Best BBQ grilling mats

Few situations are more frustrating than parts of your meal falling past the grill grates and into the fire. The bars on most grill grates are fairly wide-set, and if not properly seasoned, food can stick to them too. A solution to these common dilemmas is finding the best BBQ grilling mats to fit your needs. These mats are made of various heat-safe materials, and some can even moonlight as baking mats for your oven. Our best overall BBQ grilling mats are a two-pack from Grillaholics, and they can actually be cut to size if necessary. You won't lose flavor, either; they are non-porous. Also included in our collection are grilling mats made from woven copper, wide mesh, and silicone. Take a look below and pick the right BBQ grilling mat for you—your grill will thank you.

With a brand name like Grillaholics, you'd be right to think that their products would be aimed at barbecue aficionados. Made from fabric coated in heat-resistant PTFE fiberglass, their premium grill mats can handle temps up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. That non-stick fiberglass coating is what makes Grillaholics' mats both reusable and dishwasher safe—throw them in after you're done cooking, and the dishwasher will do the rest. They're also thin enough to impart those tasty-looking grill marks on your food, so you won't miss out on quadrillage when using these mats. It's clear that Grillaholics explicitly designed their grilling mats to make barbecuing and cleanup a breeze.

At first, you might think that we chose YRYM's copper grilling mats because you get five of them. Offering these grilling mats in a five-pack is just part of their value; YRYM HT also includes two complementary silicone basting brushes. Reversing the mats is fine, too, since both sides are identical. An idea: bring your mats with you when you're grilling on the go. Suppose you're cooking on rarely-maintained, communal park grills—using a mat will provide a more sanitary experience. You won't have to worry about who used the grill last and whether the majority of your repast might stick to it.

PhatMat's grill mesh mats are sold in two sizes to accommodate more BBQ grill models. Unfortunately, you can't trim them to size, but that's actually a good thing. This isn't the sort of grilling mat you'd want to make pancakes on or toast pumpkin seeds—everything will fall through into the flames. However, the upside of a wider-gauge mesh paired with a solid border is that PhatMat's mat duo is stable enough to moonlight as a sheet pan. The mats are non-stick too, so they would even work nicely as a cooling rack for an impromptu cookie batches.

Cuisinart's products seem to find their way into our culinary collections regularly, and they generally deserve whichever award we pin upon them. Their silicone grilling mat isn't meant to be used over the flames, but rather next to them instead. Not only does it hold at least two grill tools, but its ample 11-by-14-inch dimensions cover most of, if not all, grill side tables or shelves. Such broad coverage means that Cuisinart's mat will also protect surfaces from scuffs, scratches, and errant barbeque sauce splotches.

GRILLART's BBQ grilling mats are compatible with smokers and gas, electric, and charcoal grills. They're studded with perforations that allow the smoky flavor to rise and make your grilled food even more savory. What's more impressive is that both sides of GRILLART's mats boast up to 1,000 uses—that gives you a few years of usefulness at the very least. Maintenance is also crucial in these grilling mats' longevity. As long as you don't let any fats and juices pool during cooking, they'll remain as non-stick as the day you bought them. Of course, the drainage holes should help with grease management, anyway.

Bottom line

As you can see, the best BBQ grilling mats are surprisingly varied in their features, but similar in price. Our staff pick from Grillaholics is the best of both worlds, compared to its fellow mats. Their mats are lightweight yet tough, cleanup quickly, and are customizable, which is pretty brilliant. If you want a mat that's more of a sheet pan, then you can't go wrong with PhatMat's grill mesh two-pack. They're equally at home above the coals or reheating a frozen baguette in your oven. 

A few "don'ts" for maintaining BBQ grilling mats:

1.) Don't cut food on them.

2.) Don't put them directly on the flames.

3.) Don't use abrasive cleaning products.

4.) Don't forget to let them cool before cleaning.

5.) Don't fold or crease the mats when it's time to put them away.

Follow these rules, and you'll never be stuck scraping burnt goop off your grilling surface again. 

Why trust us?

At GardeningEtc, we recommend the best products to enhance your life. As expert curators, we handpick products based on quality and usefulness to positively impact your day-to-day, from cart to doorstep. We take our responsibility seriously — testing products, reading reviews, and sourcing knowledgeable outlets to ensure our selections are worthy of your time and money. We deliver detailed product overviews, balancing objective information with subjective opinions, so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is as easy as possible.