeah, you could buy a gauge, but you still have to remember to check it when you’re actually with your ‘cue. We’d rather not trust the success of our cookout to our iffy memory.

Heat-resistant, waterproof gloves with extended forearm protection and a cotton interior. Meant to protect your hands and arms when working over a hot grill.

Why We Like it

We only very recently discovered these gloves, but will soon be adding them to our roundup of the best grilling gloves on the market.

So many BBQ/oven mitts and gloves are too short and leave your forearms vulnerable to singed hair and painful burns. This pair extends more than halfway to your elbow for maximum protection. We also like that they’re gloves, not mitts, so it’s easier to get a grip on things.

Speaking of grip, silicone is naturally grippy, but the textured exterior makes it even less likely you’ll drop whatever you have in your grasp.

The gloves are rated for heat resistance up to 446F, and the cotton layer inside will wick away sweat as you work.

Highly recommended for anyone that uses skillets, baskets, or any other cooking device that needs attention on a hot grill.

A convenient stainless steel rack with holes designed to hold jalapeño poppers upright and steady on a grill.

Comes with a coring knife for removing the seeds and other interior pieces you don’t want to eat.

Why We Like it

Jalapeño poppers are such a great addition to a meal (good excuse to down some cold ones, too), but they can be tricky to grill.

Without something like this, you’d have a heck of a time roasting them without just dumping the filling all over your grate.

Each of the 24 holes will hold one big pepper. Clean up is easy, and we like that it comes with a coring tool.

One clever reviewer used toothpicks to support undersized peppers from his garden. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention!

Bonus Suggestion: Take the PGA challenge and down a popper after every hole next time you’re watching golf.

These are sheets of wire mesh for cooking delicate foods right on the grill.

They come in a variety of sizes — just pick the one that most closely fits your grill.

Why We Like it

Delicate items, like fish and pineapple rings, and small foods like shrimp and scallops, are brutal to cook on a grill.

Standard grill bars are too widely separated to cook them, so you end up using foil. This has the unfortunate effect of blocking smoke and preventing grill marks and good browning.

Wire mesh mats will nicely support your most finicky food, but still allow full exposure to smoke and flame for maximum flavoring.

They’re non-stick, so your whole filet will come up at once. You can even cut them to size with a pair of scissors. Seriously, everyone should have at least one of these.

A stainless steel basket for grilling fish, vegetables and other delicate and otherwise tricky food.

It’s made by Weber but will work on any barbecue large enough to accommodate its 18” x 10.5” dimensions.

Why We Like it

This is another excellent solution for grilling fish and veg right over the flames.

Open it up, lock your food inside, and put it on the grill. That’s it. Nothing sticks to the grill, and it couldn’t be easier to flip your food for all-over grilling.

True, there’s no handle on this basket, but that’s actually something we like about it.

It’s too easy to forget that the handle is hot when it’s sticking out. When the whole basket is over the fire, you’ll know perfectly well you need gloves to pick it up.

Everything is better with bacon, right?

Well, this kit contains everything you need (except pork belly!) to make your own bacon at home in 7 easy steps.

Why We Like it

This kit contains everything needed to make bacon in 7 easy steps, including a curing bag, pink curing salt, premium maple sugar, and a thermometer.

There are easy-to-follow instructions included, and the results are excellent.

Making any kind of cured meat can seem intimidating until you’ve tried it the first time, and this is about the easiest way you will find to get someone to dip their toes into this world.

These metal baskets are designed to hold most standard-size kabobs for easy grilling.

Build your skewers, close them inside the holders, and place them directly on the grill. The baskets clamp shut, and won’t open when you turn them over.

Why We Like it

Kabobs are notorious for sticking to grills and falling apart when you try to turn them over.

Using these individual holders prevents sticking, and makes it easy to turn your kabobs over for even cooking.

With a set of these, there should be nothing standing between you and perfect kabobs every time.

Four flavors of smoking wood chips, including apple, cherry, mesquite, and hickory, which cover woods best suited to everything from pork and chicken to beef and game, adding sweetness or spice, depending on what’s cooking.

Use them for all your smoking applications to add some down-home flavor to your food.

Why We Like it

Different woods add different flavors to food, and some can be mild and sweet (Cheery, apple), others robust and smoky (hickory), and some outright strong and smoky (Mesquite.)

What better way to try a few, to see what you like, than with a sampler pack of four different flavors?

Any BBQ lover will love trying different smoke profiles to see which they prefer while being happy to have an excuse to cook more while trying different things.

This is four shaker jars full of different spice mixes from ‘The Spice Lab,’ namely ‘Bad to the Bone,’ ‘Sweet Rib Rub,’ ‘Smokey Pecan Rib Rub,’ and ‘Ancho Chili & Coffee.’

Combined, you get 1kg of rubs, split into four flavors.

Why We Like it

With so many different BBQ rub and spice mixes available on the market, it can be hard —  and expensive — to try different ones continually, so any outdoor cook will highly appreciate a gift set of different rubs.

These rubs are great for all meats, poultry, and even vegetables or popcorn.

With no MSG, no filler, or cheap ingredients, these really are great rubs.

A durable metal, hinged lid box for smoldering wood chips inside any grill or smoker adds wood smoke to anything you choose to cook.

Works with any gas or charcoal grill, turning it into a bonafide smoker, simply by placing this box upon Flavorizer bars or on top of hot charcoal to start generating flavorful smoke from wood chips placed inside.

Why We Like it

Few things have such a profound effect on the flavor of food than wood smoke. But smokers can cost many hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Cave Tools Smokebox to the rescue!

Made from stainless steel, this box does not warp, is easy to clean — even dishwasher safe — and will last for many years.

Comes with a free meat smoking guide of 25 recipes to get the most out of it.

A gift set of six different thick and rich BBQ sauces that will elevate any meal.

Rufus Teague has been creating award-winning sauces since 2005 and will surely impress any grilling aficionado you may be buying for.

Why We Like it

These sauces have only natural ingredients, and are cooked down longer to make them thicker and richer, whereas many BBQ sauces can be pretty thin and watery, so you’re getting more bang for your buck.

There’s a range of different flavors, strengths, heatness, sweetness, and savory in this pack, so there’s something for all tastes.

A clever device that turns any standard kettle grill into a full-blown smoker, or allows you to simultaneously set up true 2-zone cooking for direct and indirect heat cooking.

It’s a half-moon charcoal basket, with solid walls and a wire mesh bottom, with a removable water reservoir along the length of the straight side.

Slip into your round kettle grill, fill the reservoir with water, and the basket with charcoal, then use it to enjoy true two-zone cooking or low n slow smoking by adding wood chunks into the burning coals.

Why We Like it

We wax lyrical on how the traditional round kettle grill is basically the Swiss army knife of outdoor cooking, a budget-conscious way to get into proper BBQ, and low n slow smoking.

But to smoke on a standard kettle, you must learn high-level fire management, the minion or snake techniques for charcoal setup.

Not so with the Slow n Sear!

This device allows anybody to get into proper BBQ — Think smoked ribs, pulled pork, or even smoked Texas-style brisket — with a far smaller learning curve, and a far greater chance of success.

This product is potentially the greatest upgrade any owner of a kettle grill could add to their arsenal, so it makes a perfect gift.

Check out our Slow n Sear review for more details.

Grill grates get dirty. Very dirty. What with all the fat-laden and sauce-dripping food being burned onto them daily. So you need a good, efficient, easy-to-use tool to help get them clean.

A bristle-free grill brush, with a 6-inch head containing three rows of coils that deep clean any kind of grill grate.

The 18-inch handle ensures your hands are kept far away from the hot grill surface, and the ergonomic handle ensures it’s easy to use.

Why We Like it

There have been occasional reports of strands of wire going from traditional grill brushes, onto grill grates, then onto food, and finally into the stomach of unsuspecting diners who then need hospital treatment to have the bristles removed.

Is this common? No. But it does happen, and bristle-free grill brushes remove the risk entirely.

This particular brush is well-designed from premium materials. 100% rust-resistant, this brush will last a long time, making it great value for money.

But most importantly, it works very well, can be used on any grate type, and comes with a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty!

A large cylindrical metal tube, with a handle on one side, and a grate near the bottom, on which you place unlit charcoal, then light a fire underneath to have cooking ready hot coals in under half the normal time.

The Weber Smokefire charcoal chimney is pretty much the industry standard. If you’re going to buy a charcoal chimney, this is the one to get.

Why We Like it

A charcoal chimney is the most efficient and simple way to get a charcoal grill up to cooking temperature in 15 to 20 minutes rather than your typical 30 to 45. And this is in our opinion, the best.

I own and use a Weber charcoal chimney myself. I have had the current one for over seven years, and it is still going strong after A LOT of use.

If the BBQ lover in your life regularly uses charcoal for grilling and doesn’t have a chimney, they will fall in love with it after just one use. I promise.

Oversized skewers such as you’d find at a Brazilian-style steakhouse. They’re meant for cooking and serving long, narrow cuts of meat.

Just slice off pieces for a guest, and then carry the whole cut with you to the next person at the table.

Why We Like it

The Brazilian steakhouse experience is absolutely incredible.

We love ordering slice after slice of gorgeous meat, gloriously displayed on sword-like skewers that look like they could have been used to kill the animal before cooking. We are totally in love with the idea of recreating that experience, even partially, in our own yards.

To make it worthwhile, you need to serve multiple large cuts to a crowd of people — you don’t bust these out for an intimate dinner for two!

If that sounds like your bag, this set is ideal, with multiple, ½” wide, 17” long stainless steel swords ready for serving, each with an attractive wooden handle.

If you want to know more about Brazilian barbecue, check out our article on Barbecue Styles Around the World.

These are actual broken carbon hockey sticks upcycled into BBQ utensils. Each set comes with tongs, a spatula, and fork.

They’re made by two guys who saw treasure where everyone else at the rink saw only trash.

Why We Like it

Upcycling is a great way to keep stuff out of the waste stream. (It’s also pretty cost-effective as a manufacturer if half your material is garbage.) Everyone needs BBQ tools, so why not choose ones with style?

If you’ve never held a hockey stick before, you’ll be impressed with how good this feels in your hand.

The carbon is very light, but sturdy, and meant for gripping. They’re a great and novel gift for your sports fanatic grilling friends or any Canadians you might know.

And yeah, that’s a bottle opener on the end of the spatula. Freaking amazing.

If these aren’t floating your boat — or perhaps lighting your grill — check out our search for the best BBQ tool set, which lists a handful of the best on the market.

OK, so maybe this isn’t a grilling gift per se, but it surely is a present most grown men will appreciate!

When cooking outdoors, flies are an eternal problem. They can get everywhere, lured in by the aromatic smells of food wafting downwind from any BBQ.

This device is a fun way to swat flies by firing a dose of salt at them. Literally, you load this with salt, pull the trigger, and it shoots out salt hard enough to kill most flies.

Why We Like it

Basically, we like this because it’s fun, and we never grew up.

Also, our BBQs should be no-fly zones. They are unhygienic and annoying. So anything we can do to get rid of them is great with us, and if we can have fun while doing it, all the better!

The Biolite Firepit+ is a combination firepit and grill that promises to burn hyper-efficiently without any of the smoke you typically get from fire.

This is achieved by a unique, patented airflow technology where a connected fan blows air through 51 holes in the bottom of the firepit, as well as around the whole perimeter at the top, that feeds more oxygen into the flames, causing a secondary burn that incinerates the particles that normally form smoke.

But there’s more!

The Biolite firepit+ can burn wood or charcoal and is a bonafide grill with some clever features to help with cooking.

It has a dual-height charcoal bed, slide-out grill grates, and the fan speed — which directly affects the heat of the fire — can be controlled from your smartphone.

The large yellow power bank that powers the fan can also be used to charge devices with USB output.

Why We Like it

It is a capable open grill that you can use to cook small items quickly, and it’s also a centerpiece firepit that burns fuel efficiently, spreading warmth and being highly visible from all angles due to its mesh sides.

Everybody gets a great view of the fire and can feel the warmth, which is better than most ordinary firepits.

The forced air system results in a more complete burn of wood or charcoal, so there is less waste, and the fire lasts longer.

You can control the fan speed from either the unit itself, or from an app on your smartphone, bringing firepits into the 21^st century.

The ‘smoke less’ feature is excellent, and really does work! It’s not entirely smoke-free (smokeless) but does smoke LESS. Noticeably so. Which means less burning eyes and less clothes stinking of smoke!

I own one of these, use it often, and highly recommend it. See my full Biolite Firepit+ review for more details.

A large, well-insulated, fuel-efficient wood pellet grill with a few nifty features.

This grill runs on wood pellets, a cleaner, more easily manageable fuel than charcoal or wood chunks, while still imparting great smoky flavor to food.

Due to an intelligent PID controller, the whole thing is as easy to control as your kitchen oven: Simply turn it on, set your desired cooking temperature, insert your food, walk away, and let it do its thing. It will keep temperatures stable with no further input from you.

Wi-Fi enabled, there is an accompanying smartphone app that allows you to monitor and control your cook from anywhere you have an internet connection.

Other great features include a front shelf, a bamboo cutting board on top of the pellet hopper, and two meat probes to leave in and monitor your food.

Why We Like it

This thing is built like a tank! It has double walls and seals on the lid for increased heat retention and fuel efficiency. There’s no other pellet grill built with this kind of quality at this price point.

It’s also a highly capable grill, produces wonderful food, and is so simple to use that anybody can master this grill in just a couple of cooks.

The smartphone app works well, and being able to walk away from your grill while still monitoring the cooking temperature and up to two different foods means you are able to mingle with guests instead of being chained to your grill.

For the price, this is a fantastic grill and one that any outdoor would be happy to own. It also looks mighty impressive and desirable too!

Click here for a comprehensive Z Grills Multitasker 11002B review.

“All the flavor of charcoal, but none of the work.” Sounds great to me!

This is a combination grill and smoker, that can smoke foods low and slow at 225 °F, or grill hot and fast at 700 °F.

To cook on this unit, simply fill the charcoal hopper, light a firelighter in the charcoal grate, turn on the intelligent controller and let it do its thing.

As the charcoal burns, ashes fall into an ash bin, and the charcoal column drops due to gravity, feeding fresh fuel for burning into the fire.

The whole thing is controlled by forced air, where a fan blows at different speeds to maintain your chosen cooking temperature, hands off. It couldn’t be simpler!

Why We Like it

Charcoal produces the best flavor when grilling compared to any other fuel source. But charcoal fire management can be tricky, with a learning curve to it. The Masterbuilt Gravity-fed series controls the fire for you!

So what we have here is all the flavor of the charcoal, with a lot of the hassle and learning curve removed!

We also like the fact this unit is multi-purpose, being both a full-blown grill and low and slow smoker. Space and money saving compared to buying and owning two separate units.

Other features we love are: Wi-Fi enabled for remote monitoring and control. Fold down front shelf as a workspace, tool hooks, four wheels for maneuverability, double-sided cast iron cooking grates.

This is a great looking, high-performance grill and smoker that any BBQ lover would love to receive if you’re looking to drop a lot of dollars on someone.

This is a pizza oven capable of producing up to 16-inch pizzas after just 15 minutes of preheating, in which time it can reach temperatures up to 500°C (950°F).

There are multiple fuel options, including wood or charcoal as standard, and an optional gas burner is sold separately.

With a hinged lid complete with ‘viewing glass,’ and a built-in battery-powered digital thermometer, this is an excellent oven capable of producing amazing authentic pizzas.

At the time of writing, this is the only pizza oven to be ‘Recommended for Domestic Use’ by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the acclaimed international authority on true Neapolitan pizza.

Why We like it

Flame-cooked pizzas in just 60 seconds? Yes, please!

You cannot beat the taste of wood-fired pizza for authenticity. But when desired, you can cook with charcoal, or for a clean and easy option, choose to use propane gas (with the additional gas burner attachment.)

Because the oven is so spacious, you can use it to do more than pizza, though. It’s a true outdoor oven that you can use to add wood-fired flavor to many dishes. You can roast meats, sear vegetables, or bake bread and cakes.

Features such as better temperature control, a built-in thermometer, high visibility with a viewing glass door which helps to maintain stable heat, are also unique features that set this oven apart from the competition.

Kamado Joes are egg-shaped multi-purpose grills and smokers that have become incredibly popular over the last 5 years or so due to their versatility and ease of use.

Made from thick-walled ceramics, they retain heat incredibly well, are highly fuel efficient, and can cook at temperatures from as low as 200 °F and as high as 750 °F and beyond.

So versatile, they can be used to grill, sear, roast, bake, smoke low and slow, sear over open flame and grill indirectly.

A true Swiss army of outdoor cooking, anything you can cook in your kitchen, you can cook in a kamado while adding authentic charcoal or even wood-smoked flavors.

Why We like it

I own all 3 sizes of Kamado Joe smokers that you can see in the images above. I use them weekly, and I absolutely love how easy they are to use, how reliable and consistently they perform, and the wonderfully moist and flavor-rich food they produce.

Kamado Joe are leaders in the Kamado market. With their now 3rd iteration of their popular smokers, they continue to innovate and add more features and improved build quality to their class-leading products.

With a Kamado Joe, you can outright grill, smoke low and slow, or use it like a charcoal-fueled oven. You can also purchase accessories such as a pizza oven attachment, a rotisserie, and more.

This one unit can do it all and do it all with style. There are also three sizes to choose from, from the small portable Joe Jr to the mid-sized Classic and ending with the huge Bog Joe. So there’s a model to suit all needs.

There’s too much to describe just how good these are, so I recommend reading our hands-on reviews for more info: Kamado Big Joe III review, the Kamado Joe Classic review, and finally the Kamado Joe Jr review.

A vertical drum smoker and charcoal grill modeled on the classic drum smokers that BBQ lovers have made DIY from oil drums for decades now.

With an 18.5-inch diameter, multiple hooks for hanging meats, and a removable charcoal grill for direct heat grilling, you can cook a surprising amount of food in this unit.

No bells and whistles here. This is a simple smoker with no hinged lid, thermometer, or wheels. It’s simply a 30-gallon drum on a small metal stand to keep it off the ground and a single vent at the bottom.

Why We Like it

As a first foray into the world of smoking for someone new to the scene, this is a great little unit at a reasonable price, that really could not be simpler to use.

With a single damper that you set according to your height above sea level (explained and easy to follow in the manual), there really is nothing for you to do other than light a charcoal fire, add some smoking wood chunks, then add your food and wait for it to be smoked to perfection.

It’s surprisingly high capacity, considering its compact size, because you hang meat vertically from up to 8 stainless hooks on two rods, taking advantage of all the vertical space.

You can also use it as an open-flame charcoal grill with the grate insert, so it’s a multi-purpose cooker.

Please see our pit barrel cooker review for further info.

A highly capable travel grill designed with ultimate portability in mind.

This grill is attached to a cart that folds down quickly and easily, locking the lid and grates inside automatically, to become easily wheeled around while fitting inside the trunk of a car for transport.

Why We Like it

With a 320 square inch cooking surface and weighing 60 pounds, capable of low to high temperatures, this medium-sized grill can grill and sear enough food for a decent-sized group.

Such size and weight could ordinarily be a pain to move around. But the Weber Traveler is built with transport and portability in mind.

The grill folds down easily to become a cart you can wheel around with one hand and is small enough to fit in the trunk of most vehicles.

Watch the folding process in action in this YouTube video, it’s a joy to behold.

With a porcelain-enameled steel body and lid, and porcelain-enameled cast-iron grates for superior heat retention and even cooking, this grill will also last many years and comes with a fantastic warranty period of between 2 and 5 years, depending on the parts.

Anybody obsessed with BBQ and grilling would appreciate the on-the-go BBQ this product can provide.

See our Weber Traveler review for more details.

A compact charcoal grill that is perfectly designed for travel, to be sued for authentic charcoal grilling whether camping, tailgating, or a day at the beach.

With a cooking surface area of 170 square inches, it’s large enough to cook 6 burgers or 4 steaks at a time.

Two lower vents and two upper vents in the lid allow for complete control of cooking temperatures or even set up true indirect cooking, so you can roast or smoke small items.

And at just 7kg total weight, it’s easy to carry around with the built-in handle.

Why We Like it

Most travel BBQs are gas-fueled, but you cannot beat the flavor of charcoal grilling. Food cooked over charcoal is just way more flavorful, so a travel charcoal grill for the hardcore BBQ enthusiast in your life will be highly appreciated.

This unit has fold-up legs that lock the lid in place, so it’s easy to carry with one hand by the built-in handle.

Being rectangular and box-shaped, it packs away easily into the trunk of your car, doesn’t roll around, and fits neatly in with other items. Far more packable than round or oval grills.

Porcelain-enameled like the majority of Weber grills, this grill will ast for many years too, making it great value for money.

Please see our review of the Weber Go Anywhere charcoal grill for more details.

This is a little robot minion whose only task is to bounce around your barbecue cleaning your grill.

No seriously! Grillbot is a bit like a child’s bump-n-go toy that changes direction when it hits something.

Unlike a toy, Grillbot has three rotating brushes that scrape away at the crud deposits on the grill. It just keeps on going and scraping until you turn it off.

Why We Like it

Ask 1000 grillers what their least favorite part of grilling is, and we’ll bet a lot of them will tell you it’s cleaning the grill.

How nice would it be to have it taken care of for you while you eat, drink, and, uhh… clean up everything else? When will there be a robot for that??

Sure, it’s a bit of a novelty item, but there’s something about a robot servant that speaks to our inner geek.

When seeking perfection In BBQ and grilling, you cook to temperature, not time. And certainly not to a gut feeling!

A medium rare steak is 125 °F. Just a few degrees less will be rare, and just a few more will be medium. Chicken is best when cooked to 165 °F. Less can be dangerous, more just means drier chicken.

With experience, you can get it right MOST of the time. With an instant-read thermometer, you can get it right every time. It’s that simple.

Every serious outdoor cook should have an instant-read thermometer if they want the best results from their cooking.

Why We Like it

This is the fastest, most accurate instant-read thermometer on the market and has become the go-to model for professionals and enthusiasts worldwide.

With a 1-second read time, it’s the fastest around. And it has an unrivaled accuracy of ±0.3°C (-19.9 to 119.9 °C), with a calibration certificate to prove it.

The screen auto-rotates 360 degrees in 90-degree increments, so whatever way you hold it the display will always be right-side up for easy reading.

It’s waterproof, so it can be easily washed, has a 2,000-hour battery life, a backlit display for reading in all lighting conditions, and can be set to display Fahrenheit or Celsius.

This is a serious well thought out, reliable bit of kit.

See our Thermoworks Thermapen One review for more details.

This is a professional quality, highly accurate and reliable four-channel thermometer to remotely monitor the cooking temperature of your BBQ or grill and up to 3 items of food.

With a rugged, sturdy, stable design and highly water-resistant housing, you can rest assured that this thermometer is going to last.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled, you can monitor and control this thermometer from a well-designed and intuitive smartphone app from anywhere you have an internet connection. However, no Smartphone is necessary because all features and data can be read at the control unit itself.

With the optional ‘Billows’, you can add a fan you connect to the lower vents of many smokers for automatic temperature control. Simply set a cooking temperature, and this unit will hold your BBQ rock steady at that temperature, so you can relax while it controls your fire and heat.

Why We like it

Used by many professional BBQ teams and kitchens…if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me and will be good enough to give as a present to any BBQ enthusiast you know.

Just look at these specifications and performance stats!

• Number of Probes — 4, including 3 food probes and one pit probe
• Probe Range — -58 to 572 °F (-50 to 300 °C)
• Cable Max Temp — Max 700 °F (370 °C)
• Temp Range — -58 to 572 °F (-50 to 300 °C)
• Accuracy — ±1.8 °F (±1.0 °C) from -4 to 248 °F (-20 to 120 °C)
  ±3.6 °F (±2.0 °C) from -58 to -4 °F / 248 to 392 °F (-50 to -20 °C / 120 to 200 °C)
  ±5.4 °F (±3.0 °C) from 392 to 572 °F (200 to 300 °C)
• Resolution — 1 °F (°C)
• Units — °C/°F switchable
• Approvals — US (FCC), Canada (IC), EU (CE – Complies with all relevant directives for Europe), AU/NZ (RCM)
• Water Resistance — IP66 Splash-Proof
• Backlight — 20 seconds

The thermometer feels good in the hand, works extremely well, is dependable, and comes with a smartphone app that works.

Adding a Billows for automatic temperature control would be the icing on the cake!

Take a look at our complete review and hands-on testing of the Thermoworks Signals for more details.

This is a truly wireless thermometer, with not a single wire anywhere in sight.

If you wish to monitor a rotisserie cook remotely, then this is not just your best option but your only option!

A dual thermometer, with a sensor in each end. This single probe monitors the internal temperature of your food at one end and the temperature of your pit at the other.

Bluetooth enabled, it gives real-time monitoring of your cook to an app on your Smartphone or tablet at up to 165 feet distance.

Why We Like it

Truly wireless is very welcome! Managing wires can become tiresome as they tangle up, get knotted, and get in the way during cooking. Not so with the Meater Plus.

And although mostly geared toward BBQ and grilling — and especially great for rotisserie cooking — this thermometer works equally well in your kitchen.

The smartphone app is intelligent and provides detailed cooking instructions and recipes for you to follow along with. It also provides an estimation of the time left in your cook, while alerting you to remove the food at the right time, even accounting for resting and carryover cooking time.

Some important specs are:

• Truly wireless — Not a single wire in sight!
• Dual sensors in a single probe to measure both food and pit
• Probe length:1”
• Probe diameter:24”
• Maximum internal temperature:212F (100C)
• Maximum ambient temperature:527F (275C)
• 24+hours of continuous use on a single charge

See our review and testing of the Meater Plus for more details.

This is a highly popular thermometer, mainly for its ease of use, reliability, and proven durability, and all at a great price.

It is a 4-channel thermometer that can monitor the temperature of your pit and up to 3 different foods simultaneously. And each probe is dual use, for monitoring either ambient temperature or the internal temperature of some food.

Bluetooth enabled, it allows you to monitor your cook from your smartphone up to 100 feet away, so you can mingle with guests instead of being tied to your grill.

Some important specs are:

• Temperature range: 0~300 °C /32~572 °F
• Temperature accuracy: ±1 °C / ±2 °F
• Wireless range: 50 meters / 150ft
• Alarms: Over-temperature alarm; range alarm; time count-down alarm
• Probe capacity: Up to 4 probes
• Battery: Rechargeable 1000mAh lithium battery

Why We Like it

A popular thermometer that has basically been owned, tested, and verified by the masses to be ‘great for the relatively little it costs.’

There are better thermometers out there, but you cannot go wrong for the price.

See our Inkbird Review for further details.

A high appearing entry in our roundup of the best available wireless meat thermometers, the iGrill2 is a dual-probe digital thermometer for monitoring the internal temperature of your meat as it roasts or smokes.

Connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone and use the free app to keep an eye on things from up to 150 feet away.

By purchasing additional probes, you can connect up to four at once to monitor four pieces of meat at one time from a single unit.

Why We Like it

First, it’s from Weber, so we know it’s a quality piece of equipment.

Second, we love being able to keep a virtual watch on our meat without needing to hover around the grill constantly.

Go enjoy the party! The app will give you a notification when your meat is ready.

No smartphone? No worries! It’ll still give you an accurate temperature reading right on the base unit. Claimed battery life is 200 hours. That’s a lot of smoking.

You know the score by now! There’s further details over at our review of the iGrill 2.

Snake River Farms is renowned for starting one of the first American Wagyu programs, cross-breeding US cattle with the premium Japanese breed.

The resulting meat is unbelievably rich, marbled, and a really rare treat.

Due to this creation of new beef, the founder was even awarded a “Cattle Business of the Century” award back in 1998, and inducted into the cattle feeders hall of fame in 2012.

Wagyu beef is arguably the best in the world…but it comes with a price tag to match! American Wagyu is a good compromise between ‘normal’ and Wagyu beef and has a lower price tag to match.

Brisket is the king of BBQ meats, but many have a love-and-hate relationship with it because it tends to dry out easily during cooking. But the more intramuscular fat and marbling it has, the more moist the end result will typically be.

Well, you will struggle to find more well-marbled than Snake River Farms brisket!

Why We Like it

Great BBQ always starts with great ingredients, and especially great meat. And Snake River Farms is definitely up there with the best.

Any pitmaster would love to receive an SNF brisket as a gift. But failing that, there is a whole range of different meats, gift boxes, and ideas at the Snake River Farms site.

Go check them out, and see if there’s anything in your price range because I promise you, it makes an excellent gift for grilling.

Check out our Snake River Farms review for further details.

Crowd Cow is about directly connecting consumers to the farms where meats are produced. Everything they sell is traceable to the ranches and farms where the animals were raised.

This is not a new idea, but you typically had to buy a half or whole animal. With Crowd Cow, you can buy as little or as much as you like!

For the eco-aware, they also use 100% recyclable and compostable packing materials.

So they are all about being eco-friendly and selling home-grown traceable meat.

Why We Like it

Meat production has one of the biggest environmental impacts in industry, and there’s a growing need to source locally and as eco-friendly as possible. Crowd Cow is part of the answer.

But not only this, the meat is high quality, from well-raised and cared for animals. You can literally taste the quality.

Crowd Cow allows you to shop locally without any of the hassle.

And there is a wide variety of cuts available at different price points. What’s not to like?

Please see our Crowd Cow review for further details.

Porter Road started as a butcher shop in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2010, by two founders who found it hard to source high-quality local meat reliably.

It went so well that in 2017 they decided to take their venture online.

From then, and still to this day, Porter Road has taken a very active role in sourcing quality meat, with all partner farms and ranches frequently visited to check on standards.

All their meats are hormone free, with no antibiotics, and all partner farms and ranches work with sustainability in mind.

Many of the animals are also pasture-raised. So they predominantly eat grass but will also feed on whatever they find in their natural environment, with a grain supplement for finishing.

Why We Like it

First of all, the quality is high, the produce is great.

Porter Road sells its product in multiple ways, including subscription boxes, bundles, and à la carte ordering. It’s nice to have options.

All their animals are ethically cared for, with lots of it free range. For example, much of their pork comes from pigs that are free to roam and root about in the woods. This directly affects meat quality…in a good way!

The variety of meats and cuts is plentiful, the packaging and shipping is great, and the customer service good. Highly recommended!

Check out our review of Porter Road for further details.

Barbecue is a mixture of art and science…but mostly science.

And when it comes to barbecue, nobody knows it better than Meathead Goldwyn, who has dedicated years of his life to experimenting, myth-busting, and truth-seeking in the barbecue world.

In this book, Meathead and Dr. Greg Blonder bring you a wealth of science-backed information on the how, what and why of outdoor cooking, along with over 100 excellent recipes.

A NY Times bestseller and a best in category on Amazon, this book is a must-read for anybody that takes their barbecue seriously.

Why We Like it

Because it’s so science-based, this book teaches how to BBQ, not just asks you to follow along. It’s jam-packed with ‘A-ha!’ moments.

After reading, you will understand the processes and chemistry of cooking, so you can adapt to any conditions.

In my opinion, this is a must-read book and is also quite fun and entertaining to read.

America’s Test Kitchen are famous for their science and testing based cooking knowledge and recipes, and this is their first foray into the world of BBQ.

This is an excellent book filled with delicious photos of food and dishes, with clear step-by-step written instructions with accompanying photos.

Why We Like it

At 454 pages, you get a lot of knowledge and recipes for your money.

Jam-packed with photos, it’s easier to follow along with compared to more text-heavy and text-based books.

This book covers everything from choosing the right tools and ingredients to food prep and of course cooking complete dishes.

This book nails it in every way, and is a great learning tool for novice outdoor cooks and a great reference of recipe ideas for the more experienced chef.

Aaron Franklin is perhaps the most famous pitmaster ever to serve a brisket. Published author, TV personality, winner of multiple awards, and owner of the most famous and popular BBQ joint in the US, he is someone who deserves to be listened to.

In this book, Franklin lays bare the knowledge he has gained from cooking thousands of briskets, ribs, and more, year after year.

Discussing how to factor in all variables, such as the weather, the wood, the meat, and the pit, he expertly teaches how to demystify BBQ and achieve great results every time.

Why We Like it

First and foremost, it is highly educational. Not just a paint-by-numbers recipe book, it actually teaches you how to recognize the variables in cooking and how to react to differing variables to always achieve great results.

And this book is not just about cooking, it also teaches you how to build and customize your own smoker, find and cure your own cooking wood, fire management, selecting the best ingredients, and more.

There are more comprehensive BBQ books, but Franklin concentrates on just a few things with this book and goes exceptionally in-depth. Highly recommended.

Steve Raichlen has literally made BBQ his life’s work. He has authored multiple books, starred in and guest appeared in multiple TV shows, and really knows his stuff about BBQ.

This award-winning book is 530 pages long. It’s a beast! Containing over 500 recipes with insider info and FAQs, he goes into great detail to help you achieve amazing results with his chosen recipes.

There are hundreds of color-photographs included, showing hundreds of international recipes, which goes beyond what the average American BBQ chef already knows.

Why We Like it

This book contains comprehensive coverage of all things worldwide barbecue, making it an excellent choice for backyard chefs who want to go beyond the basics and experiment with new things.

Written in an entertaining way, it’s also a little like a travel journal as Steve discusses and teaches you dishes from around the world.

Just don’t sit reading it in bed, as it will surely make you hungry!

A second entry from Steven Raichlen, this book concentrates solely on low and slow BBQ, the art of smoking.

Covering all aspects of smoking, including hot smoking, cold smoking, tea smoking, stovetop smoking, smoke-braising, and the ultimate in primal cooking: “caveman” smoking directly on embers, this book leaves no stone — or technique — unturned.

Also discussed in depth is every step of smoking, including types of smokers that exist, how they work, and which will likely best suit your needs. He discusses different forms and flavors of wood and food preparation such as brining, rubs and marinades.

Why We Like it

It’s an all-in-one primer on everything low and slow and will take a complete novice to a capable smoker in no time.

Of course, it also contains excellent recipes for many different complete dishes, both traditional and more exotic, even having a section on smoke desserts!