Awesome Affordable Grilling Gear

Take your grilling to the next level without spending a lot on gear

Written by Hugh Garvey July 7, 2020

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For the past 20 years I’ve lived in balmy Los Angeles and have grilled outside nearly every week the entire time, working on recipe stories, writing cookbooks, and cooking for a family of four. And I am here to tell you that you don’t need a fancy grill to cook amazing open-fire feasts each and every time. Sure, a gleaming dual-fuel grill with a built in smoker box and a bluetooth enabled rotisserie and remote thermometer can be a joy, but having cooked on nearly every type of grill there is I’ve realized the expense and type of grill doesn’t matter if you don’t have the right gear to manage your food once you put it on the grate.

Most of the gear you will need is incredibly cheap. I’ve put together what I find to be a perfect grilling kit that helps maximize flavor, saves me from multiple trips to the kitchen, and helps me position the food to get just the right amount of char, and, crucially, tells me when it’s time to take the food off the fire. Some of the gear stays back in the kitchen, but most of it fits on a big cutting board that I take out to the grill where I stay, with smoke in the air and a drink in hand, until dinner is done. 

1 of 8Courtesy of ThermoWorks

An Instant Read Thermometer

Sure I can cook without a thermometer and intuitively hit a solid medium rare on a New York strip—if I’m lucky. While medium-rare steak sometimes feels like the fleshy part of your hand, overcooking $40 of prime beef always feels stupid.  Spend a few dollars on a cheapo thermometer and you’ll ensure silky salmon, just-right chicken, and cash savings in the long run. Or, do like I’m doing and upgrade to a fancy Thermapen, the preferred lightning-fast instant read thermometer of precision-minded pitmasters and pro chefs. 

Instant Read Thermometer, $159 from Amazon
2 of 8Courtesy of Field Company

A Cast Iron Pan

A grill is essentially one big burner, so treat it like one and take advantage of all those flames when you’re just getting your charcoal going. Blister up some little shishito peppers (they’re in season and worth seeking out!) or saute some onions and peppers to go on that juicy burger (save the smash burgers for cooler months). They’re also great for managing food that’s too small or too big for the grill: Pencil asparagus can fall right through the grates and big fish is hard to flip, but not so when you cook them in a big cast iron pan. You might already have one on hand, but if you don’t you should consider a Field Company Skillet. It is the spendiest item on the list (and handsomest) but worth it as it performs fabulously and will last for generations. 

Cast Iron Skillet, $125 from Field Company

3 of 8Creative Commons photo by David Lebovitz is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Super Long Locking Tongs

16 inches is a good length for grilling tongs, but go longer if you’ve got the storage space. I like to cook over a two-zone fire with a cool side and a hot side that can get seriously, searingly, blazingly hot (the better to dial in just a little char on a steak before moving it back to the cooler side). Don’t get the kind that come in a “Barbecue Tool Kit,” which no barbecue pro has ever purchased. Rather get restaurant-ready pro-chef, hinged tongs. In addition to flipping steaks and turning chicken, you can also use them to reposition coals and move around that hot cast iron pan. A locking feature is key to keep the otherwise unruly tool from taking over your utensil drawer. 

Locking Tongs, $18 from Amazon
4 of 8Courtesy of IKEA

Cloth Kitchen Towels

As much as I love a sturdy apron for protecting my clothes from sparks and smoke, a cloth kitchen towel is even more critical: It makes an impromptu pot holder/hot handle lifter when tripled up, cleans inevitably sooty/greasy hands, and can wipe your sweaty brow. Best of all they’re less than a dollar apiece so you can buy a dozen and always have a clean one on had (and not create landfill!). 

Cloth Kitchen Towel, $1 from IKEA

5 of 8Creative Commons photo by Didriks is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Big Green Egg Charcoal

Yes, Big Green Eggs are amazing, but even if you don’t have one the proprietary BGE charcoal is almost as life changing. While most lump charcoals are carbonized through and through and have little to no wood aroma, BGE appears to have little streaks of wood that produce fragrant smoke and perfume meat with true wood-fired flavor. 

Lump Charcoal, $16 from Big Green Egg
6 of 8Courtesy of Amazon

Mortar and Pestle

Sauces are nice, but a spice rub is the easiest way to switch up the flavor profile of your proteins, and making a rub with freshly toasted, hand ground spices is going to make your food way tastier than store-bought rub. And the best rub of all? Black peppercorns! Coarsely grind some and you’ll be reminded of the bold, citrusy, spicy complexity of the spice with those pops of flavor you can’t get from a pepper grinder. Get the biggest mortar and pestle you can to keep all those little seeds from flying all over your kitchen. A 2-cup granite set is nearly indestructible. 

Granite Mortar and Pestle, $35 from Amazon
7 of 8Courtesy of Yeti

Insulated Tumbler

These insulated tumblers might be the cheapest thing Yeti makes and they’re indispensable for keeping my rosé or gin and tonic cool in the evening, or my coffee hot in the morning when I’m getting that all-day brisket going. 

Insulated Tumbler, $20 from Yeti
8 of 8Courtesy of Yak Grills

Fill. Chill. And Grill.

For newbie grillers, small-space dwellers, or those looking to take their grill on the go, this modern hibachi grill from Yak is spot-on. This small but powerful grill is made of 100% high-grade, rust-resistant stainless steel, requires no assembly, and can grill up to 700 degrees when using hardwood charcoal. That means less smoke, fewer flare-ups, and more flavor.  Bonus: It’s also dishwasher safe!

Hibachi, $199 from Yak Grills

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