If you have an outdoor cook in your life, you’re going to want to check out my 10 awesome grilling gift ideas that are sure to inflame the BBQ master on your list this holiday season.

Since most of the gift-giving holidays occur in the middle of winter, you rarely stop to consider grilling gift ideas. Being that grilling is primarily a summertime pleasure, it’s understandable.

Contrary to popular belief, a Christmas gift doesn’t have to be something only useful in winter. You can use this opportunity to tickle pink all the grill masters and pit masters on your shopping list.

Now’s the time to shop for exciting ways to ramp up your BBQ toolbox! And what man doesn’t love awesome new gadgets and technology? There’s never been a better time to combine the two to make your gift memorable for years.

We all love our toys, that is a given. So if you know someone who loves real fire cooking, then consider one of these gadgets for their favorite outdoor pastime, grilling.

Let’s jump right to our list!

A Remote Digital Meat Thermometer

You shouldn’t mess around with the temperature of your food. That is unless you want future guests to avoid your dinner party invitations like the plague.

Old-fashioned analog thermometers aren’t accurate or efficient. The kinds that take forever to climb to the current temperature don’t just throw out misreading’s, but they also take too long. Every moment is precious during the cooking process. The seconds required to give a reading can last just long enough to overcook your protein.

As the name suggests, remote digital thermometers put out digital readings. Readings that have higher accuracy and can provide these readings remotely. This means you don’t have to linger in front of the oven or grill, nor do you have to keep opening and closing it. That causes the temperatures to fluctuate too much.

Every time you open the door of the grill or oven, it must work harder to heat up again, resulting in an uneven cook. A remote digital thermometer is a more convenient temperature gauge for cooks of all kinds. Choose this as a gift for home cooks and amateur chefs, fans of smoked meats, and BBQ enthusiasts—but don’t choose just any thermometer.

Pay attention to the temperature range as you pick out your gift. It’s crucial to track the temperature from the moment you heat the skillet, preheat the oven, or start the grill until you pull out the meat. That’s why it’s wise to use a thermometer with a higher, more extensive temperature range. Leave room for error and heat.

For extra efficiency, consider a wireless Bluetooth option. Bluetooth thermometers allow cooks to step away from the grill or stove and still keep up with the temperature. You shouldn’t have to spend too much money regardless. Don’t waste your cash on the cheapest product—this is a gift, and it’s not an item on which you want to scrimp.

An Instant Read Grill Thermometer

Thermometers, in general, are among the best BBQ gift ideas for the people in your life who live to whip up culinary specialties. An instant read grill thermometer is a wise investment, if only because of how much time and money it can save. The first time you avoid overcooking your steak or drying out your once-juicy chicken breasts, you start to wonder how you ever survived for so long without updating your cooking thermometer.

Unlike slow-read thermometers that only gradually reach the reading, an instant read thermometer is just that: instantaneous. Analog devices leave too much room for error.

but there’s no room for mistakes if it results in salmonella or other bacteria. High-end instant read thermometers have an estimated accuracy of ±1° Fahrenheit, although even thermometers with ±1.9° of error are good enough to serve as a gift.

In choosing which thermometer to give as a gift, research the speed of each possibility on your list. Ideally, the one you pick should reach a final, accurate reading within three seconds. Thermometers that present you with a reading in 4-5 seconds are satisfactory, too, but avoid anything that takes longer.

A wide temperature range is also essential. The best instant read thermometers are safe for temperatures as high as 482° Fahrenheit.  On the low end, it should be capable of reading sub-zero temperatures.

Because you want to give a gift that lasts, read reviews about battery life before you buy. Steer clear of thermometers that promise a battery life of fewer than 4,000 hours. Avoid any products that users report as being unable to handle the heat.

Grillgrates for the Perfect Grill Marks

For the grill master who has it all, you must often turn your attention to useful yet unique BBQ gift ideas. What do you get for the BBQ fanatic who has everything? One gift that’s sure to please is the Grillgrate.

Grillgrates give your food the unmistakable crosshatching indicative of a delicious, flame-broiled piece of meat.  Not every cook can manage those instantly recognizable char marks. For the grill master who hasn’t mastered that particular art, Grillgrates can do it for them.

Cast iron grates and grates made of stainless steel are commonplace, and they’re certainly helpful, but they’re not the best tools for the job. Grillgrates represent an innovation in heat amplification and distribution. They’re made of anodized aluminum.

Because the Grillgrate panels interlock and because you can buy them in a variety of lengths, you can find a grate that fits nearly any grill.

The design of the panels is what brings the magic. On each panel, there is a flat plate from which five rails rise. That’s where the food sits. Between the rails, there are vents for airflow. Those holes provide an escape route for combustion, hot air, and smoke to rise up and flavor your food.

It also gets the rails extremely hot and evenly distributes the heat, leaving you with an even cool and balanced temperature. It’s even possible to turn over the Grillgrate and use the flat surface to sear your food thoroughly.

Each Grillgrate includes a stainless steel spatula, which also serves as a GrateTool. It’s a custom spatula with “fingers” designed to slide easily between the rails on the grate. Clean-up is a breeze, plus you’re essentially giving two gifts in one.

Heat Resistant BBQ Gloves Are One of the Most Practical Grilling Gift Ideas

No one wants to give a practical gift for the holidays, but what if it’s the most thoughtful present you can give? It might seem like an exaggeration to say it, but heat-resistant BBQ gloves are the gift that keeps on giving.

Grilling gloves are more durable than traditional oven mitts, which offer no protection against searing temperatures and impede your ability to pick up items, handle food, and cook.

Quality BBQ gloves aim to erase those problems—but “quality” is the keyword. The best grilling gloves fit like regular gloves. The perfect pair is snug enough to encourage flexible hand and finger movements, but not so tight that they impede the cook’s range of motion. The cuffs should cover the wrists and at least part of the forearm to protect the skin from hot pan handles and sizzling grill grates.

Not only should you limit your search to gloves that can withstand temperatures as high as 682° Fahrenheit, but you should also focus on the materials used to craft them. Silicone is excellent for absorbing heat. However, try to find BBQ gloves with some amount of Kevlar. It deflects heat, too, and also keeps the chef safe from knife cuts and other sharp objects.

In general, you still shouldn’t have to pay more than $40 for a durable, protective pair of gloves and there are many quality options available for less than half that price.

What really makes them a fabulous grilling gift idea is that most pairs are versatile enough to be worn as regular winter gloves, campfire gloves, welding gloves, and kitchen gloves, as well.

A Charcoal Chimney Starter

Although the debate between propane and charcoal will rage on forever, charcoal die-hards aren’t lying when they tell the world that the smoky flavor you get from cooking with chips or briquettes is like nothing else in the world.

The only problem is that lighting a charcoal grill can be a pain. A charcoal chimney starter soothes away that pain.

It’s one of the most valuable outdoor grilling gifts that you can buy because of how much time and charcoal it saves during the lighting and burning process.

Charcoal starters resemble flour sifters in shape and design. They’re typically made of aluminum, stainless steel, or other types of metal. For added convenience, stick to starters with a catch on the handle to make releasing the coals easier, faster, and safer.

The charcoal stacks inside the canister. Some chimney starters can contain up to two pounds of coals. You light the coals while they’re inside the starter. Because of the ventilation, the coals are all ready to cook within 10 minutes or so rather than half an hour or more.

Whoever receives this gift will save boatloads of time, and they get to enjoy delicious grilled dishes as often as they want.

The Looftlighter BBQ Starter

For some, even 10 minutes is too long to wait for food. If you have a friend or loved one (or yourself) who already uses a charcoal chimney starter, then give them an update for Christmas.

It’s hard to find fresh, cool grilling gifts for someone who loves to grill; they already have nearly everything. The Looftlighter BBQ Starter is a natural upgrade to charcoal starters and starter cubes.

It’s the most perfect gift you’ll find for someone whose love for grilled goodies is tempered only by an equal love for the environment because the Looftlighter is eco-friendly as well as efficient. There’s no need to use logs, starter fluid, or any other chemical lighting methods.

Do you think you’re blessed because you can get your coals ready in 10 minutes and be prepared to eat in 45 or so? How about being ready to sit and chow down in just 25 minutes, 30 at most, from lighting the grill to taking the first bite?

The only thing needed to use the Looftlighter is an outlet near the grill. After you plug in the BBQ starter, stack your charcoal the way you usually do and touch the coals with the end of the Looftlighter. What happens at that point is magical, not to mention cool as all get out.

The lighter implements an airstream process that blows 1,256° Fahrenheit of hot air through its vents. Naturally, temperatures that high quickly ignite the coals. It only takes seconds.

It’s safe to use as well as safe for the environment, and it ignites wood, too, making it ideal for anyone with a wood-burning stove or fire pit.

Flame Boss Temperature Controller

After all these grilling gift ideas, here’s one that’s perfect for pit masters, too.

The Flame Boss 300-WiFi Grill and Smoker Temperature Controller is specially made to fit Kamado’s ceramic grills and smokers, such as the Big Green Egg. There’s also a universal model that fits the majority of steel smokers and grills. Of course, it’s a triple threat as it’s also a thermometer and a timer so that you can use it on the grill and in the oven, too.

Back to the subject of those long, slow cooks. Pitmasters swear by the Flame Boss. The fact that it’s Wi-Fi-enabled gives it a wow factor. Besides it being a cool tech toy, its connective capabilities allow the smoke master to track the meat and control the cook using a smartphone or other mobile device.

It comes with one meat probe and one pit probe, but there’s the option to buy extra Y-cables and probes because the controller can handle up to three.

The temperature controller uses a blower to control the temperature during the cook.

It senses when the lid opens and shuts off the fan so that the blower doesn’t over stoke the coals or wood. The speed of the blower is variable and adjusts itself to maintain your set temperature.

The neatest part is that it utilizes an alarm that texts you if your grill moves out of your set temperature and when your meat is done.

The Sportula BBQ Spatula

Are you playing Secret Santa for a sports fan who’s known for grilling on game day?

You have to get your grill guru the Sportula, if only for the name. As it cleverly suggests, it’s a line of cooking tools that feature everyone’s favorite sports team—seriously.  This is one of the most versatile BBQ grilling gifts you can find.

Buy for hockey fans, football fans, grill masters who love baseball, and pit masters who go hard for basketball. They cover professional and college sports alike.

The Sportula Spatula is, of course, a spatula, but it’s more than just a novelty gift. The sports logo of your choice is laser-cut into the stainless steel blade of the spatula, and the name of the team is burned into the handsome maple handle.

Its handiness doesn’t stop there, however. There’s also a bottle opener on the end of the Sportula. That’s not all. Sportula offers a ton of accessories as well. You can get tongs, grilling forks, and even coasters. And they all match the spatula in design.

Sports Logo Grill Covers

In keeping with the sports theme, a logo grill cover featuring the recipient’s favorite sports team is a solid grilling gift idea, as well.  Everyone always needs a grill cover.

Anyone who stores their grill on a visible porch or deck ought to have an eye-catching cover to please the eyes of passersby while protecting their BBQ.

Teams from the MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL, and NCAA are all represented in an array of colorful covers stamped with bold logos and emblems.

The novelty of this gift idea does not affect its functionality or practicality.

The cover’s made of heavy-duty vinyl that’s durable in all types of weather. White felt lines each one, which protects the surface of your grill or smoker. The 15mm material is rugged and durable, and hook-and-loop closures make it easy to adjust and stay put in windy conditions.

Charmats for Grills

Don’t go thinking that CharMats belong on grill grates. They’re meant for the side shelves of the grill.

Choose this gift for the grilling gurus who do everything possible to keep their grills like new and take pride in their outdoor kitchen investment.

Made of silicone, they affix to the side shelves and protect them from scratches and dents. Wear and tear won’t be an issue, either.

Clean-up is effortless since they also protect against food mishaps, such as spilled sauce and contamination. Should anything like that occur, a swipe with a towel does the trick, plus the silicone rubber can go in the dishwasher.

Final Thoughts on Our 10 Awesome Grilling Gift Ideas to Inflame the BBQ Master

The cool thing about many of these grilling gift ideas is that they’re also thoughtful presents for home cooks who do all of their culinary magic in the kitchen.

You can no doubt find something for that one person who’s impossible to impress. Anyone who owns a grill can benefit from any or all of these. So make the griller in your life happy this holiday and help them remain the King of the Cue!

One last thing, feel free to email and share this list with anyone who may be looking for gift ideas for you this year as well. Happy Holidays all!

Let us know if you have any awesome grilling gift ideas to share. Also, if this was helpful to you, please consider sharing it with your friends or on social media.  Sharing is caring my friends!

Cheers,

Pat G.

Disclosure – At The Grilling Life, I am committed to researching and writing thoughtful, informative and editorially independent reviews of the best products for your outdoor cooking needs.  If you like what I do, you can support me through my chosen links, which earn me a commission.  This allows me to continue sharing with you my love for all things barbecue.  Your support is truly appreciated.