Essentials that every Smoker setup should have?

So to know when stuff is done just seeing if it falls apart when I manipulate it? Or would a different type of thermometer be preferable? I saw that the maker of the thermapen also makes some cheaper probes. Thanks for the info on the gloves! I will pick some up at lowes when I pick up some coal.
 
mirage said:
Thanks for all the suggestions and the warm welcome! Haha about the meat. We homebrew so have all the beer we can drink (was actually gonna make brew day a smoke/brew day!). I keep reading about the thermapen... Is it really worth the price? Also as far as welding gloves go would you recommend any I'm particular or just grab any old pair that has big gauntlets?
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It's not a toy. It's accurate approx. $80 shipped.
 
Already mentioned, but something to keep your charcoal dry in is fairly essential. Wet lump is depressing.

One problem with the guru, it limits beer consumption. Since it allows the pit to work almost completely unattended, I don't have any excuse not to do other yard/house work.
 
  • Thermapen - If you are checking tempatures make the time to check as quick as possible.
  • Welding gloves or BBQ gloves - There's gonna be a time at some point you're gonna need to move the smoker when it's hot or take the center off and add to the fire or something along those lines, better to do it without your bare hands :)
  • LONG tongs. regular tongs are good and well but a pair of good long tongs, for example the weber ones will make it sooooooo much nicer.
  • Tempature Probe grommet. There are tons of tutorials on different things to use but if you are using a remote thermometer you need to do this mod.
  • Second charcoal grate, or expanded metal, turned 90* - this will help prevent some of the smaller charcoal pieces from falling through.
  • Patience, the smoker will take a few runs to get settled in and seal up some of the gaps and the temperature control will start to become easier.
 
If you're gonna leave your pit, a remote thermometer. Thermapen.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKKDWbfCm-w"]Propane Weed Torch - Lighting Charcoal - YouTube[/ame]

And one of these! Even if you don't need it. Fun stuff.
 
When I got my first WSM, what I realize now to be the most essential part of my set up was my log book.
I wrote down every aspect of every cook, from ambient air temp, to how much fuel I started with and when I added water and/or fuel, vent positions, etc... For some reason, writing things down reinforces them in your memory. Well for me anyways.
You really learn your pit and how to control it.
After that, I'd say a zero-gravity lawn chair.
Then a Thermapen.
 
mirage said:
So to know when stuff is done just seeing if it falls apart when I manipulate it? Or would a different type of thermometer be preferable? I saw that the maker of the thermapen also makes some cheaper probes.
Click to expand...

I have remote reading Mavericks (ET-73 and ET-732) that allow me to monitor meat and cooker temps without going outside or opening the cooker. Nice for winter cooks in particular. I used the lid thermometer before I got those and still monitor it and you can cook using that alone.

I have a $15 Maverick Weekend Warrior probe. It's a few seconds slower and many $$$ less expensive than the Thermapen and meets (meats? :wink: ) my needs.
 
Aside froma all the food handling gear already mentioned, one of the most important things is a thermometer. Before I bought my thermapen, I bought [ame="http://www.amazon.com/RT600C-Super-fast-Water-resistant-Digital-Thermometer/dp/B002GE2XF8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1372421972&sr=8-2&keywords=thermo+works"]Amazon.com: RT600C Super-fast Water-resistant Digital Pocket Thermometer: Kitchen & Dining[/ame] this unit from thermoworks that is really good and very affordable. Equally as important is a thermometer for your pit and food as its cooking so something like the maverick mentioned earlier or the igrill is really nice to have.
 
Stuff you'll need:
Spatula.
Tongs.
Good knife (Carving or Chef's, Victorinox is a good brand. fyi: I am not paid to say that)
Lighter & back-up lighter (I hate using my toaster and paper to make a flame)
Beer.
Lawn chair.
Small table to hold stuff.
Tin foil. (You'll find uses)
A BBQ tray (high heat tolerent metal pans work).
Some type of cheap reasonably accurate thermo to verify cook temps.

Stuff I own and love:
ET-732
Thermapen (I use it more in grilling and pan searing indoors than BBQ)
Apron (you will place a hunk of meat on the the smoker and get rub all over your hands and you want to keep your beer clean)

Stuff you should have but I don't and I am still smokin':
Gloves are nice but I don't see a need.
Ash tin is nice but I don't need one.

Stuff I want:
Pitmaster IQ
 
First off welcome! Pretty much everything I'd call "essential" has been mentioned, one thing I'll add is it's nice to have a remote thermometer for checking the internal temps on certain cuts of meat for obtaining a certain doneness. I also use it very often to monitor the pit temp by simply resting the probe on the grate near the meat. This one, made by Oniedahttp://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?sku=11720307&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&gclid=CNH7jeKRh7gCFZR9OgodujkAYg works very well and is inexpensive and they really stand behind their product. Some mentioned a grommet for fitting the probe though the smoker wall; while it works, it's not necessary to install a grommet. Simply drill a hole just large enough to fit the probe through(about 1/8"). No need to seal it up when not in use since it's such a small hole. For a regular meat thermometer, I just use an inexpensive dial type- don't waste your money on a cheap digital one as they take about a day and a half to get a reading! Oh and one other thing you might want to have handy is a quality, NEW, spray bottle for spritzing your meat with apple juice or cider vinegar or whatever. Helps with moisture on certain cuts. Good luck and be sure to post when you fire up your smoker to break her in!
 
foam2 said:
Aside froma all the food handling gear already mentioned, one of the most important things is a thermometer. Before I bought my thermapen, I bought Amazon.com: RT600C Super-fast Water-resistant Digital Pocket Thermometer: Kitchen & Dining this unit from thermoworks that is really good and very affordable.
Click to expand...
One criteria I have for probe thermometers is that I can calibrate them if they drift. The Maverick Weekend Warrior has that feature. I could not find it for this thermometer. (I have an older cheaper digital thermometer that reads 20°F low :mmph: )
 
Everybody who coooks outdoors with fire should have a fully charged fire extinguisher in a place that is very easy to get to quickly.

It's about the time of year for those "I almost burned down my (house/yard/etc.)" threads.
 
Here are a few, nice not quite essentials. Foil and a baking pan/cookie sheet.

Baking pan is great place to set meat. I set it on a baking pan to rub it, I set it on a baking pan in the fridge (so no juice gets on a shelf), I set the hot meat on the pan to move it (abet often I should drop it in a chest), I could also wrap on the pan. Foil is a good way to cover the pan so it stays clean. Line pan in foil before rubbing - put meat on pit, throw away foil, clean pan. Line pan with foil to get meat... Foil can also be used to wrap meat during the cook, and for holding meat in the ice chest (abet paper works for this too). I also sometimes use wax paper instead of foil for the unheated part of prep.

Cutting board helps the table top last longer.

Definately not a necessity - but a vacuum bagging machine can not only let you split bulk meat into cook-able servings, and help freeze leftovers - it is also very convenient for marinading and brineing. W/O the vacume bag machine - ziplocks and plastic bags are practically an essential.
 
This is great guys! Thanks! I think I may pick up the Onieda and either the Weekend Warrior or the RT600C. I was looking at the Maverick 732 but there are quite a few people complaining of it not reading temps correctly and for $60 I would want it to be perfect. Have any of you had any issues with it misreading things? I know BBQGURU makes an adapter that fits into one of the bolt holes to allow for temp probes to fit in. I may pick that up for the probe. We actually own the Victorinox set and find them awesome in both quality and value good suggestion (also not paid to say that)! Thanks again, this is great. Very helpful!
 
mirage said:
... I was looking at the Maverick 732 but there are quite a few people complaining of it not reading temps correctly and for $60 I would want it to be perfect. Have any of you had any issues with it misreading things? I know BBQGURU makes an adapter that fits into one of the bolt holes to allow for temp probes to fit in. I may pick that up for the probe.
Click to expand...
I have an ET-732. The cooker probe went bad soon after purchase and Maverick replaced it promptly with no questions asked. Other than that I'm confident in the readings.

For grommets I went with ordinary hardware store grommets at much less expense.

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DSC_1617-PP.JPG

(After I put two in my mini-WSM I figured out that one is sufficient. :rolleyes: )
 
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