It’s time for my favorite summer-time activity; barbecues! While you might think you already have everything you need to throw a great barbecue here are ten items that can make barbecuing tastier, easier, and much more fun.

1. Weber 22 1/2-Inch One-Touch Kettle Grill
         Personally, I much prefer the classic, complex, smokey flavor that charcoal grills give your food over the boring, one-dimensional, and even chemical taste that propane and natural gas grills can give your food.

         Easily the best Charcoal BBQ Grill on the market for the price is the Weber 22 1/2-Inch One-Touch Kettle Grill. It has been the favorite of weekend warriors for decades as its built to last, cooks evenly, and is pretty easily cleaned.

         The real advantage to the Weber is its shape, which reflects the heat back at what you’re grilling. By leaving the lid on while cooking, and only removing it to turn your food, it helps lock in the smoke and barbecue flavor everyone loves.

2. Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter
         A draw back to using charcoal is the difficulty you can have lighting it and waiting for it to be ready.

         The Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter speeds up the process by igniting all the charcoal briquettes with some crumpled up newspaper. The charcoal briquettes ignite evenly and then can be poured in the center of the BBQ for direct grilling or along the sides for indirect cooking. Best of all you’ll never need to use lighter fluid again which can negatively affect the taste of your food.

3. OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Barbecue Tongs
         BBQ forks stab your meat allowing the juices to run out, that’s why chefs always prefer to use tongs to flip steaks, chicken, ribs, and even veggies.

         OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Barbecue Tongs have an oversized soft rubber handle that stay cool to the touch and are non-slip even if wet. Being 18″ long, it’s the perfect size and length to handle anything you may want to barbecue. Like all OXO products, they’re dishwasher safe and are made to last.

4. OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Barbecue Turner
         You might think a spatula is a spatual but that isn’t the case!

         The dishwasher safe OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Barbecue Turner is the toughest and most comfortable BBQ turner around thanks to its rubber non-slip handle that stays cool to the touch even with the hottest fires. It’s not just for hamburgers, use it to turn even large porterhouses and bone-in rib-eyes, fish, and chicken. It also has a sharp serrated edge to allow you to cut into your meet to check for doneness or sneak a taste.

5. Weber Saucing System
         If you’re a fan of wet barbecue and like to baste your chicken or ribs with sauce while grilling the Weber Saucing System makes it super easy and convenient. You and the brush also stay clean as the brush nests in the cup so there are no stray drips.

         Unlike hair bristles, the silicon bristles used on the stainless steal brush maintain their shape and they’re not a chore to clean. Both the brush and measuring cup are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

6. Taylor Two-Event Digital Timer/Clock
         Often an overlooked but essential item for barbecuing is an accurate timer. Chefs will tell you to have evenly cooked meats you must grill it for the same amount of time on both sides.

         The Taylor Two-Event Digital Timer/Clock allows you to keep track of two different timers simultaneously in hours, minutes, and/or seconds and the large 1″ read out features easy to read numbers. On the back there is a clip which has a magnet and also doubles as stand.

7. Taylor Weekend Warrior Digital Instant Read Thermometer
         Expert grillers can tell the temperature and doneness of meets by simply touching them and judging the springiness of it. Until you get a hang of this, a digital instant read thermometer comes in extremely handy.

         The Taylor Weekend Warrior Digital Instant Read Thermometer features a larger easy to ready display and updates the temperature every second.

8. Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Signature Stainless Steel Skewers, Set of 6
         Kabobs are always fun to eat but cooking meat and vegetables on a round skewer can be a challenge as everything spins around and rarely cooks evenly. I find it helps to cook your meats and veggies separate on different skewers to ensure your meet is cooked properly and your veggies don’t get over cooked.

         Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Signature Stainless Steel Skewers are flat and wide so nothing can slip or spin while cooking like they can on conventional skewers. Since they’re stainless steel, they’re dishwasher safe.

9. Oxo Good Grips Corn Stripper
         I love the taste of barbecued corn but I can’t say that I particullary enjoy eating it off the cob. If you feel the same way, you’ll love the Oxo Good Grips Corn Stripper which makes removing the corn kernels from the cob super easy and safe.

         You just push the Corn Stripper down the length of the corn and all the kernels collect into the container. Turn the cob and repeat until the entire cob is stripped clean. The Corn Stripper easily disassembles for cleaning and all parts are dishwasher safe.

10. Petzl Tactikka Plus 4-LED Headlamp
          The best barbecues don’t end at dusk and grilling in the dark is anything but safe or easy. While there are many silly grill lights on the market none of them last and most don’t provide enough light. I’ve found that a good headlamp such as the Petzl Tactikka Plus 4-LED Headlamp works much better and you can also use it for other things when the BBQ is over.

          The light weight Petzl Headlamp has 3 brightness settings and can run on one set of batteries for over 100 hours! 3 AAA batteries are even included.