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The first barbecue of the season is a special time to celebrate friends, family, and your collective accomplishment of surviving another winter—or in this year's case, a very difficult spring.
But when you go to dig out your equipment from storage, you might realize your tools didn’t fare as well through their hibernation. If you’ve got rusty, dusty, or broken barbecue equipment that needs to be replaced, we’ve got your back.
From the best-performing BBQs to the grippiest tongs and most accurate meat thermometers, we’ve spent hours cooking burgers, turning skewers, and smoking pork loin to see which equipment will make your barbecue the stuff of legend. And after hours of testing, we can recommend everything you need to throw the perfect barbecue.
If you’re finally ready to ditch your dusty old BBQ and spatula in favour of something better, these Editor’s Choice award winners and top-rated barbecue accessories on Amazon are an ideal upgrade.
1. The best gas BBQs on the market
Whether you’re hosting your first or fiftieth barbecue, you can’t have a successful summer without the right equipment. The Weber Spirit II E-310 was our favourite BBQ to use on every test of our BBQ roundup, producing perfect sear marks on burgers, evenly cooked chicken, and crispy asparagus.
The Spirit can’t hold quite as many burgers as our upgrade pick, the Weber Genesis II E-310, but the 18 or so burgers that do fit will be cooked evenly to perfection. It’s also easy to build, aesthetically pleasing, and reasonably priced—it doesn’t get much better.
Buy the Weber Spirit II E-310 on BBQ World for £589
Buy the Weber Genesis II E-310 on BBQ World for £849
2. Our favourite barbecue tongs
After testing both the best barbecue tongs on the market, we found the best are manufactured by OXO. During testing, the tongs flipped heavy, saucy chicken with ease and were even able to grip even the tiniest sprig of asparagus.
Between their comfort-forward design, their versatility, and their grip, these tongs will feel like an extension of your arm—and the price is definitely right.
Buy the OXO Good Grips Tongs on Amazon for £35.75
3. A digital meat thermometer for quick temperature reads
Before you pull your meat off the BBQ, it’s always smart to have a digital meat thermometer on hand to make sure your food is cooked to perfection. The best value winner in our meat thermometer roundup, the Habor, offers accurate readings, an extra-long probe, and an affordable price.
Buy the Harbor Meat Thermometer at Amazon for £8.49
4. A probe thermometer for serious BBQ masters
If you’re serious about your barbecue and plan to cook large cuts of meat or entire animals, a probe thermometer that tracks internal temperature and cook time is what you need. The ThermoPro Digital Meat Food Thermometer is accurate, has a very long reach, and comes with two probes so you can monitor multiple items on your BBQ.
Spending £40 on a thermometer might not be for everyone, but it's well worth it if you want to master your barbecue this summer. You can also use it to monitor food in your oven once barbecue season is over.
Buy the ThermoPro TP08 Digital Meat Food Thermometer at Amazon for £40.99
5. A classic charcoal BBQ
If you prefer the unbeatable smokiness of a charcoal BBQ to the convenience of gas, consider the iconic Weber Kettle BBQ. It’s been in production since 1951, and more than 60 years later we think it still offers a great combination of price, convenience, and performance, having aced all the tests in our best charcoal BBQ roundup.
It's about as simple as they come, constructed from two curved sheets of steel, but the iconic kettle shape isn't just for looks: The lack of weld points also prevents unwanted heat loss. Quick to set up, quick to heat up, and impossible to break, this Weber is also covered by the company’s limited 10-year warranty. While the Napoleon NK22K-LEG-2 is our new favourite charcoal BBQ overall, this Weber is both cheaper and currently more widely available.
Buy the Weber Kettle BBQ on Amazon for £169.99
6. A cult-favourite kamado BBQ
If you’re looking for a charcoal BBQ that can do it all—cook burgers and steaks, smoke ribs and pork shoulders, or bake bread and pizza—and budget isn’t a concern, you might want to consider the Big Green Egg. Kamado-style BBQ like the Egg use charcoal as their fuel, but they have thick, ceramic sides which store a ton of heat.
Since most charcoal BBQs aren’t made from ceramic, this feature makes kamado BBQs stand out because they can radiate heat around the food as you cook. They're super popular and they'll completely change how you barbecue.
Get the large Big Green Egg at BBQ World for £995
7. A cast-iron skillet to cook more food outside
Cast iron skillets are amazing because you can go from the stovetop directly into the oven. But, did you ever think you can use it on your BBQ too? This is great for cooking side dishes and smaller foods without risking them slipping through the grates and into the coals. This cast-iron skillet from Lodge is our absolute favourite—and the brand, which has been making its pans since 1896, is pretty much synonymous with cast iron.
Buy the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet on Amazon for £19.22
8. A tough brush to keep things clean
Let’s be honest, BBQ get gross, especially if you’re not diligent about cleaning them after each use. We've all been there, but this year, why not get a good brush and set a goal to keep it clean so your food tastes amazing all summer long? While we haven’t personally tested BBQ bushes ourselves, Amazon shoppers absolutely love this BBQ brush because it doesn’t have any actual bristles, which means you won't end up with stray bits of metal in your food.
Buy the Backture Bristle Free Barbecue Brush on Amazon for £12.99
9. This popular non-stick barbecue mat for more versatility
This non-stick BBQ mat, also from Kona, is one of the best on the market, and one of the most popular barbecue accessories on Amazon. It can handle temperatures up to 315 degrees, is super thick, and is super easy to clean. Plus, it's very handy when you're cooking food that might slip through the grates of the BBQ.
Buy the Kona Best BBQ Mat on Amazon for £19.95
10. Gloves that keep your hands safe in the heat
This pair of heat-resistant gloves from MILcea has saved hundreds of customers from burned fingers and dropped plates of food. They’re heat resistant up to 800 degrees, and some Amazon reviewers have even used them to grab burning logs in their fire pits and bowls. If you’re messing with non-gas BBQs and fire pits, these are essential.
Buy the MILcea Grilling Gloves on Amazon for £13.99
11. A portable BBQ for parties away from home
We tested a bunch of portable BBQs, and our favourite gas model is the Weber Q. The model's cast-iron grates, sturdy side tables and even heat distribution set it apart from the rest of the pack.
Still want to stick to charcoal? The Weber Smokey Joe takes everything you love about the full-sized original and crams it into a package small enough to bring to the park.
Buy the Weber Q Portable BBQ on Amazon for £283.05
Buy the Weber Smokey Joe BBQ on Amazon for £74.99
12. An immersion circulator for perfectly-cooked meat
Pro tip: Sous vide your meat to the perfect temperature before throwing it on the BBQ for a quick sear and a perfect char. You won’t have to worry about undercooked meat, and it’s way quicker (if you prep the meat in a big batch first) and easier when you’re serving a large group of people. If that sounds good to you, you’ll want to invest in an immersion circulator—the ChefSteps Joule is one of our favourites. Oh, and sous vide will serve you well all year long.
Buy the ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide Cooker on Amazon for £249
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