The accessories for the perfect BBQ

Barbecue accessories: never again without them

With the arrival of warm weather, there is nothing better than gathering with friends and family to enjoy delicious outdoor barbecues. However, to ensure maximum enjoyment and success of your barbecues, it is important to have the right accessories on hand.

In this article, we will explore the best grilling accessories that will help you cook more efficiently and achieve perfect results from every grill master. From grilling tongs to grill cleaning brushes, from meat thermometers to marinating bags, we'll show you the essential tools for successful grilling.

Whether you are an experienced grill master or a novice beginner, this article will help you improve your grilling skills and achieve the best results possible.

What to buy for a barbecue?

To have a successful barbecue, there are some essential accessories that you should have on hand. Here is a list of what you could buy to make sure you have everything you need:

• Grill : Choose a grill that suits your needs and the type of food you want to cook.
• BBQ Tongs : Make sure you have a good quality pair of grill tongs to flip the meat without ruining it.
• Grill Cleaning Brush : A good grill cleaning brush will help keep your grill clean and ready for your next cut of meat.
• Meat thermometer : To ensure that your meat is cooked to perfection, it is important to have a high-quality meat thermometer.
• Gloves : to protect your hands from heat, dirt or meat fat.
• Marinade bags : If you want to add flavor to the meat, use bags to soak up the RUB.
• Grill plate : to cook foods such as fish and vegetables, you could opt for a grill plate or grate.
• Kitchen Utensils : Keep any kitchen utensils you may need, such as forks, knives and spoons, on hand.
• Coal, wood or gas bottle : choose the fuel you prefer to power your grill.

Focus on the most important accessories for the BBQ

Although there are many tools for true BBQ lovers, here are the fantastic 3 that in our opinion cannot be missing from a respectable barbecue.

Barbecue gloves: which one to buy?

Choosing the right barbecue gloves can be a difficult task for newbies. It is important to pay attention and know the key features that a pair of barbecue gloves should have to ensure maximum comfort and safety when grilling.

In the market, there are many types of barbecue gloves available, including leather gloves, silicone gloves and fabric gloves. Although branded manufacturers usually offer high-quality products, you can also find poor-quality gloves in large-scale retailers that are not specifically designed for barbecues. These gloves may only last for one barbecue or, even worse, they may cause burns to your hands.

That's why, we want to prevent this from happening by providing just two useful tips on choosing the right gloves for the barbecue: the most important features to consider and the different materials to choose from, so you can make the right choice for you.

A good barbecue glove should have certain essential features to ensure maximum protection and comfort while grilling. Here are the requirements that we consider fundamental:

• High temperature resistant : Gloves must be able to withstand the high temperatures of the barbecue, to protect your hands and forearms from the heat.
• Long cuffs : Gloves should have long cuffs that cover the forearms for added protection.
• Elastic material : The material of the glove should be elastic, so that it fits your hand and can handle the meat precisely.
• Good mobility of individual fingers : The shape of the gloves should allow good mobility, to be able to easily handle the tools and meat on the grill.
• Liquid-resistant : If possible, gloves should be resistant to liquids or grease to avoid getting dirty or burned.
• Good quality and durable materials : finally, gloves should be made with excellent materials, so as to last over time and guarantee maximum protection.

In conclusion, there are different types of barbecue gloves that you can purchase based on what you will need to do. Fabric gloves : typical oven gloves perfect for not getting your hands dirty when collecting wood or charcoal, with good heat resistance but not suitable for handling meat or wet parts; Silicone gloves : perfect for having an excellent grip with the parts of the barbecue, to avoid burning yourself and to keep the cuts of meat still during cutting; Leather gloves : old school doesn't go wrong, however they are as useful as fabric ones but provide greater protection from heat. Watch out for fat stains on the meat.

Meat knives: the piece de resistance

Knives are the essential tool for every barbecue enthusiast. It is important to have good quality knives available for cutting meat, vegetables and the various ingredients used during grilling.

Here is a list of the most common and used knives for barbecues:

• Chef's Knife : It is a versatile and indispensable kitchen knife for cutting meat, vegetables and ingredients. It is characterized by a sharp blade and a curved shape, which allows you to cut with ease and precision.
• Barbecue knife : it is a long-bladed knife, ideal for cutting large pieces of meat, such as ribs and chops. It has a sturdy and sharp blade that allows you to cut meat effortlessly.
• Jackknife : This is a knife with a serrated blade that makes it easier to cut cooked meat, especially if it is crispy on the outside. It is very useful for cutting ribs, chicken and sausages.
• Slicing knife : it is a knife with a long, thin blade, ideal for cutting meat into thin slices, such as cooked ham or salami.
• Bread knife : it is a knife with a long, serrated blade, used mainly for cutting bread but also for cutting the crust of some types of meat, such as pork.

It is important to choose good quality knives , made of stainless steel and with a sharp blade. Furthermore, it is advisable to always have a sharpener on hand to keep your knives sharp and ready for use.

In order not to dwell too much on choosing the perfect knife for the barbecue, we recommend reading our article dedicated to finding the perfect knife: The meat lover's tools: knives .

The right temperature: the meat thermometer

You may be wondering why it is important to have a meat thermometer . Knowing by heart - or by eye - the cooking times for each cut of barbecue meat is one thing, understanding the perfect temperature in all its parts is another matter entirely.

Having the ability to precisely control the degree of cooking of the food during a barbecue is essential, as it avoids ruining the carefully done cooking work. Even if you have experience in preparing grilled meat, by using barbecue thermometers, you can have full control of the situation and know exactly the internal temperature of the dish. In this way, you will avoid Florentine steaks that are too raw or too cooked and dry.

Here, last but not least, the meat thermometer is the real tool for those who aspire to a higher level in the world of BBQ. This is because some cooking and some cuts of meat require millimeter precision in the internal and external temperature of the cut of meat.

The thermometers to consider for your BBQ, and make you exclaim "never again without it", for us are:

• Thermometer with instant read probe : old school in steel and with non-digital readout;
• Digital thermometer : the most modern with steel probe and digital display which guarantees instant reading;
• Tech digital thermometer : the most complete, they can have multiple probes, be wireless or Bluetooth, warn you with alerts, instant reading, timer and many other features.

And if having a good BBQ thermometer isn't enough, here are our 10 secrets for getting your meat cooked right.