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32 Gifts for Meat Lovers That Are a Cut Above the Rest

For sous vide, grilling, and searing, these presents are for savoring the juiciest cuts.

By
Summer Rylander
Summer Brons Rylander Serious Eats
Summer Rylander

Summer Rylander is a freelance food and travel journalist based in Germany. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, The Kitchn, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Salon, HuffPost, and more.

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Updated November 30, 2023
Gifts for meat lovers we recommend on a blue grid background

Serious Eats / Amelia Manley

From burgers to barbecue, steaks to sous vide, chicken thighs to chopping boards, there’s a meat treat or groovy gadget for just about every gift-giving occasion. While these are our favorite gifts for meat (and grilling!) enthusiasts this year, nearly all of them are versatile enough to find a home in any kitchen or backyard—meat-eater or not. 

And the best part of food-centric gifts? They’re totally appropriate all year round! Birthdays, anniversaries, cute little “just because” moment. These are a few (ahem, 32) of our favorite things to give meat lovers.

This budget-friendly cleaver chopped its way to the top of our list in recent tests thanks to its sharp blade and durable build. And looks cool, which definitely doesn’t hurt when you’re giving it as a gift. 

It’s a little bit of a splash-out gift, but we love this customizable carving board that is spacious enough to hold a turkey and looks good enough to live on your countertop. Or, rather, the countertop of your lucky loved one.

If you really want to impress a meat lover this year, wrap up a Wüsthof knife to go along with that fancy carving board. Or, just give this carving knife on its own, because the deft blade and comfortable handle are more than enough to please even the most discerning chef. 

A hand using a slicing knife to thinly slice a prime rib

Serious Eats / Taylor Murray

Both of these immersion circulators stood out in our tests and are sure to inspire new cooking projects in the hands of your meat-loving mother-in-law (or, you know, whomever). They’re also both “smart” appliances that can pair with a smartphone app, so they’ll double as a fun gift for a meat eater who loves niche tech. 

It’s not every day we have co-winners in our vacuum sealer tests, but that’s a good thing—because, yikes, testing vacuum sealers on a daily basis would be a lot of work. Anyway, either of these two is a great choice and would pair beautifully with one of the sous vides above.

Anova Pro vacuum sealer on a marble countertop

Serious Eats / Taylor Murray

If your favorite meat-eater happens to have a KitchenAid stand mixer but doesn’t yet have the meat grinder attachment, well, that’s perfect. Gift-giving has never been easier. 

Charcoal grills make a great gift. They’re impressive (a whole grill?!) yet budget-friendly and this classic model from Weber won’t take up anyone’s entire backyard. Way to steal the show with your thoughtful gifting!

While it’s probably true that any meat person worth their salt already has a cast iron pan, there’s always room for one more. Lodge has long been our go-to for affordable cast iron quality, and this year is no different. 

We’ve tested oodles of steak knives and Messermeister came out on top with excellent performance at a great price. They also look so nice as to have been described as “sexy” by our team, so, take that as you will.

Overhead shot of the set-up for the steak knife equipment test, with different knives laid out with different cuts of cooked steak.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

These mitts are still our favorite. They’re ultra-flexible, super-grippy, and are safe to use both wet and dry. Perfect for pulling a juicy roast out of the oven. And because they’re so flexible, they work well with hands of all sizes. Also, they come in lots of fun colors.

Delicious Sauce

Bobbie’s Boat Sauce Gift Pack

Bobbie’s Boat Sauce Gift Pack
PHOTO: Bobbie’s Boat
View on Bobbiesboatsauce.com

If you haven’t tried Bobbie’s Boat Sauce yet, you’re missing out. This spicy, tangy, well-balanced sauce goes on absolutely everything—needless to say, it’s marvelous on meats. 

Baking sheets and cooling racks aren’t just for bakers—give the gift of easy dry brines, bacon drains, and the perfect spot on which to let meat rest before digging in. You can give either of these as a gift, but we’d spring for both and make it a practical pairing. 

Everyone loves to snap tongs together, and it’s especially satisfying with a fresh pair like these from OXO. The stainless steel tips mean these are equally at home over the grill or the skillet, and they’re comfortable to work with. We like them so much that we named them the best tongs after our extensive tests.

Tongs turning a steak that's cooking in a cast iron skillet

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

A Big Spoon

JB Prince Sauce Spoon

JB-prince-sauce-spoon
PHOTO: Amazon
$25 at Amazon

Does anyone actually need a special spoon just for tossing hot butter over steak? Probably not, but the better question is indeed why not? And since half the fun of gift-giving is to give things people aren’t likely to buy for themselves, an extra-large spoon is just the ticket—especially if you’re on a budget this holiday season. 

We’re pretty adamant that every home cook needs a great thermometer, and ThermoWorks has been making our favorites for quite a while now. Instant-read thermometers are especially important for cooking meat properly, and we like ours as fast and accurate as possible. Splurge on the Thermapen One or give the handy ThermoPop 2—both are sure to be well-received.

A person using a thermometer to take the temperature of chicken thighs roasting in the oven

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

A Different Type of Fancy Thermometer

ThermoWorks Smoke Remote BBQ Alarm Thermometer

ThermoWorks Smoke Remote BBQ Alarm Thermometer
PHOTO: ThermoWorks
View on Thermoworks.com

This thermometer was made for pitmasters. It features two probes—one for the meat, one for the pit—and includes a receiver so you can keep an eye on temperatures without having to spend the afternoon hovering over the grill. What’s better than the gift of a worry-free beer and a bathroom break?

The nice thing about cookbooks is that good ones never go out of style. From learning how to select the right cuts to their perfect preparation—and coming up with Very Important side dishes—there’s no shortage of meat-centric books to choose from.

Is my editor tired of seeing this on my gift guides? Probably. But meat people take their salt seriously and showing up with a bucket of the good stuff is guaranteed to impress. Just like a few of these fabulous flakes on a sliced ribeye.

Nothing declares a serious backyard barbecue like a big cooler full of frosty drinks. Yeti doesn’t play around when it comes to insulation, and the Tundra 45 is one of our favorites. It makes a great gift, and you can do something cute like fill it with beer or grilling accessories. 

a yellow YETI cooler filled with ice and drinks

Serious Eats / Derra Burreson

Alright, so your meat-loving recipient will also have to be the outdoorsy type to appreciate such a gift, but if they're into hiking and camping, they’re sure to appreciate this portable powerhouse. 

Speaking of going places with grills, if a camping stove isn’t quite the right fit, maybe this larger, real-deal Weber portable gas grill is. This is a grill perfect for tailgating or loading up and bringing over to a friend’s house when they’re hosting a backyard party but don’t have a grill (maybe gift them this grill?).

We recently tested a bunch of indoor herb gardens, and this one came out on top, delivering lush herbs that will pair beautifully with—you guessed it—meat. From basil to rosemary to sage to thyme, a tidy little hydroponic system will let anyone grow fresh herbs at home, no outdoor garden required.

Two things are true about grills: They’re hot, and you eventually have to clean them. Pick up a part of high-heat grilling gloves and Riddley’s favorite grill brush for a practical, effective gift set.

A person using a grill brush to clean a hot grill

Serious Eats / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm

No shade to air fryer people—we know they’re convenient! We know they cook food really well! Including and perhaps especially meats! We just wanted to make sure they weren’t going to be a passing fad before we invested time and resources into testing air fryers. The Vortex Plus yielded the crispiest, most evenly cooked food (including chicken wings), so we’re happy to recommend it. The price isn't bad, either. 

Thawck! Thwack! Thwack! That’s the sound of a meat cleaver at work. For breaking down chickens or cutting up spare ribs, a cleaver is a necessity. The textured, dotted handle on the Global will prevent hands from slipping.

For serving roasts (or whatever), grab a good serving platter. One of our favorites from Le Creuset looks fancy, but it’s also durable and has handles! 

the le creuset platter, which was just large enough, on top of a much larger (too big) platter

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A Cubano made on a panini press? We’ll take two! (Or three…) 

For slipping in between joints, you’ll need a nimble boning knife. This one has a nicely flexible blade, isn’t too expensive, and sports a grippy handle. 

The Best Salt Cellar

Zero Japan Bee House Salt Box

Amazon Zero Japan Bee House Salt Box
PHOTO: Amazon
$25 at Amazon

Meat needs to be seasoned. This is why a cellar for holding a vat of kosher salt is a necessity. This one has a bamboo lid that flips upright and a large opening.

our favorite salt cellars with their lids open

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

In that same vein, a big ol’ steak practically screams for a smattering of freshly cracked black pepper. Grab our favorite pepper mill, tie a bow on it, and be done gifting.

For transforming tougher cuts of meat quickly, a pressure cooker is the way to go. And make it an electric pressure cooker, which is infinitely easier to use. Our favorite Instant Pot has a steam release switch (no more poking at the valve with a spoon) and handles on the cooking pot that anchors it in place.

An Actually Worthwhile Roasting Pan

Misen Roasting Pan

Misen Roasting Pan
PHOTO: Misen
$134 at Sur La Table View on Misen.com

Most roasting pans stink: Their too-high sides inhibit browning. But not this one from Misen! It’s thoughtfully designed and solves all of our roasting pan qualms. 

two handles grabbing onto a roasting pan's handles (the roasting pan has meat, potatoes, and fennel in it)

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

FAQs

What do you get someone who loves to cook meat?

This gift guide should give you some great ideas! Our go-to, budget-friendly gifts for meat lovers include an instant-read thermometer, a cast iron skillet, or a comprehensive cookbook.  

What do you get someone who loves to grill?

Meat and grills go hand-in-hand, so, again, you’ll find lots of inspo in this guide. But a few quick suggestions might include a grill brush, a remote thermometer, or a fresh pair of tongs.

Why We're the Experts

  • Summer Rylander is a freelance writer who's been contributing to Serious Eats for almost two years.
  • Her work has also appeared in Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and more.

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