BBQ smoker gift ideaspresents for someone who already owns one (UK)

Smoker owners are easy to buy for in one way: they'll happily use anything that gets eaten or burnt. The trouble is that they've usually already bought the gadgets they wanted, and been given a few they didn't. So the presents that go down well are mostly consumables and small upgrades to things they use every cook, rather than another shiny tool for the drawer.

The ideas below are grouped by budget in broad terms, from stocking fillers to the bigger present. There are no specific products or brands here, just what to look for, so you can buy from a local shop, a garden centre or wherever suits.

Stocking fillers

Smoking wood in British species

A bag or two of seasoned wood chunks is the safe bet of smoker presents. Oak and beech suit beef and lamb, apple and cherry suit pork and poultry, and alder is a classic with fish. Chunks suit charcoal smokers, while chips are better for electric smokers and smoke boxes. If they own a pellet grill, buy pellets instead and check they're food-grade smoking pellets rather than heating pellets. Our UK smoking wood guide explains which species suit what.

A mixed selection of three or four species is a nice touch, because it lets them try woods they wouldn't otherwise buy.

Butcher paper

Unwaxed butcher paper is what many cooks use to wrap brisket through the stall. A roll lasts ages and it's the sort of thing people mean to buy and never get round to. Make sure it's plain, uncoated paper and not waxed freezer paper, which is a different thing. Our guide to foil vs butcher paper explains why people bother.

A homemade rub kit

A few small jars of coarse salt, coarse black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic granules and brown sugar, with a handwritten recipe card, costs little and looks thoughtful. Add a card with the ratios from our rub ratios guide so they can mix their own once the jars run out. It's more useful than a single shop-bought rub they might not like.

Something from your own smoker

If you're the one with the smoker, a jar of oak-smoked sea salt or a bag of smoked almonds costs pennies and beats most shop-bought gifts. Our guide to smoked salt, nuts and edible gifts covers making a batch in one session, jarring and labelling.

Odds and ends

Nitrile gloves for handling raw and hot meat, a stiff grill brush, a spray bottle for spritzing and a roll of heavy foil are all things that run out at the worst moment. Not exciting on their own, but bundled together in a box they make a decent stocking.

Middle of the range

A probe thermometer

If they don't already have a digital thermometer with a leave-in probe, this is the most useful present on the page. The lid gauge on most smokers reads the air at the top of the dome, not where the food is. A unit with two probes (one for the meat, one for grate temperature) is the most practical. Wireless and app-connected ones are handy for long cooks, but a wired unit with a long cable does the same job. If they already have one, a spare probe or an instant-read thermometer for quick checks is a good alternative. Our thermometer guide covers what matters.

Heat-resistant gloves

Two kinds are useful. Thick leather or fabric gloves for moving hot grates, chimney starters and charcoal baskets, and insulated food-safe gloves for pulling pork and handling hot joints. Check they're long enough to protect the wrists. Plenty of people use an old oven glove for years and only realise what they've been missing when someone buys them proper ones.

A butcher voucher

A voucher from a good local butcher is one of the nicest presents you can give a smoker owner. It covers the cost of the expensive part, it supports a local shop and it nudges them towards cuts they wouldn't normally try, like a whole brisket, a lamb shoulder or a rack of beef short ribs. Many butchers sell vouchers in person if they don't have a website. Christmas is their busiest time, so pop in early.

Bigger presents

A fitted cover

A smoker left uncovered through a British winter rusts faster than you'd think. A cover that actually fits keeps rain off and stops water pooling in the firebox or ash bowl. The catch is fit: you need to know the make and model, or at least the measurements. If you can't find out without spoiling the surprise, a voucher for a cover is the sensible fallback. Our guides to cleaning and maintaining a smoker and smoking in winter explain why covers matter so much here.

A BBQ or smoking course

Several UK butchers, cookery schools and BBQ clubs run day courses on smoking, brisket or whole-hog cooking. They're good for someone keen who's hit a plateau, and they make a day out. Courses tend to run in spring and summer and the popular dates fill up, so a voucher bought in December may need booking soon after Christmas.

Something for the cook itself

A good long slicing knife, a large end-grain board with a juice groove, or a decent cool box for resting meat are all upgrades most smoker owners would appreciate but won't buy for themselves.

What's not worth buying

Some presents look perfect in the shop and never get used.

The rule of thumb is to avoid anything that duplicates kit they already own or only fits one smoker. When in doubt, choose something they'll burn, eat or wear out. Our smoker kit list shows what most owners use regularly, which is a useful cheat sheet for spotting gaps.

Timing for Christmas

Butchers take Christmas orders weeks in advance and get very busy from mid-December, so buy vouchers early. Courses for the following year often open bookings in the new year, so check dates when you buy a voucher. Wood, paper and rubs can be picked up much closer to the day, though it's worth checking your local shop has the species you want.

Start with a quiet look in their shed or garage. If there's no probe thermometer, no gloves and no cover on the smoker, you've found your present.

FAQs

What is a good cheap gift for someone with a smoker?

A bag of British smoking wood, a roll of butcher paper or a homemade rub kit. All three get used up, so they never end up gathering dust.

Is a meat thermometer a good present?

Yes, if they don't already have a digital probe thermometer. It's the single most useful piece of kit after the smoker itself. If they do have one, a spare probe or an instant-read thermometer is a good alternative.

Should I buy a smoker cover as a present?

Only if you know the exact model or measurements. A cover that doesn't fit lets water in and flaps about in the wind. A voucher is the safer bet if you can't check.

What should I avoid buying a smoker owner?

Novelty tool sets, branding irons, model-specific accessories you're unsure about and anything that duplicates kit they already have. Things they'll use up are almost always the better bet.