The 4 Best Barbecue Tool Sets of 2025, Tested

3 8 minutes read

With shopping for grilling tools comes the question of buying them individually or as a set. If you opt for a set, the question then becomes whether you’ll use all of the tools it includes. Stainless steel tongs? Yes. Skewers? Likely. Steak knives? That depends on if you already have a set. As I’ve cooked outdoors most of my life, I know which tools I reach for. But I also picked the brains of chefs Vishwesh Bhatt, Kenny Gilbert, and Rob McDaniel, who told me what they like and dislike in grilling tools and what can make grilling more enjoyable.

Good gear matters as much as using the right charcoal when cooking with fire, so I tested seven barbecue tool sets head-to-head to find the ones worth buying. I narrowed it down to four sets that felt comfortable in hand, did their jobs well, and contained a good selection of gear. Read on for my recommendations for different budgets and needs.

Weber 3- Piece Precision Grilling Tool Set.
Credit: Amazon

Weber grills have placed first in our tests over and over, so I’m not surprised that the best barbecue tool set I tested comes from this same brand. The Precision Three-Piece Grill Set ended up being limited but contains the basics for successful grilling. All the pieces are constructed with stainless steel and have slip-resistant and heat-resistant silicone grips on the handles. The 12-inch spatula is a good length, as it keeps your hands out of the fire and maintains dexterity. It’s a very comfortable piece to hold and slips under food easily without beating it up.

Weber focused on making a spatula that does what it’s supposed to do, without grill scrapers or bottle openers built into the blade, which are a huge pet peeve of mine. (I have both tools in other forms. Just give me a functional spatula.) The locking tongs gripped a small tomato and didn’t let go as I turned it over, testifying to their dexterity. The basting brush has silicone bristles that are easy to clean and won’t melt over the heat, and it was very easy to apply barbecue sauce from a distance that kept my hands from the heat. Though limited for a set, the three pieces are all essentials and come at a reasonable price.

What’s Included: Spatula, tongs, basting brush | Material: Stainless steel and silicone

Cuisinart 13-Piece Wooden Handle Grill Set

Credit: Amazon

If you want a comprehensive barbecue tool set at a reasonable price, this 13-piece option from Cuisinart fills that need. While the skewers and corn cob holders aren’t necessities, the set is pretty thoughtfully designed. The angle of the spatula allowed it to slide easily under burger patties and onions, and its had a handle was long enough to keep my hands away from the heat, while keeping some dexterity. The pincer-style tongs gripped a small tomato and a hot dog without slipping, although the 16-inch handle sacrificed a bit of dexterity for length. The meat fork took a couple of tries to pierce a chicken breast, but it stayed firmly in place after it did. The grill brush won’t be making our list of the best grill brushes due to its wire bristles, but, like the skewers and corn cob holders, it rounds out the set.

What’s Included: Tongs, spatula, meat fork, grill brush, four skewers, four corn cob holders, molded plastic carrying case | Material: Stainless steel and wood

Schmidt Brothers Carbon 6, 4-Piece Grill Set

Credit: Amazon

This four-piece set from Schmidt Brothers features scorching on the handles, which fades to bright stainless steel for a unique look. Moreover, the tools are all well-made and functional. I had doubts about the curiously shaped silicone bristle basting brush, but when I used it to apply barbecue sauce, it just made sense. The head takes off at an odd angle, but that added to the brush’s dexterity, and I could apply the sauce with precision, keeping it off the grates. The fork is a straightforward, elongated meat fork, and the sharp tines easily pierced the chicken breast and held it without slipping. The locking tongs picked up and held a grape tomato and a hot dog easily, without slipping. The spatula was free of modifications and performed as admirably as the rest of the set.

What’s Included: Spatula, tongs, meat fork, basting brush | Material: High-carbon stainless steel

Nordstrom Le Creuset Alpine Grilling Tools Set

Credit: Nordstrom

If the grilling enthusiast in your life needs a handsome, well-made set of barbecue tools, consider this one from Le Creuset. (Yes, Le Creuset makes more than enameled cast iron cookware.) It’s a streamlined set with a spatula, meat fork, and tongs, but each piece is smartly designed for ease of use. The fork has sharp tines that pierced the chicken breast easily, and there was no slipping as I turned it over. The pincer-style tongs provided a firm grip and dexterity when turning hot dogs and picking up a grape tomato. Now, for the spatula. I’ve made my feelings known about messing with a tool design, but I’ll forgive the bottle opener at the top of the head and a grill scraper cut into the side. I forgive the over-enthusiasm because the spatula performed very well when flipping burgers and onions, so the brand didn’t sacrifice function for gimmicky tools.

What’s Included: Spatula, meat fork, tongs | Material: Stainless steel

How I Tested Barbecue Tool Sets

I put seven grill tool sets through a battery of tests based on how you might use them with your backyard grill. The sets totaled 29 tools or 49 tools if we’re including multiples (such as multiple skewers in one set). Of course, not every set had the same tools. All sets came with tongs and a spatula, but I put the additional tools through other tests where applicable. In addition, I considered overall design, ease of use, and cleaning as I tested the tools.

Food & Wine

Tongs

Grape Tomato Test: I wanted to test the ability of each pair of tongs to perform delicate tasks precisely. I placed a grape tomato on the grill, emulating a small, dropped piece of food. I grasped the tomato, lifted it, and turned it over to ensure the tongs could continue holding it.

Hot Dog Test: I used each pair of tongs to lift and roll a hot dog over, ensuring the tongs maintained a firm grip on the hot dog during the process.

Spatulas

Burger Test: I cooked seven burgers and used the spatula from each set to flip one. I did this to ascertain whether the spatula could slide easily under the burger and turn it over without sticking to the spatula or grill.

Onion Test: I cooked several onion slices on the grill and used the spatula from each set to flip them over. I wanted to see if the spatula would slide under the onion and easily lift it or just bump into the onion slice and separate the onion rings.

Forks

Chicken Breast Test: I grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts and used the fork from the sets that contained them to pick the chicken up and flip it. I evaluated how easily the fork pierced the meat, whether it was easy to turn the chicken over, or if it slid off the tines.

Food & Wine

Basting Brushes

Barbecue Sauce Test: I applied barbecue sauce to each chicken breast after turning them over using the basting brush from the sets that contained them. I looked at how easy it was to hold the brush and apply the sauce without exposing my hands to heat.

Skewers

Chicken Skewer Test: I loaded a skewer from each set that contained them with chicken and grape tomatoes. I evaluated how easily the food threaded onto the skewer and then, while on the grill, if the food rotated with the skewer when turned, or if the food spun around the skewer.

Factors to Consider

Material

All of the tools reviewed here start with stainless steel construction. Our panel of experts agrees on that as a solid foundation. When kept clean, dry, and out of the elements, stainless steel is a long-lasting, strong, rust-resistant material. The variation from there comes in the handles. Some are plain steel, others have plastic or silicone, and others have wood. Basting brushes are equally subjective, with some preferring a stiff brush over silicone or vice versa.

Food & Wine

Narrow down what type of material you want, such as plain, slip-resistant, heat-resistant, or wood. After that, assess how the tools feel in your hand. There is little point in getting something that doesn’t have the handle you want or isn’t comfortable holding.

Handle Length

In the past, many handles were almost cartoonish in their length. A long handle will keep your hands away from the fire, at the price of dexterity. Move on if the handle is too long to use the tool with ease. Our experts agree that anywhere between 12 and 16 inches is optimal for attaining both goals.

Tools Included

This is a personal choice. Do you need just the basics, or do you want meat thermometers and steak knives as part of your arsenal? Buy the tools you need for the way you grill and upgrade from there if necessary.

Food & Wine

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the “must-have” grilling tools?
Ask three chefs what they have to have on hand when grilling, and you’ll get three distinctly different answers. Bhatt and Gilbert find common ground in requiring tongs and a spatula. McDaniel also wants tongs but will forgo the spatula in favor of a meat fork and chef’s knife. We tend to prefer the former combination. Gilbert also wants a basting brush or mop to apply mop sauces to his longer-cooking foods.

Where should you store grilling tools?
The opinions vary. McDaniel and Gilbert keep theirs in the kitchen while Bhatt stores his under the grill. In either case, ensuring that your tools are clean and dry before storing them and then again before cooking is key in preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses.

How do you clean barbecue tools?
Some claim that they like to build up a “seasoning” on their tools, which we do not recommend. Moreover, the tools reviewed here are stainless or carbon steel and are not receptive to seasoning. Whatever builds up on stainless steel tools is not to be saved and savored.
Across the board, our experts like to give tools a quick wash with gentle dish soap. The tools may need soaking to loosen some gunk and a gentle scrubbing to remove any last bits of residue. Many of the tools reviewed here are dishwasher safe and may not require much effort to clean at all.

Other Barbecue Tool Sets I Tested

Strong Contenders

All-Clad Stainless Steel 4-Piece BBQ Tool Set ($140 at Amazon)

The All-Clad set had some great pieces, all with the signature V-shaped handle. The tongs couldn’t hold onto a grape tomato when I turned it over, however, and I think the price is high for what you get.

Food & Wine

Cuisinart Deluxe Grill Set, 20 Piece ($60 at Amazon)

The tools in this set were perfectly adequate except for the grill brush, which had metal bristles sticking out from the rest when I removed it from the box. This misalignment gave me safety concerns that those bristles would soon shed on the grill.

Food & Wine

OXO Good Grips Grilling Turner and Tongs Set ($23 at Amazon)

The OXO is a perfectly middle-of-the-road set, and I have no complaints, other than it only contains tongs and a spatula. When I broke down the cost per piece, I saw you could get more pieces for a little more money with other sets.

Food & Wine

Our Expertise

Source link

The 4 Best Barbecue Tool Sets of 2025, Tested