Grilling Accessories to Heat Up Your Backyard BBQ This Summer

Even over-the-shoulder grill watchers can learn a thing or two

June 21, 2023 11:25 am
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The modern kitchen, with its precision instruments and computer-aided appliances, is a marvel. But something is energizing about the primitive pleasure of cooking over an open flame. I got hooked early, as I watched my dad work our family’s Weber kettle in the Virginia suburbs back when I was a kid. That interest really ignited when my mom taught our Cub Scout troop how to make a grill out of an overturned coffee can stuffed with twigs. 

So at this time of year, when the evening air warms, I take the covers off my dueling Weber charcoal and gas grills and break out the accessories for the outdoor cooking season. 

I’ll take a look at some tools of the trade that make grilling so fun and rewarding. I took stock of my own experience and also spoke with some grill-addicted friends. Among us, we have years working amid the flames, and this article takes stock of what wisdom has shaken out after all that time. 

It’s a curated list of some must-have items for starting fires, controlling heat, adding flavor, managing your grill and cleaning up. There are hundreds (probably thousands) of grilling accessories out there, but I’ve focused on time-tested fundamentals from which to start — or modify — your own grilling journey.

Meater+ Wireless Thermometer
Meater+ Wireless Thermometer

No host likes being confined to the kitchen while everyone else is carousing and no guest likes sitting down to dinner only for the turkey to be dry as a bone. The solution to both is the Meater+ Wireless Thermometer. Much more advanced than your standard digital thermometer, which still requires the cook to open the oven/grill/smoker and check the meat intermittently, the Meater+ gets inserted into the main of choice, an accompanying app recommends a goal temperature and cooking time, then the thermometer stays in during cooking to measure both internal and ambient temperature. No last-minute trips to Denny’s this holiday season.

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