5(ish) Things to Look for in a BBQ Glove
Do you need a BBQ glove? Yes! Whether you’re a passionate pitmaster feeding a party of 50 or a home cook barbecuing for your family on a sunny weekend, a BBQ glove is an essential item to help beef up your BBQ game! There are different types of BBQ gloves, and depending on your application, it’s good to know what kind of BBQ glove works best for you. You don’t have to worry though, as we share with you the five things to look for in a BBQ glove so that you can find the perfect fit.
Five(ISH) key factors of a BBQ Glove
1. Heat Resistance
Priority #1: make sure your BBQ gloves can stand up to high heat, otherwise, you’re better off with no gloves. You want to be grilling your food, not your hands, so it’s best to find heat resistant BBQ gloves that can withstand the high heat that smokers and grills emit.
2. Dexterity
Depending on how you use your gloves, dexterity can be an important factor to consider. If you’re more hands-on with your barbecuing, then be sure to find a BBQ glove that offers you greater dexterity.
3. Cuff Length
BBQ gloves require longer cuffs to protect your wrist and arm from the heat. BBQ gloves will have different cuff lengths with some going up to your elbow! If you have a larger grill or smoker or cooking over an open flame, then a BBQ glove with a longer cuff is recommended to protect your arm when reaching over the heat.
4. Food Handling
As mentioned above in the types of BBQ gloves, not all gloves can handle food well. If you intend to directly handle food a lot when barbecuing, consider synthetic or silicone gloves, which are much easier to clean compared to fabric and leather gloves.
5. Price
Be wary of cheap BBQ gloves – cheaper gloves might not offer the strong heat protection that you need or the best dexterity, comfortability, and durability. It’s worth investing in better BBQ gloves that can assure you long-lasting protection. Your hands are always worth protecting, especially when handling high heat from a smoker or grill.
5.5 Material
5.5? Yes, if you’ve taken the time to work through points 1 to 5 your glove’s material should be a no-brainer!
BBQ fabric gloves are typically made of heat resistant fabric, such as Kevlar, Aramid, or Nomex and are great for handling hot pots, pans, grills, grates, utensils, hot logs, briquets, and coal. These gloves are not meant to handle food though, as the food, oil, grease, etc. would stick onto the fabric. They are dexterous and comfortable to wear and can be machine washable. Avoid using fabric gloves when they’re wet though, as water causes them to rapidly conduct heat, rendering any heat insulation ineffective. It’s important to stress that if you’re looking for BBQ fabric gloves, ensure they have heat resistant fabric, as regular fabric gloves will not protect your hands well from heat.
Synthetic gloves would usually consist of a rubber or silicone exterior that may be liquid resistant and may have fabric lining (cotton/wool) to resist heat. They are good for handling food, and also offer great dexterity and flexibility, which allows you to handle pots, pans, grills, and grates. If you’re looking for BBQ synthetic gloves, make sure to find one with thick coating for tougher protection. They can typically be cleaned with water and soap. Be aware though that when they’re wet, the water will cause the gloves to conduct heat quicker similar to fabric gloves.
Like synthetic gloves, silicone gloves are great for handling food, as it can wick away any oil or grease due to it’s liquid resistant, non-stick silicone material. However, the slippery texture can make grabbing food, such as ribs, briskets or any meat, cumbersome. Silicone gloves are made for a looser fit, but this comes at a loss in dexterity and grip. A fabric liner can be found inside to provide heat protection and comfortability. You can find many silicone gloves that are made of food-grade silicone and some that are 100% BPA-free.
You can call these the OG of BBQ gloves – leather gloves have been a long-stay in many BBQ masters’ toolkit since the existence of barbecues. With heat protection from the leather and the fabric lining inside, leather gloves can handle hot pots, pans, grills, grates, utensils, hot logs, briquets and coal. These gloves do not handle food well, as oil and grease will stain the gloves, and it’s much harder to clean leather gloves. Like silicone gloves, they usually fit loose and comfortable, but that comes at the expense of dexterity. However, due to the material, you can expect leather gloves to hold up very well for longer wear.
Tame the Grill
Leather gloves have stood the test of time as reliable quality hand protection. And at Watson Gloves, we know how to make leather gloves very well, thanks to our over 100 years of experience crafting quality gloves. The Grillz BBQ glove is our latest addition coming from our Canadian factory, and offers great protection for your BBQ needs. In this BBQ glove, you’ll find Kevlar thread stitching for durability, elk leather for heat protection and toughness, and wool lining for additional heat protection. The extended cuff ensures your wrist is kept safe, while our Watson Heritage pull tab allows you to conveniently hang your glove. If you’re looking for a sturdy BBQ glove, the Grillz BBQ is a great addition to your BBQ arsenal!
✓ Proudly made in Canada.
✓ Split-grain elk hide leather for protection while grilling,
✓ Camo goatskin band protects wrist seam,
✓ Stitched with Kevlar® thread,
✓ Ambidextrous fit – sold as 1 hand, not in a pair.
Although Grillz is our only BBQ glove, you can also find other alternatives in our wide glove selection. Welders often have to face heated situations (literally!), so there are many welding gloves that work well around the BBQ. Check out our Heavy Metal collection, with many gloves featuring elk leather, which stands up well against heat.
ANSI Level 1 rating can withstand up to 80°C /176°F for at least 15 seconds. Durable elksplit leather back with full-grain reverse palm offers heat protection. Stitched with Kevlar® thread for strength and durability. Cotton fleece lined back of hand for additional heat protection. Left hand leather back patch and pulse protector. Gauntlet style cuff with leather gore. Snug-fitting shirred elastic wrist. Proudly made in our local Burnaby, BC factory.
Durable elksplit leather back and palm offers protection in low heat applications. Stitched with Kevlar® thread for strength and durability. Cotton fleece lined back of hand for additional heat protection. Elksplit leather knuckle bar and inset thumb. 4.5″ gauntlet style cuff with leather gore. Snug-fitting shirred elastic wrist. Performance fit. Proudly made in our local Burnaby, BC factory
Made for a woman’s hand! Durable elksplit leather back and palm offers protection in low heat applications. Stitched with Kevlar® thread for strength and durability Elksplit leather inset thumb and pulse protector. 5.5″ gauntlet style cuff with leather gore. Snug-fitting shirred elastic wrist. Cowsplit patch on back of hand for additional heat protection. Performance fit. Proudly made in our local Burnaby, BC factory.
ANSI Level 4 rating can withstand up to 260°C/500°F for at least 15 seconds. Elksplit leather back and palm. Stitched with Kevlar® thread for strength and durability. Cotton fleece lined back of hand for heat protection. Green heat treated cow split leather palm patches and pulse protector. Wing thumb. 6″ extended gauntlet style cuff. Proudly made in our local Burnaby, BC factory.
Flame resistant full-grain goatskin leather (passed ASTM D6413 standard). Stitched with Kevlar® thread for strength and durability. Nomex® fabric back for superior heat and flame protection. Leather wrap around index finger, knuckle bar and side patch. Snug-fitting shirred elastic wrist. Slip-on style cuff.
Safe Preperation
If you intend to get your hands down and dirty with your BBQ food, then our food safe gloves would be a great way to manage the mess of all your saucy meats.
Please make sure to use these gloves only for meal prepping and avoid using them around high heat – they are not heat resistant.
4 mil nitrile glove uses Reclaim™ additive to enhance biodegradability of the glove once in landfill conditions while maintaining the same physical properties as regular nitrile. Forest green, powder-free nitrile offers superior strength with excellent resistance to punctures and tears, chemically resistant to oils, solvents and grease. 9.5″ rolled cuff prevents liquid from getting inside the glove and adds extra strength to the cuff. Lightly textured pattern provides a sure-grip in oily and wet applications. 100 gloves/dispenser
8 mil heavyweight nitrile glove uses Reclaim™ additive to enhance biodegradability of the glove once in landfill conditions while maintaining the same physical properties as regular nitrile. Black, powder-free, heavyweight nitrile offers exceptionally durable strength with superior abrasion and puncture resistance. Chemically resistant to oils, solvents and grease. 11″ rolled cuff for greater strength and higher wrist protection. Textured pattern provides a sure-grip in oily and wet applications. 50 gloves/dispenser
8mil Black heavyweight nitrile, Powder-free, 11″ rolled cuff, CFIA approved, 50 gloves/dispenser
15mil Blue heavyweight rubber latex, Textured surface, Powder-free, 11″ rolled cuff, CFIA approved, 50 gloves/dispenser
Finding the Right BBQ Glove
BBQ gloves are a no-brainer investment if you’re ever working around the grill or with high heat items, such as charcoal, grates, grilling baskets or pots. We understand that choosing from a wide variety of BBQ gloves is no easy task. With this guide though, we hope you’re able to find the right BBQ glove you can add to your BBQ repertoire. Now get out there and cook up a storm!
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