The internet loves to tell every aspiring grill master that they need a pellet smoker the size of a Subaru to make a decent bratwurst. In reality, the gear that will improve your grilling depends entirely on where you're starting. If you're still Googling "how long to cook chicken thighs," your money is better spent on a meat thermometer than a fancy wood-chip subscription.
With that in mind, I asked pitmasters and barbecue pros what they'd actually recommend at every stage of the grilling journey—from nervous beginners who just bought their first Coleman to the people who lose entire weekends obsessing over brisket bark. Whether you're flipping burgers, hosting tailgates, or chasing food-stylist level sear marks, these are the upgrades worth investing in at every level.
Level 1: beginner barbecuers
If you have trouble even turning on your propane grill, you don’t need to worry about high-tech gadgets and you certainly don’t need to worry about fancy charcoals. Start simple with the basics: a quality pair of tongs is essential for doing just about everything you need to do while you’re over the grill. Same goes for a durable spatula—from flipping burgers to shifting veggies over hot grates, a turner will take you far.
Rather than risking serving up a slab of raw meat, get an instant-read thermometer, which will tell you the internal temperature of your proteins in seconds. You don’t need anything techy—a simple fold-out probe will do the trick. The last nonnegotiable is a good grill brush, one without metal bristles since those can fly off and get stuck in your food. Instead, opt for models that use chainmail or steam to attack gristle (and clean your grates after every grill sesh to keep them looking squeaky clean.)
Level 2: Confident home chefs
If you’re a Level 2 griller, you’re comfortable hosting a barbecue. You’ve learned your way around a Weber and are always down to fire it up, whether you’re cooking a quick weeknight meal or flipping dogs for a backyard full of people. You have the basics—you’ve even splurged on a fancier kit of grilling tools in a cool pouch—but you want more ways to level up your grill game.
Isaac Bernal Carbajo, executive chef for Spain's United Nations team in New York, recommends switching from a basic probe to a smart thermometer with remote monitoring. “A lot of people still cook ‘by feel,’ but once you start working with brisket, or other large cuts over long cooking sessions, being able to precisely control both the internal meat temperature and the cooking chamber temperature completely changes the outcome,” he says. Invest in a wireless thermometer to monitor your meat from your phone in real time without ever lifting the lid.
After you’ve taken your protein off the heat, Bernal Carbajo recommends setting it in a resting bag. “Great BBQ doesn’t end when you take the meat off the fire,” he says. “A quality insulated brisket bag or a cooler can make more difference to the final juiciness than even the cooking process itself.“
Don’t forget to upgrade your cleaning routine too. Shannon Snell, head pitmaster at Sonny’s HQ, suggests prepping with this BBQ Prep Tub to make cleanup a breeze. “I love BBQ, however, I hate the cleanup afterward,” he says. “It’s a collapsible tub that allows you to season and sauce your barbecue with very little mess. It’s dishwasher-safe and a pitmaster's dream.”
Level 3: (Practically) pitmasters
Level 3 grillers are the people obsessed with all things texture and flavor. They’re not afraid of any huge cuts of meat or big food experiments. In fact, they want to painstakingly braise a brisket until it’s so tender that it’s practically falling apart. Grilling is a hobby—nay, lifestyle—they take very seriously, so they want all the niche tips and tricks they can get.
If this sounds like you, take notes.
When you’re cooking over charcoal, Carey Bringle, pitmaster and owner of Nashville's famous Peg Leg Porker, says to ditch the traditional bagged charcoal and upgrade to octagonal charcoal logs, which are sometimes known as Thai-style logs. “They burn long, hot, and steady, which gives you great control when you’re grilling or doing longer cooks,” he says. “They also produce less smoke and ash than a lot of standard charcoal, so you get clean heat without fighting the fire the whole time.”
If you’re cooking on a gas grill, Bringle says a smoke tube is a great “cheat code” for getting that smoky, low-and-slow taste. “You load it with wood pellets, light it, and it gives you real smoke flavor without having to buy a dedicated smoker,” he adds. “It’s simple, inexpensive, and makes a gas grill a lot more versatile.”
And for that classic, crispy char, get yourself some GrillGrates, which sit on existing grill grates to give you a hard sear. “They’re especially useful on gas grills where you want a little more steakhouse-style performance,” says Bringle.
