Have you ever used a pair of grill gloves? If you haven’t, you might think that a towel or hot pads work just as well. It’s true that hot pads are an essential kitchen item, but grill gloves are specifically designed to work over the grill. They protect your hands, wrists, and forearms from the heat as you reach over hot surfaces. They work exceptionally well for handling moderately hot items for a short period of time, such as grabbing one end of a rack of ribs to flip it over. It should be noted that they are not intended to be a replacement for tongs. Contact with hot items for an extended period of time is not recommended.
All this being said, a pair of grill gloves is essential for the serious barbecuer. They provide an extra level of protection and give you an increased sense of confidence as you work at the hot grill. Since most people are unfamiliar with grill gloves, we chose four pairs of high quality gloves and put them to the test. We ranked and rated them based on a variety of factors, including Heat Protection, Control, and Cleanup. We used these scores to come up with an Overall Score to choose the number one Pitmaster’s recommended choice.
You can see the overview of each glove’s performance on the table below. As you scroll down, take a look at the summary review for each grill glove. You can get additional information on each glove and purchase it using the buttons located at the bottom of each review.
Overall Grill Gloves Review Scores
Brand | Design | Heat Protection | Control | Cleanup | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weber | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Steven Raichlen | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4.5 |
Camp Chef | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4.5 |
Charcoal Companion | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Weber Premium Grill Gloves
I’d say bbq gloves are an essential piece of any griller’s tool box, whether you grill only during the holidays or every day. It’s easy to forget things around the grill can get hot, and some items stay hot a lot longer than you think. And a roaring charcoal grill is far hotter than most people encounter, certainly hotter than an oven. This is particularly true for those who have less experience of barbecuing.
After the BBQ session, you can machine wash them, but expect some fading over time. This doesn’t effect the performance. In my opinion you should put these barbecue mitts on when you light the fire, and leave them on until the grilling is done and you step away from the grill. That way you’re much less likely to burn yourself by accident. Assume everything is hot and you’ll be fine. Overall, this glove set is fairly hard-wearing, fit well, and they certainly look the part.
This Product Is Ranked as the #1 Pitmaster’s Choice In The Grill Gloves CategorySteven Raichlen Extra Long BBQ Gloves
Being made from soft suede, these bbq glove set fit nice on the hand, if they’re your size, and are flexible enough for you to feel what you’re doing. I do like the length of these grill gloves, they cover a good portion of the forearms, depending on how big you are, and so help protect against spitting and boiling foods. And they do look cool when worn, but them being one size is a definite drawback.
When handling very hot items you need to be able to rely on them, not guess whether they’ll work or not. The manufacturer does give a warning about prolonged exposure to hot metal, etc. but in that case why sell them as gloves for bbq when that’s exactly what they’ll be used for? Perhaps if you’re the deputy griller, and the chief griller has decent gloves they’d be fine, otherwise I’d go for something more substantial.
Camp Chef Heat Resistant Barbecue Gloves
As with many items, it will depend on how big you are whether these one size fits all barbecue mitts actually fit. I’d say they’re somewhere around a men’s large. They look good, are flexible, not too thick so you retain a certain amount of feeling when handling most items. These gloves for bbq are a good length, covering the forearms almost to the elbow, which gives added protection when reaching across the grill, or when cooking foods that boil or spit hot fat.
Charcoal Companion Grill Mitts
When you order this product, remember it’s a mitt, and not grill mitts. Why, I’m not sure. Because everyone knows you need two. You’ll pick something up, it will be heavier or more unstable than one hand can manage, and you’ll automatically grab the thing you’re lifting with the other, ungloved, hand. Ouch!
If these barbecue gloves came as a pair, I’d probably be more willing to recommend them, but as they are, and given their limitations, I’d say shop around for something better suited to barbecuing.
