The secret to increased barbecue accessory sales could be a matter of asking two questions. The first – “Do you want to use your old grill brush (or insert name of other accessory) on your nice, clean, new grill?” – can reliably lead to replacement purchases of grill brushes, spatulas, tongs, perforated grill toppers, covers and more. After all, who wants their gnarly old gear touching their pristine new grill?

The second question – “What do you like to grill?” – can spark a discussion about the many accessories available to improve the outdoor cooking experience. Like steak? A new smart-thermometer will prevent overcooking an expensive cut. Ribs? A rib rack, a smoker box, wood chips, and a jar of spice rub could easily be added to the sales total.

“Accessories are all about making food more fun, flavorful, convenient and attainable,” says Chuck Adams, CEO of Companion Group, makers of the Charcoal Companion line of accessories. He says accessories are a great way to create excitement in-store, and are an ideal platform from which to engage customers in conversation and build ongoing relationships. With good margins to be had, it makes sense to give the products the attention and respect they warrant.

Smoking Grate from Steve Raichlen’s Best of Barbecue line.

Plancha/smoking platform from The Companion Group.

“Any accessory that has to do with smoking is hot,” says barbecue expert Steven Raichlen, whose latest book Project Smoke came out this spring. His Best of Barbecue line of grilling accessories added several new smoking-related products this year, including Smoking Pucks (stainless-steel disks that hold wood chips and have vents that direct smoke toward food), a Smoking Grate & Plancha grilling platform, and a Smoked Food Log Book for tracking cook times and temperatures.

“Smoke accessories – particularly those that add smoke in a gas grill environment – are big,” agrees Adams. “Pizza accessories are still very popular and Himalayan salt blocks are over the top.” He expects Charcoal Companion’s new Flame Friendly Ceramic Cookware, a line of non-stick, ceramic-glazed grillware that conducts heat like cast iron but is lighter in weight and easier to clean, will also do well this year.

“When we develop new accessory products, we try to create items that break down barriers to people grilling more frequently,” says Adams. “We want to make things easy that seem hard.”

The Flame-Friendly Ceramic Cookware griddle from Charcoal Companion.

For example, Charcoal Companion’s new Skewer Express Easy Kabob Loader is a clever solution to a common problem – making and marinating kabobs for the grill. “Who hasn’t stuck themselves skewering things on kabobs?” he says. “And kabobs can be very cumbersome to marinate.”

The new gadget is a tray with six channels to line up chunks of meat and veggies. Once the lid is positioned, the skewers slide straight through the guide holes to assemble kabobs in one shot. The tray also can be used to marinate the kabobs and transport them to the grill. “It’s a simple concept, but everyone can relate to it,” Adams says.

Giving credence to the adage, “necessity is the mother of invention,” necessity has sparked a mother lode of innovative new accessories this year that solve problemsand improve cooking experiences at the grill. Case in point: grill brushes. In response to negative publicity about consumers becoming ill after ingesting metal wires that had dislodged from grill brushes and landed in food, companies introduced alternative grill-cleaning solutions.

Commercial grade grill brush from GrillGrate.

One, GrillFloss, is a metal tool that wraps around the stainless-steel rods of a grilling grid to scrape away caked-on grease. Another, Great Scrape, is a wooden paddle that develops grooves that conform to grilling grates as it scrapes off stuck-on food residue. GrillGrate recently introduced its Commercial Grade Grill Brush, a plastic brush originally developed for a fast-food chain that banned metal-bristle brushes in its kitchens. The new dishwasher-safe brushes can withstand temperatures up to 600 degrees, and have been selling like hotcakes, according to Brad Barrett, founder of GrillGrate.

“There are so many innovative products in this industry,” says Barrett. “That’s one reason why it’s so easy to generate excitement, enthusiasm and growth.” Asking your customers, “What are you using to clean your grill?” could easily evolve into an educational conversation about grill brushes, and the sale of an alternative.

The Kick Ash Basket was born out of a desire to make clean-up easier on a kamado-style charcoal grill. When the inventor, Chad Romzek, realized he was avoiding using his kamado because he didn’t want to deal with the hassle of cleaning out ashes from the previous use, he developed a simple but ingenious charcoal basket for the base of the cooker. The heavy-gauge, raw-steel, wire basket, now available in eight sizes to fit most major brands of kamados, can be lifted out of the cooker, taking the ash and unused charcoal with it. With a shake of the basket, ashes fall through the perforations, while the unused charcoal is preserved.

The Kick Ash Basket is designed to make clean-up easier in kamado charcoal grills. After cooking and with a shake of the basket, ashes fall through the basket, leaving unused charcoal for the next fire.

Though early sales at EGG festivals convinced them they had a winning idea, the first-time exhibitor at the HPBExpo in New Orleans last March was shocked at the retail response. “I couldn’t believe how many retailers placed orders right there and paid with their credit cards,” says owner Tracy Romzek. “They see the benefits of this product and know their customers will too.”

Longview Products has introduced an accessory that solves another problem for kamado users. Smart Touch Ceramic Cooker Mold Protector is a clear, odorless, non-toxic spray, safe for all food-prepsurfaces, that cleans and prevents mold from forming on the inside of a ceramic cooker – a fairly common occurrence, according to Susan Hobbs, company president and CEO.

“It can be applied after each use when the kamado has cooled, or before any extended storage, to prevent mold from growing,” she says. “It can save a lot of time and effort on clean up.”

Wi-Fi enabled Bluetooth Barbecue Thermometer from Maverick Industries.

An influx of “smart” gadgets is helping to take the guesswork out of grilling and make it easier to replicate good results. “Remote thermometers are really exploding,” says Darren Keller, Sales and Operations manager at Maverick Industries. The company offers a large selection of high-tech thermometers, including its latest, the Wi-Fi enabled Bluetooth Barbecue Thermometer. The thermometer connects to an app on an iPhone, iPad, Android or tablet to monitor grill and meat temperatures up to 160 yards away. The app signals when the programmed temperature is reached and food is ready.

“People like the fact that they can monitor cooking without standing by the grill,” says Keller. “And if you’re cooking a brisket or some other expensive cut and you have $50 or $60 in food costs, it’s expensive if you mess up. These thermometers help protect the investment.”

Weber is entering the high-tech arena with its recent purchase of the iGrill line of app-enabled Bluetooth grilling thermometers from iDevices. In the six years since thermometers were first introduced, they have amassed a large fan base, including Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook.

“(Increasing interactivity) is our newest chapter in innovation, advancing us further into the way people integrate technology into their lives,” Tom Koos, CEO of Weber-Stephen Products, said in an announcement at the time of purchase.

Adams agrees smart accessories have their place. “Guys are tech-oriented, and there are certainly foods where it’s beneficial to monitor and control the temperature over a long period of cooking,” he says. But he believes most people like to barbecue because of what’s basic about it – fire, food, fun and flavor.

Urban Apron from Chef Works.

“To make it about technology is to lose the essence of the experience,” he says, adding that it’s often the “fun” accessories that become the fastest-selling impulse items.

Urban Aprons is poised to be just that. Made by Chef Works, a leading supplier of aprons for restaurant professionals, Urban Aprons is a collection of grilling aprons made with rugged fabrics and cool looks. They are available in an eye-catching retail display system with five units of each of the nine apron styles.

“Research shows women cook, men grill,” says director of Retail Accounts Sean Rones, “but most aprons are not exactly manly. Guys love these aprons and they make great gifts.”

There are lots of fun and problem-solving grilling accessories that would create excitement in your store and, with a little effort behind them, add significantly to the bottom line. Just get the conversation started.