BBQ Supplies: 13 Grilling Tools Every Pitmaster Should Consider

BBQ supplies are any grilling tools, grill accessories, seasonings like BBQ rubs, or sauces that assist in the barbecuing process. Whether you’re using a charcoal grill, a gas grill, a wood pellet grill, a portable grill, or a teppanyaki grill, certain BBQ accessories can enhance the quality and safety of your grilling experience.

A BBQ grill can handle all types of foods, like brisket, rotisserie chicken, pizza, veggies, burgers, and more. Outfit your outdoor kitchen with every grilling tool and supply you need to safely handle any type of food on the grill—such as for brushing on sauces or flipping the foods. Consider using accessories like grilling planks for seafood or a griddle for eggs and other ingredients you don’t want to fall between the grill grates. Other grill supplies include pizza oven accessories and smoker accessories.

Some grilling tools are more necessary than others, but it also comes down to your personal preferences and needs regarding outdoor cooking supplies. Here are some essential barbecue grill supplies you can consider acquiring to round out your equipment:

1. 1. Basting brush: Since many grilled food recipes call for basting or brushing the food with a sauce while it’s cooking, having a basting brush by the grill makes sense. Use a silicone or wood-handled brush. Silicone is mostly dishwasher safe, so you can easily clean and sanitize a silicone brush between uses. Sometimes basting brushes come along with other tools in a BBQ tool set.
2. 2. Coolers: For a full outdoor kitchen, coolers make for quick access to ingredients as well as drinks if you’re trying to stay hydrated while standing by the grill. Keep meat, veggies, BBQ sauce, and any other refrigerated items in the cooler—just be careful not to cross-contaminate raw meats.
3. 3. Cutting boards: Consider having a few cutting boards that stay outside with the grill except for when you’re washing them. Use a plastic or other dishwasher-safe cutting board for meat and a wooden one or separate plastic one for veggies and other ingredients.
4. 4. Fire starters: If you have a charcoal grill, it can be useful to have lump charcoal on hand to create a fire and heat. For gas grills, use propane as a fire and heat source. Natural gas also works if you’ve hooked your grill up to the gas line. Additionally, there are liquid lighter fluid or brick fire starters to help you start fires for charcoal or teppanyaki grills.
5. 5. Grill cover: A grill cover protects the grill from rain, snow, extreme cold, and animals. Use a grill cover that can stand up to extreme weather to ensure it doesn’t rip, melt, or disintegrate, leaving the grill exposed to the elements.
6. 6. Grill basket: For veggies that are too small to sit on the grill grates without falling through, use a grill basket. This is a stainless steel grill tool that has little holes in it to allow the food to still come in contact with the direct heat, but it secures the food inside the basket to keep it from falling through the cracks of the grill grates.
7. 7. Grill brushes: A grill brush usually comes in a grill tool set, but you can also buy one separately. The bristles of a grill brush rub the grill grates, which are usually cast-iron, to remove burnt or cooked pieces of food stuck to the grill grates. You can scrape the grates using the scraper end of the grill brush to make grill cleaning easier.
8. 8. Grill mats: These non-stick grill grate covers eliminate the need for specialty grill cookware like a grill pan or cast-iron skillet. Cook food directly on the grill mat, and then rinse it with soap and water to remove any food residue. The non-stick surface makes cleanup quick since the food doesn’t come into contact with the grill grates.
9. 9. Heat-resistant grilling gloves: Working near hot flames or hot charcoal requires safety protection, especially when you are putting food onto the grill and removing it. There are many heat-resistant grilling gloves, much like oven mitts, from top brands on the market. It’s key to find a glove that still allows for dexterity—it’s important to prevent hot elements from slipping out of your hands and hitting someone or splashing someone, which can result in burns.
10. 10. Sauces: For recipes that call for basting or brushing the foods with BBQ sauce, hot sauce, or another sauce while they’re cooking, you can consider keeping the sauces by the grill during the cooking process. This will make it easier to regularly apply sauce throughout the grilling time.
11. 11. Skewers: Skewers enable you to stack meat and veggies to make kebabs. Metal skewers are the most common and recommended, but bamboo skewers can work, too, as long as you soak them in water overnight beforehand. This prevents them from catching fire and burning on the grill.
12. 12. Thermometers: A meat thermometer, especially a digital thermometer, ensures that the grilled meat reaches the proper internal temperature. An instant-read thermometer is a tool to help check and monitor the temperature of the grill itself.
13. 13. Tongs: Acquire heavy-duty, stainless steel grill tongs with long handles that you can use to flip veggies and pieces of meat. The long tongs keep your hands away from the direct heat, and the stainless steel holds up to the high heat better than other materials. Grilling tools like this usually come in sets with other BBQ tools, such as a grill spatula and grill brush.

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