A Better Gift Guide for the Griller or Cook in Your Life

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As someone that runs a website on grilling, I get lots of grill stuff as gifts. I have a cabinet that’s overflowing with rubs and random accessories.

To help get the griller in your life something different (rubs still make good stocking stuffers), I’ve compiled a list of products I’ve used and enjoyed. Some extend beyond just grilling and into the world of cooking.

We all have different budgets depending on who we’re buying for, so the list is from cheapest to most expensive. Always check the price because all these products I’ve seen on various sales. Most of the products in this list have been sent to me at one time or another to test out.

ThermoWorks ThermoPop 2

I’ve used many different thermometers and probes for cooking, but seem to reach for the ThermoPop 2 quite a bit. It’s an inexpensive thermometer at only $39 (check price), but it’s accurate and quick for its cost.

I like that it’s waterproof rated for any splashes and spills, and I like its big backlit display that rotates for easy reading. A good cooking thermometer can be used for more than just meat too, I use it to check the temperature on a bunch of different foods.

Any cook needs a thermometer to know when food is done. For meat, it’s far superior than cooking based on time or by touching the base of your thumb.

Citrusafe Grill Cleaning Kit

Cooking is the fun part of a grill, so it’s easy to let cleaning fall behind. The importance of cleaning a grill sometimes is overlooked too with the old adage, “it will burn off”.

I wouldn’t want to eat at a restaurant that followed that method though, so I follow the same logic with my grill. To help make the less fun part of grill ownership easier, Citrusafe has a grill cleaning kit that retails for $49.99 (check price).

It comes with everything you need to get a grill sparkly clean. Citrusafe uses non-toxic ingredients for their cleaners, which is why I like them on my grill. There are other cleaners that are horribly toxic that you wouldn’t want to accidentally get on a cooking surface.

Chief Firewood Post Oak

The griller in your life would be happy if Santa brought them coal in their stocking, or in this case its unburnt bretheren, wood. Texas is a state that is rich in barbecue tradition, and lots of that barbecue was cooked with post oak wood.

Chief Firewood supplies wood to many famous barbecue restaurants. Now, they’ve just started shipping their wood, so you can get the same stuff for your smoker at home.

They sell a box of double split post oak for $70 (check price). It’s high quality wood, and it makes for a fun treat to cook with what the restaurants use. If the person you’re buying for does long brisket cooks on an offset, you’ll definitely want more than 1 box.

Boos Cutting Board

Barbecue is best when its juicy, but you don’t want that juice all over your counter. The solution to that is a cutting board that has a channel around it to catch the juice.

John Boos cutting boards are nice because they have said channel and they’re thick, so they won’t slide around when you’re cutting. It’s a brand popular with lots of chefs and home cooks.

A good sized one that will handle larger cuts of meat retails for $129.95 (check price). I got mine as a gift years ago, and it fondly reminds me of who got it for me every time I use it.

Franklin Barbecue Brisket

The Master of Meat, the Buddha of Brisket, the Boss of Barbecue. Aaron Franklin has lots of nicknames that I just made up. Above all though, he’s been making legendary barbecue for a long time.

Making the pilgrimage to Austin, TX to eat at Franklin Barbecue isn’t always an option. There’s an easier way though to eat a genuine Franklin brisket.

You can order one to be delivered right to your house. It costs $269 (check price) for the brisket, but you’ll want to throw in sausage and merch. It’s a unique gift for anyone into barbecue or food, and it’s a gift that they’ll definitely remember.

Ninja Crispi Pro Air Fryer

I was excited when this product came out because it’s an air fryer that uses glassware. It still uses a little bit of non-stick metal that’s removable in the bottom of the glassware for airflow purposes, but it’s minimal and it’s a flat sheet that’s dishwasher safe.

Lots of people jumped on air fryers a few years ago, but this one is better than others that I’ve cooked with. It retails for $279 (check price), and beyond using glass, it has lots of different cooking modes to make it more than just an air fryer.

For instance, the 6 qt glass dish that it comes with will fit a whole chicken to make weekday cooking easier. It also comes with a smaller 2.5 qt glass dish that works for fries, wings, and smaller items.

I’ve cooked some of my best wings on this thing. With its Max Crisp function it will make fries to go along with them that taste like they’re from a deep fryer at a restaurant.

All-Clad 5-ply D5 Bonded Cookware Set

Anyone that is serious about cooking needs a good set of cookware, and the All-Clad 5-piece set is a great start. It retails for $499 (check price), and includes a 10-inch fry pan, a 3-quart sauce pan with lid, and a 3-quart saute pan with lid. The pan in featured image at the top of this article is from the same line, but it’s not included in the set, I’ve just added to my collection.

The 5-ply construction means that it has five layers of metal for durability, heat retention, and even heat distribution. All-Clad uses aluminum in between each layer of stainless because it has superior heat conduction to stainless steel.

All-Clad has multiple cookware lines that are named based on their construction. The D5 line, which means its 5-ply, is a good balance between their really high end cookware and their less expensive D3 line (3-ply).

If you’re on a tighter budget, their D3 line is also high quality product. Conversely, for the cook in your life that wants something even more precise, All Clad has 5-ply cookware with a copper or graphite core.

All-Clad’s cookware comes in brushed or polished stainless steel. There’s no difference for cooking on either, so it comes down to looks.

The polished stainless steel will look fantastic in a kitchen while brushed still looks great but you don’t have to worry about scratches as much. For my needs, brushed is a better option.

All-Clad’s product team has rightfully advised me that their enameled cast iron is better for a grill or griddle with it’s max temp of 650 degrees F. I still like to cook with stainless sometimes on the grill though because it can be easier to manage than heavy cast iron.

All-Clad’s D5 line can handle temps up to 600 degrees F and it heats up quickly. The trade-off is it’ll be harder to clean than the enameled cast iron, and you will get discoloration especially if smoke is involved. Just know that going in if you don’t want discolored cookware.

It’s also worth mentioning that in addition to making some nice cookware that’s durable, and holds heat, All-Clad manufactures in the USA. They were founded in Pennsylvania, which is where they continue to make their products today.