June Aldi Finds That Will Get You Ready To Grill

While summer doesn't officially start until late June, Memorial Day often serves as an unofficial kickoff. From this holiday until Labor Day, outdoor cooking enthusiasts will insist it's "grilling season" (unless they live in the upper Midwest, in which case the season is extended up through whenever the Green Bay Packers drop out of the NFL playoffs).

While retailers started offering discounts on brats and briquettes in mid-May to take advantage of grill-focused Memorial Day menus, Father's Day may see more emphasis on grill gifts and Aldi's June finds certainly reflect this retailing dynamic. Sure, it may seem a bit unfair that moms get taken out for brunch on their special day while dads are expected to do the cooking on theirs, but you might as well soften the blow with a few nicely-wrapped pieces of grilling equipment from the Aisle of Shame that totally don't scream, "Thanks for being our dad; now go make dinner!" (Well, okay, they kind of do, but in the nicest possible way.)

Aldi's June grilling specials don't end with Father's Day, either, as they've also got you covered for any upcoming Fourth of July barbecue festivities you may be planning. In addition to grill accessories, the grocery chain will be offering specials on several types of sandwich buns as well as a big meaty package of steaks, chops, chicken, and burgers. All you'll need to add are condiments, chips, and maybe some potato salad, and whaddya know? Aldi carries those, too!

If you'd like to recreate every foodstagrammer's rendition of freshly-grilled meat, you'll need two things in addition to the aforementioned food: some fresh herbs to drape over it (Aldi's produce section may be able to help you out here) and a wooden board for artfully arranging your composition. Aldi will be selling the latter in a selection of shapes and sizes — small round, medium oval, and large rectangle — for $9.99 apiece beginning on June 26.

While brioche may date back to the Middle Ages, brioche buns are very much a 21st-century food fad as every fast food restaurant seems to offer some sort of brioche-bunned "gourmet" sandwich on the menu. Aldi offers these sweet and squishy bread buns as part of its regular lineup, but starting on June 12, it'll have a supersized version meant to fit extra-big burgers. The price is $4.99 per package of six, and the label suggests that the product is 50% larger than the standard size.

Whether you need a cheap grill-related gift or you could stand to beef up your own grill tool arsenal, $7.99 is quite a bargain for a four-piece set. What you get here (for about $2 each) is two wood-handled metal grill spatulas, one chopper-slash-scraper, and a squirty bottle for all your grill squirting needs. This set will be available starting on June 5, which yes, is about a week and a half before Father's Day. (Not that we're hinting or anything; we're not your dad.)

While brioche buns are somewhat sugary, Hawaiian bread is even more so. If you really want to lean into the trendy sweet-and-savory flavor combo, you might want to pick up a package of Hawaiian-style hamburger buns like the ones that'll be available at Aldi starting on June 26. While we'd never tell you that they're a tropical vacation for your taste buds (because seriously, who says stuff like that?), we will note that they're a pretty decent deal at $2.99 per package of eight.

Want a big bunch of reasonably-priced meat? Who wouldn't? Aldi's Grill Master collection, which is dropping on June 5, includes six steaks (two each of sirloin, ribeye, and strip), two pork chops, two chicken breasts, and eight burgers. You get over 7 pounds of meat in all for $59.99, which comes out to a little over $8 per pound.

With all the hype over grilling season, one group always gets left out: Those who can't cook outdoors. Even if you live in an apartment or always seem to have your own personal rain cloud overhead like the old cartoon character Joe Btfsplk, you can still get in on all the grilling fun with one of the tabletop gas griddles that Aldi will start selling on June 5. The griddles are priced at just $7.99, and their 17-inch surface should be large enough to grill up a couple of burgers even if you won't get those photogenic hatch marks. (To be honest, no one even sees those beneath the ketchup and bun.)

Yes, we have yet another special on brioche buns. Unlike the aforementioned ones, though, these buns are normal-sized. What sets them apart from Aldi's standard brioche buns, however, is that they're garnished with the ever-popular everything bagel seasoning. Should you find these flavors appealing, you may purchase a package of four for $3.29 beginning on June 12.

Smoking a brisket on your outdoor grill is an ambitious undertaking, but should you succeed, the results will be well worth the effort. One way to stack the odds in your favor is by having the proper equipment on hand, and Aldi's six-piece brisket grilling (or smoking) set includes two meat claws for shredding, a squirty bottle for squirting, a meat thermometer for temperature monitoring, and a spatula and knife to use as you will. All of this will run you $14.99 and you can pick up the whole package beginning on June 12.

While a perfectly-seasoned steak straight from the grill might need no adornment, if you're cooking hot dogs or hamburgers instead, you'll surely need mustard and ketchup. With Aldi's spin-around circular caddy, you'll have room for both of those condiments, plus some hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and pickle relish, as well. This item is priced at $9.99 and comes in a choice of black and white. Look for it you-know-where (if you don't, check the center aisles) by June 5.