Summer Barbecue Checklist For A Beginner Grill-Master

As the weather heats up, those fun summer barbecues with friends and family are right around the corner! Break out the burgers, hot dogs, and chicken wings and prepare to grill up some delicious food for you and your friends. Whether or not you’re an established grill master or just getting started, you need to have the right equipment. This can range from having the proper charcoal starting equipment to the best grill cleaning tools. Of course, you also need to have reliable cooking tools like spatulas and tongs. It can make or break a summer barbecue whether you have the right equipment and are prepared. Here’s a summer barbecue checklist for a beginner grill-master! 

1. Grill Spatula

NFL San Francisco 49ers Classic Series Sportula

Home Depot – $16

You can’t have a successful summer barbecue without a solid grilling spatula! There’s a huge variety out there for potential grilling spatulas but there are some key features that you want to look for. You want a spatula that’s wide so you don’t need to worry about burgers falling off mid-flip and ending up on the ground then food for the dog. This 49ers “Sportula” is a good choice because it has a nice wooden handle in addition to its wide spatula head. You also get to show off your team spirit for this team or another team of your choosing. A big bonus for this spatula as well is that it has a bottle opener on the back! Grilling can be thirsty work so it’s convenient to be able to open up a beer with the bottom of your spatula while grilling at your summer barbecue.

2. Grill Tongs (x2)

GrillPro 40269 20-inch Professional Extra Long Tong, Silver

Amazon – $20.31

Tongs are a very essential piece of equipment for any summer barbecue! You won’t have to risk accidentally dropping cooked food off your spatula when you get bumped or spin around too quickly. It can also be an easier tool to flip food while it’s cooking especially summer barbecue classics like burgers or hot dogs/sausages. You should however be careful of using tongs on beef and such that is still raw because you can rip apart burgers (for example) before they’re cooked enough to stay together. Another good use for tongs, which is why two is recommended, is if you have a charcoal grill. You’ll need a pair of tongs that you can use for moving coals around both before lighting them and while cooking your food. 

3. Metal Skewers

Norpro Stainless Steel 14-inch Skewers, set of 6, silver

Amazon – $9

Skewers can be a great grilling tool to have at any summer barbecue. They allow you to make delish kebobs! The great part about these skewers is they’re affordable and also reusable compared to wooden ones that you just throw away after each use. You can just wash them up afterward and reuse them at your next summer barbecue! The length of 14 inches on these skewers also gives plenty of room to get a hearty vegetable and/or meat kebob. These skewers could also be reused on a camping trip to roast some marshmallows over the campfire and make tasty s’ mores!

4. Gas/Propane Or Charcoal

14 lbs. Match Light Instant Charcoal Briquettes (2-pack)

Home Depot – $20

An obviously important part of having a summer barbecue is having the fuel to do it. Which, depending on your type of grill, could be either gas/propane or charcoal to power your grill. If you’ve got a charcoal grill then you’ll want to be plenty stocked up for any summer barbecue. There are different kidneys of charcoal you can get from regular to “instant light” as in soaked in lighter fluid. It can be helpful to have the instant light because then you don’t need to use very much or any additional lighter fluid to start the coals. Grab a couple of big bags of coals and be prepared for your summer barbecue!

5. Chimney Charcoal Starter

Weber Rapidfire Aluminum Silver Chimney Starter 1 pc.

Ace Hardware – $22

If you plan on using a charcoal grill for your summer barbecue then you’ll want to have a chimney charcoal starter. Instead of having to worry about using lots of lighter fluid and burning your eyebrows off when the fueled-up fire erupts as you throw the match in; you might want to consider a chimney starter. Essentially you’ll load it up with your charcoal, a bit of lighter fluid, and some paper for kindling, then light it up and it’ll work to light all of your charcoal coals. Then when they’re hot and ready you can release them into your grill and you’re ready to start cooking up some food! Chimneys are especially helpful if you have a big grill so you need to light a lot of coals at once!

6. Meat Thermometer – ThermoPop

ThermoWorks – $35

A meat thermometer such as this from ThermoWorks is super helpful when becoming a grill master. You don’t want to serve your guests undercooked meat and possibly get anybody sick! With a meat thermometer, you can see how hot the inside of the food you’re cooking is then you can better judge when it’s ready to be eaten. No more having to cut inside that chicken breast to see if it has cooked all the way through! This meat thermometer is a little more pricey but it will last a long time and even has a convenient rotating display function!

7. Grill Brush

Grill Brush Bristle Free & Scraper – Non-Wire Stainless Grill Cleaner/Cleaning Brush

Amazon – $25

An absolutely essential piece of grilling equipment you’ll need for any summer barbecue is a good grill brush. Whether you’re cleaning off the grill from your last summer barbecue, or cleaning and preparing to put some more food on a fresh grill, it’s important to have a good, quality grill brush. There are many different options out there and you’ll want to choose carefully based on what kind of grill you have (material, etc.). This brush from GrillArt is a good choice because it can be used on basically any grill! It has these stainless steel helix brushes that are good for getting between your grill slats. It’s made of stainless steel so unlikely to rust and has a long handle so you can clean without burning your hand. It’s recommended not to be used on a “mesh grate” type of grill but any other kind should be fine.

What would you put on a summer barbecue checklist for any grill-master? Share in the comments below!

Featured Image Source: Photo by Nicholas Peloso on Unsplash