Kitchen · Updated September 2026
Grilling gifts for a dad who cooks outdoors
Tested by The GiftsVerdict team
Boston, Massachusetts · September 2026
The short answer
Buy a thermometer, and the choice is between two at the same price. The ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE at $99 reads in one second to within half a degree and is the one that gets used at every cook. The MEATER Plus, also $99, is wireless and stays in the meat with dual sensors for meat and ambient temperature, which is what you want for a six-hour brisket rather than a steak. Serious cooks end up owning both; if buying one, the Thermapen suits the person who grills weekly and the Meater suits the person who smokes.
The outdoor cooking category is full of gifts that look generous and get used once — the eighteen-piece tool set, the branded apron, the novelty branding iron. The reason is that grilling equipment divides sharply into things that change the food and things that decorate the activity.
Only one category reliably changes the food, and it is temperature. The difference between a good cook and a poor one outdoors is almost entirely about knowing the internal temperature and the grill temperature, and guessing at both is what produces the dry chicken everybody politely eats.
So the top of this list is thermometers, and the two best are the same price and do different jobs. The rest is ranked on what still gets used in the third year.
How we researched this
Desk research against published specifications, accuracy figures and pricing read in September 2026, plus public customer reports. Thermometers were compared on read speed, stated accuracy and whether they are instant-read or leave-in, which is the distinction that decides which one suits a given cook.
How we choose what goes on a listThe ranking at a glance
| # | Name | Why it is here | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ThermoWorks Thermapen ONEThermoWorks · thermoworks.com | Best overall | $99 |
| 2 | MEATER PlusMEATER · meater.com | Best for long cooks | $99 |
| 3 | Lodge enamelled dutch oven | Best value for outdoor cooking beyond the grill | About $70 |
| 4 | Hardwood lump charcoal and wood chunksVarious — buy lump charcoal, not briquettes, plus fruitwood chunks | Best consumable | About $40 to $80 for a decent supply |
| 5 | A heavy pair of long grill tongsVarious — 16 inch, one-piece stainless, scalloped head | Best cheap gift that gets used | About $25 to $40 |
What we judged on
The four things that decide this category
- Does it change the food?
- The dividing line in this category. Temperature control does; a branded spatula does not.
- Instant-read or leave-in?
- Two different jobs. Steaks and burgers want the first; brisket and pork shoulder want the second.
- Will it survive the weather?
- This equipment lives outdoors near fire and rain. Waterproofing is not a luxury here.
- Is it used every cook?
- The best gifts here come out every single time rather than for the annual big cook.
Best overall
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE
ThermoWorks · thermoworks.com · $99
The one that comes out at every single cook. One-second readings to within half a degree, a display that rotates automatically whichever way you are holding it, and IP67 waterproofing so rain and a wet hand are not a problem. What makes it the pick over the wireless option is frequency of use: most people grill steaks, chops and chicken far more often than they smoke a brisket, and for that an instant-read probe is the tool you reach for every time.
Best for: Someone who grills weekly rather than smokes occasionally.
What we liked
- One-second reads to ±0.5°F — fast enough to check several pieces without losing heat
- Auto-rotating display and IP67 waterproofing
- Used at every cook, indoors as well as out
What we did not
- $99 for a thermometer takes some explaining to a non-cook
- You have to be standing at the grill to use it
- Nothing to leave in during a long cook
Best for long cooks
MEATER Plus
MEATER · meater.com · $99
The same money, the opposite job. It is a completely wireless probe that stays in the meat through the cook, with dual sensors reading internal and ambient temperature at once — which is exactly the information a six-hour pork shoulder needs and an instant-read probe cannot give you without opening the lid. The guided cooking and time estimates are genuinely useful to a beginner, which makes this the better first thermometer for someone just starting.
Best for: Someone who smokes, or a beginner who wants to be told what is happening.
What we liked
- Wireless and leave-in — no lid opening, no cable through the seal
- Reads meat and ambient temperature simultaneously
- Cook time estimates and guided modes suit a beginner
What we did not
- Depends on a phone and a Bluetooth connection holding up across a garden
- One probe means one piece of meat
- Less useful for the quick weeknight cooks that are most of grilling
Best value for outdoor cooking beyond the grill
Lodge enamelled dutch oven
About $70
The entry for the cook who has started doing chilli, beans and braises alongside the grilling. Enamelled cast iron goes on a grill, in an oven or over coals, and Lodge cooks within a hair of pots five times the price — the differences against Le Creuset are colour range, warranty terms and the object itself rather than the food. At $70 it is the best value in the whole kitchen category and it survives outdoor use in a way expensive enamel is wasted on.
Best for: A grill cook who has started making the sides as well.
What we liked
- Cooks essentially as well as pots at five times the price
- Goes on a grill, over coals or in an oven
- Cheap enough to use outdoors without worrying about it
What we did not
- Heavy — a real consideration for weaker wrists
- Fewer colours and sizes than Le Creuset
- Enamel chips if it is knocked against a grill grate
Best consumable
Hardwood lump charcoal and wood chunks
Various — buy lump charcoal, not briquettes, plus fruitwood chunks · About $40 to $80 for a decent supply
The consumable that actually improves the result, which is rare in this category. Lump hardwood charcoal burns hotter and cleaner than briquettes and leaves less ash, and a box of fruitwood chunks — apple and cherry are the forgiving ones — is the cheapest way to change what the food tastes like. It is also the gift a keen outdoor cook is quietly always buying, which makes it more welcome than another tool.
Best for: A charcoal or smoker cook, and a reliable annual gift.
What we liked
- Genuinely improves the food rather than the equipment
- Something they buy anyway, so it is never wasted
- Fruitwood is forgiving; it is hard to over-smoke with apple or cherry
What we did not
- Useless for a gas grill owner beyond the wood chunks
- Bulky and heavy to post
- Consumed, so nothing remains after a season
Best cheap gift that gets used
A heavy pair of long grill tongs
Various — 16 inch, one-piece stainless, scalloped head · About $25 to $40
One good tool rather than a set of eighteen mediocre ones. The specification that matters is length and construction: 16 inches keeps a forearm out of the fire, and a one-piece stainless build with a scalloped gripping head does not develop the wobble that makes cheap tongs drop a chop into the coals. This is the single item from every tool set that actually gets used, sold separately and made properly.
Best for: Pairing with the charcoal, or a stocking filler for a griller.
What we liked
- The one tool from any set that gets used at every cook
- 16 inches keeps hands and forearms away from the heat
- One-piece construction does not loosen the way riveted tongs do
What we did not
- Unexciting to unwrap unless paired with something
- Long tongs are awkward to store in a drawer
- They already own three pairs, though probably not a good one
Not ranked
What we looked at and left off
A ranking is only honest if it says what it excluded and why.
Multi-piece BBQ tool sets
The default gift in this category and the clearest waste of money in it. Eighteen pieces in a case, of which the tongs get used and everything else stays in the foam. Buy one good pair of tongs instead and spend the difference on a thermometer.
Novelty aprons and branding irons
They decorate the activity rather than improving it. A branding iron that puts initials on a steak is used at the first cook and never again, and everybody already has an apron with a joke on it.
Rubs and sauce gift boxes
Fine as a small addition and a poor main gift. Most keen outdoor cooks have opinions about seasoning and often make their own, and a box of twelve small jars is mostly still full two summers later.
Questions
What people ask us about this
- What is the best gift for someone who loves grilling?
- A proper thermometer. Temperature is the only thing that reliably separates good outdoor cooking from dry chicken, and both leading options cost $99 — the Thermapen ONE for one-second instant reads at every cook, or the MEATER Plus if they smoke and need a wireless leave-in probe.
- Thermapen or Meater — which should you buy?
- Thermapen for someone who grills steaks and chops weekly, because an instant-read probe is what you reach for every time. Meater for someone who smokes, because it stays in the meat for six hours and reads ambient temperature at the same time without opening the lid. Serious cooks end up with both, at $198 for the pair.
- Are BBQ tool sets a good gift?
- No. The tongs get used and the other seventeen pieces stay in the case. Buy one properly made 16-inch pair of one-piece stainless tongs for $25 to $40 and put the rest of the money towards a thermometer.
- What is a good grilling gift under $50?
- Hardwood lump charcoal and a box of fruitwood chunks, at $40 to $80 for a decent supply. Lump burns hotter and cleaner than briquettes, and apple or cherry wood is the cheapest way to change how the food tastes. It is also something they buy anyway.
- What temperature should meat be cooked to on a grill?
- That depends on the cut and on the food safety guidance where you live, which is exactly why a thermometer is the gift rather than a guess. Both recommended thermometers here display target ranges, and the Meater adds guided modes for someone still learning the numbers.
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