- High-quality barbecue gloves protect your hands from the heat when you’re grilling while still giving you enough dexterity to handle tongs and knives.
- The Steven Raichlen Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves are our top pick because they are affordable, cover your arms up to the elbow, and are designed to last.
Most of us learn at a fairly young age that grills are hot. Yet, we’ve all seen adults trying to position meats over a molten-hot grill without any protection.
]With this method, at best, you are forced to perform fast imprecise movements to avoid getting burned. At worst, you burn a few fingertips – I may or may not have personal experience with this. Wouldn’t it just be easier to have a good pair of grill gloves on hand to improve your barbecue experience?
Grilling gloves are an affordable and important part of any home chef’s grilling repertoire. They’re made of many different materials and are relatively inexpensive, so frequent grillers might want to consider purchasing separate pairs for dry and wet use. We recommend a pair of all-silicone gloves if you plan on handling juicy meats directly or if you need protection from scalding liquids. Nomex or Kevlar with silicone grips are better for moving hot coals, grill grates, and other dry, hot items. Leather also works well for dry objects.
Here are the best BBQ grilling gloves:
- Best overall: Steven Raichlen Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves
- Best for high heat: US Forge 400 Welding Gloves
- Best waterproof grill gloves: Jolly Green Products Ekogrips BBQ Oven Gloves
Prices and links are current as of 8/10/20. We still stand by most of our picks from this spring, but we’ve added US Forge 400 welding gloves as a high-heat pick, as they happen to be more both more protective and affordable than our previous recommendation.
The best overall
If you are looking for affordable leather gloves for removing grill grates or moving other hot items, the Steven Raichlen Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves are your best bet.
Though the Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves are advertised as 18 inches long, our research found they were closer to 17.5 inches. Regardless, this should be enough length to protect your arms up to your elbow as you work over hot coals.
The gloves are rated safe up to 475 degrees Fahrenheit so they can handle high temperatures, making them perfect for working over most grills, moving hot grates, and tending to charcoal to prevent hotspots. To clean the gloves, you simply wipe them down with a damp cloth.
The suede leather gives the gloves superior protection and dexterity, though they only come in one size and tend to cater to those with large hands. If you have smaller hands, you may find you lose some dexterity due to the excess fabric.
Pros: 17.5 inches long, offers excellent dexterity
Cons: Not machine washable, may be too large for cooks with smaller hands
The best high-heat grilling gloves
If you're grilling over high heat, or you just want your barbecue guests to take you more seriously, try these long-cuffed US Forge 400 welding gloves - they're for welding, after all.
Welding gloves may not be your first thought for grilling gloves, but there's no reason they shouldn't be. Leather ones like these US Forge 400 welding gloves are 14 inches long and rated for about 932 degrees Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius) so they're more protective. They're also easier to clean than silicone ones, which can be extremely tough to degrease. Just wash them with soap and water and hang them too dry.
Don't get us wrong: You don't want to go sticking your hands into a heap of red-hot coals with these gloves. They will, however, manage heat better than the average grilling glove.
Made of top-grain leather, the US Forge 400 welding gloves on the thinner side (think light leather jacket), but they're insulated with a cotton liner that'll wick sweat away and also make them a little more comfortable while taking on the day's most crucial toil.
Like many, if not most grilling gloves, these only come in one size and run large, but still suffice better than oven mitts on most hands where dexterity is concerned.
Pros: Handle heat better than our other picks, more affordable than most grilling gloves
Cons: Maybe not quite as comfortable as our other recommendations, not as long as the Steven Raichlen pair
The best waterproof grill gloves
If you are looking for an easy way to handle big, juicy slabs of meat on the grill, turn to the Jolly Green Products Ekogrips BBQ Oven Gloves.
While the other gloves on our list are leather or suede, the Ekogrips BBQ Oven Gloves are made entirely of silicone. This gives them the added benefit of being waterproof, which is important when grabbing juicy meats off the grill or handling scalding-hot liquids when canning.
The gloves are reinforced to be rip-resistant and they can withstand heats up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Because they're fully waterproof, you can also toss them in the dishwasher for a deep clean, which is especially useful if you're using them to handle raw meat. Plus, Jolly Green Products backs the Ekogrips with a hassle-free lifetime replacement policy.
Do keep in mind that grill grates, charcoal, and other metal grilling equipment can easily exceed the 425-degree temperature that these gloves are rated to, so these should be limited to handling food or making quick moves with hot items.
Pros: Waterproof, easy to clean, excellent gripping capabilities, lifetime replacement
Cons: Dexterity and comfort issues, not as heat resistant as our other picks
Check out our other grilling gear guides
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