Stacey, Great thread Bro. I've been wanting to post this list for a while and this thread is a great place for it.
12 Essential Smoker Accessories
1-Chimney- Never use lighter fluid in a smoker, a good chimney is a must.
2-Gloves- You'll want 2 types, heavy leather for handling fire. Long cuffed welders gloves are great, but leather work gloves will do. You'll also want a pair of neoprene gloves for handling cooked or partially cooked meats.
3-Tongs- At least 2 pairs of these also, one for the firebox. Sometimes you'll want to move some coals or remove some fuel, don't try it without the tongs. Another pair for small cuts of meat. Buy good resturant quality that will last.
4-Thermometers- Digital Probe Type, use these for either food temps or pit temps. Essential for meat as these allow you to check the status of the food without opening the pit. As the Poo-Bah sez, "if you're lookin' , you ain't cookin'". A good quality analog door therm to monitor the overall action inside the pit is a must for me. Have extras so you can do a "calibration by consensus" periodically.
5-Grill Brush- A nice brass grill brush to keep grates clean. If you want it to last only use on cold grates. I find them easiest to clean this way. If there is some stubborn stuff, let them warm up and use crumpled foil in a pair of tongs.
6- Heavy Duty Foil- You'll use this for everthing from wrapping meats to making improvised heat shields. Just don't put foil over the opening between the firebox and smokebox
.
7- Injector- Buy a good one and save a lot of frustration. A good vet quality injector with "udder infusion" needles should run less than $15.
8- Spray Bottles- These are cheap at discount stores. Have a few on hand for spraying meats. Better ones will spray oil, which is very handy for maintaining you pit.
9- Coal Bucket- Anything Metal will do. Most hardware stores carry 7 gallon mini metal trash cans with lids and bails. These are excellent for this.
10- Cook Log- Nothing fancy required here, a composition book is what I use. If you prefer use your computer or a binder. Keep track of what you cook, what it weighs and how long it took. When you have company coming and stuff has to be done at a certain time this will serve as a database you can draw on to determine when to start stuff.
11-Coolers, Not for your beer, but to hold finished or near finished Q in. Having a couple sizes available is sure handy as its best not to use one that's too big.
12- A good BBQ forum. Very few of us are fortunate enough to be able to cook everyday so experience comes slowly. The collective knowledge of a good forum can save you from making mistakes and answer questions you could only answer yourself through trial and error. The best of course is The Brethren!
I'm sure some of y'all will have additions to this list, I can think of a few already but they're mostly things I don't use so I didn't include them. Please add your favorite gizmos to the list.
