Skip to main content

From solar stoves to skewers, 12 grill gadgets that’ll crown you king of summer

best bbq grilling gadgets front runner outfitters spare tire mount  stainless steel grate
It’s nearly summertime, which means barbecue season will soon be in full swing across the country. That being the case, we figured we’d round up a few of our favorite high-tech cookout contraptions for you, so you can get your grilling situation in order. Feast your hungry eyes on these drool-worthy grilling gadgets.

Front Runner Outfitters Spare Tire Mount — Stainless steel BBQ grate ($137)

Who says your cookouts have to be confined to your backyard? With this cleverly designed grill from Front Runner, you’ll always be prepared for a backcountry BBQ, no matter where in the world you happen to end up. Once you’ve got a fire started, you simply place this grate atop the flames and start cooking. The grate’s three integrated legs hold it above the coals and also ensure that you’ve got a large, sturdy surface to cook on.

Steven Raichlen’s Best of Barbecue — Grilling grate oiler brush ($13)

Steven-Raichlen's-Best-of-Barbecue-—-Grilling-Grate-Oiler-Brush_

Keeping your grates well oiled is the best way to make sure your food doesn’t stick, and the Steven Raichlen Grilling Grate Oiler makes it easy. Its design combines a grill brush with a small reservoir for the oil, letting you get solid coverage with each swipe. It’s even made from temperature-resistant plastic and silicone and is dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

Grillbot — Automatic grill cleaning robot ($90)

Grillbot-automatic-grill-cleaning-robot_

Grilling is awesome, but cleaning all the blackened, caked-on food goo afterward? Not so much. Fortunately, we live in a time where robots can perform most of the menial tasks we hate doing, and much like vacuuming and cleaning the gutters, grill maintenance can now be performed by a robotic underling. Just pop this little bugger on top of the grates when you’re done cooking, and he’ll go to work picking up all the baked-on burger bits you left behind.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Lynx Grills SMART30F — 30″ freestanding SmartGrill ($7,600)

_Lynx-Grills-SMART30F-—-30'-Freestanding-SmartGrill_

Ever wished you could bark orders at your grill like you do with Siri on your smartphone? Well good news: With the Lynx Smart Grill, you totally can. Under its sleek chrome exterior, this beast boasts a slew of high-tech features — including temperature sensors, automatic heat controls, and voice recognition. That means you can scream “Make me a steak!” from the comfort of your patio chair, and the grill will take it from there. Read our full review here.

Buy one now from:

Refuel — Smart propane tank gauge ($43)

Refuel-—-Smart-propane-tank-gauge_

There’s nothing worse than inviting over all your buddies over for a cookout, only to discover that you’re out of propane and have to leave your beer to make an excursion to the supermarket to get more. If you’d prefer to avoid such a situation, you should check out Refuel. It’s basically an intelligent, app-enabled propane tank scale that keeps tabs on how much you’ve got left. When you’re running low, you’ll get a smartphone alert, so you’ll know well in advance that you need more gas. (Note: This product is no longer in production, so get one while it is still available.)

Onward GrillPro 00150 — Cast iron smoker box ($18)

Onward-GrillPro-00150-—-Cast-iron-smoker-box

Cooking your food over an open flame generally imparts a little bit of smoky flavor into it, but if you want more of that delicious smokiness, you need to get yourself a smoker box. Fill this sucker with dampened wood chips and toss it on the grill, and after a while, it’ll begin to fill your grill hood with smoke. It’s not quite as good as putting your meat in a full-on smoker, but it’s a good, cheap substitute!

Sur La Table Bitterman’s Himalayan salt block ($32)

Sur-La-Table-Bitterman's-Himalayan-Salt-Block

If you can muster the courage to leave your meat off your perfectly seasoned grill grates, we highly suggest you try cooking your next meal on a block of Himalayan rock salt. It might just be our favorite new way to prepare food. The idea is fairly straightforward. You start by slowly heating a slab of salt on your grill, and once it’s up to temp, you just drop whatever you’re cooking on top and watch it sizzle for a few seconds. Because of the block’s unique composition, it imparts your food with a subtle hint of mineral saltiness that’s absolutely fantastic.

 

Maverick PT-100 Pro-Temp — Commercial thermometer ($65)

Maverick-PT-100-Pro-Temp-—Commercial-thermometer_

For certain meats, there’s a fine line between cooking something to perfection and endangering everyone at the cookout. So, if you’d rather err on the side of caution and know for sure that your food has reached a safe temperature, you need to snag yourself a grilling thermometer. This particular model from Maverick is designed give you accurate readings in the blink of an eye, so you don’t have to hold your hand over the grill for too long and singe the hair on your knuckles.

Looft Industries Looftlighter — Fire lighting tool ($80)

Looft-Industries-Looftlighter-—-Fire-lighting-tool

Invented by a company from Sweden, Looftlighter uses a continuous blast of superheated air to ignite your charcoal without the help of matches or lighter fluid. It can also be used to “fast forward” your charcoal briquettes and get them up to grilling temperature in just a few minutes. Sure, you can achieve the same result with one of those old-school charcoal chimneys, but this gizmo has a lightsaber-like design, which ups the fun factor considerably.

GoSun — Portable solar cooker ($259)

If you’d rather not mess with charcoal briquettes or propane tanks at all — and also happen to live in a section of the globe that has fairly reliable sunlight — check out this solar grill from GoSun. This model can produce up to 550 degrees of heat, which is more than enough to cook your favorite meals. At just eight pounds, the Solar Cooker is exceptionally portable, unlike many of the bulkier solar stoves on the market.

GoSun — Portable solar cooker ($259)

Fire Wire — Grilling skewer ($9)

A kabob is a classic grilling go-to, however traditional skewers can be rather hard to work with — especially on a full grill. These flexible skewers allow you to easily adjust the arrangement to more easily fit around or between your other foods.

Fire Wire — Grilling skewer ($9)

Charcoal Companion — Stainless grill clips ($11)

Vegetables can can sometimes fall through the grates, wasting precious asparagus. Thankfully, these clips from Charcoal Companion allow you to flip your vegetables all at once, rather than painstakingly turning each cut. These clips also keep the vegetables just above the grill surface to minimize sticking.

Charcoal Companion — Stainless grill clips ($11)

This story was updated on June 15, 2018 to reflect new pricing and availability of items.

Editors' Recommendations

Drew Prindle
Senior Editor, Features
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
Usually $170, get the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus for $100 today
Ring Spotlight Cam Battery HD Security Camera 2-pack

Provide extra protection for your home by buying the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus security camera, which is currently available from Amazon's Woot at 41% off. From its original price of $170, you can get it for $100, but the $70 in savings won't be available forever. While there's still plenty of time before the discount expires, there's a chance that stocks run out quickly, so if you want to take advantage of this offer, you'll need to complete your transaction as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus
The Ring Spotlight Cam Plus is a cheaper version of the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro, which is included in our roundup of the best outdoor security cameras as the top wireless option. However, the most important features are still found in the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus, starting with the ability to look through it at anytime from your smartphone with Live View. The security camera takes wide-angle 1080p HD video for a clear look at what's going on outside your house, and it also offers color night vision so that you can clearly see in the dark. You can also communicate with guests or delivery people at any time through the Two-Way Talk feature.

Read more
Are smart blinds worth it?
Controlling smart blinds with a remote.

As far as smart home gadgets are concerned, smart blinds are pretty niche. Unlike smart displays, video doorbells, or smart locks, it’s not often that you hear about smart blinds (or see them installed in a friend’s home). However, these unique products offer the same luxuries as their smart siblings -- and some might even be able to save you money.

But are smart blinds worth it? Or is the upfront investment too steep for the conveniences they offer? Here’s a closer look at these products to help you decide if you should upgrade your traditional blinds to something with a bit more brains.
What are smart blinds?

Read more
Ecovacs Deebot T10 Omni vs. Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni: Is the T20 worth it?
The Ecovacs T20 Omni docked in a living room.

Ecovacs makes some of the best robot vacuums of 2023. The company launched the well-reviewed Deebot T10 Omni in April, and the upgraded Deebot T20 is arriving in June. The two robots look remarkably similar, with a massive docking station capable of emptying the dustbin, cleaning the mops, and then drying the mops to remove unwanted odors.

So what exactly is new on the Deebot T20 Omni? And if you already own a T10 Omni, is it worth springing for the latest robot from Ecovacs? Here’s a closer look at the T10 Omni and T20 Omni to help you decide.
Pricing and availability

Read more