Your best and worst BBQ purchases.

[Bob C Cue]

What are the best and worst bbq equipment purchases you've ever made? Let's have some fun with this.

My best purchase by far is the Pit Barrel Cooker. Super easy to use and food comes out great every time.

My worst was a cheap instant read thermometer that took for ever to get up to temp and was far from accurate.

[PorkinButts82]

My best purchase was my 55 gal drum that I turned into my uds.

Haven't had a worst purchase, yet.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[lastmajordude]

My best wasn’t even a purchase.....it was a throw away gift....my mother in laws house was cut in two by a pine tree blown by that Witch from Hell called Katrina. It also crushed the legs and bent the top of her weber kettle. She didn’t want it cause “it didn’t look right” with all the damage. I put short pipes in for the legs and cooked on it for 10 more years till the top rusted out from the dent.......my worse was a bubba keg, simply because I prefer a kettle......

Edit....I refute my statement....Best was getting turned on and reading this wonderful site........worst thing and most expensive mistake was about 30 yrs ago buying an infrared grill....even with price break very expensive......total F.U. on my part...but hey “mistakes were made”.....

[Richard_]

Cheap cos , I donated it to my nephew , best so far is my new to me 075

[DaveAlvarado]

Best: Probably my Weber 26" kettle
Worst: Smokenator. What a waste of money.

[IamMadMan]

My worst purchase was a COS... I was in a hurry to start smoking and didn't want to spend a thousand dollars on a smoker.

My best purchase was after suffering for a year with a hard to manage firebox with mediocre cooks at best, I finally sat down and did some research, and bought the smoker that perfectly fit my needs and the money was well spent.

Moral of the story.... research before you buy.

[pjtexas1]

Best: My Shirley

Worst: Blackstone griddle. i just do not enjoy using it at all. i thought i would. :mmph: ever since then i have been a little hesitant to jump on something just because everyone else loves it.

[bwram1]

Best would be a toss up between the Weber kettle and WSM.

Worst would be a cheap iChef probe that lasted 4 cooks before I had to toss it.

[jasonjax]

Best: FEC-100 by a significant margin
Worst: multiple fancy injectors that stop working after 2-3 uses

[BBQ Freak]

Best - My Shirley Fabrication Smoke


Worst - Maverick 735 Bluetooth Thermometer

[PatAttack]

Best: My Shirley

Worst: Blackstone griddle. i just do not enjoy using it at all. i thought i would. :mmph: ever since then i have been a little hesitant to jump on something just because everyone else loves it.

The Blackstone Mafia will be coming for you...

[PatAttack]

Best: FEC-100 by a significant margin
Worst: multiple fancy injectors that stop working after 2-3 uses

Are those really $4500????:shocked:

[KevinJ]

Best Hunsaker Drum Smoker, love this cooker.

Worst Teflon Grill Mats, used one time and that was that. :doh:

I also had a MES once but that was a X-mas present so it doesn't count. :-P

[jasonjax]

Are those really $4500????:shocked:

I'd probably say yes, but I picked mine up used (2010 model) 5 years ago for $2000 and it has been worth EVERY penny of that!

[pjtexas1]

The Blackstone Mafia will be coming for you...

bring it! :boxing: maybe they can take it off my hands. :heh:

[kwas68]

Best BBQ Purchase: Parts to build my drum
Best Honorable Mention: If we are including grilling, nothing has improved my cooking more than my Thermapen.

Worst: High temp gloves. Never use them. I use cotton throw-away gloves and cover them with latex gloves if I’m going to touch food.
Worst Honorable Mention: Thermoworks Timestick. Had 2 crap out on me. Totally unreliable and reliability is the key feature for timer.

[16Adams]

Best: Franklins BBQ Smoking Meat Manifesto

Worst: bought a sixer of sweet botique beer. Nasty- fed it to the dandelions and drank tea until noon.

Caveat on Best: bludawg was preaching it before the sermon was penned.

[16Adams]

bring it! :boxing: maybe they can take it off my hands. :heh:

" if everyone did everything alike, no one would ever leave home."
My Dad

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

Best : Chargrill Trailer from Johnson Smokers (offset smoker)

Worst : Maverick 732 ---> Piece of crud never worked properly, even after replacing probes. Just a waste of money.

Worst - Honorable Mention : Charbroil Chimney Starter (wide base) - damned thing rusted out on me after one use.

[ChrisBarb]

Best - WSM
Worst - Smoke Hollow Chinese POS

[Dweverett]

Best would be either the Rectec or thermopen.

Worst would be stupid high temp gloves. Agree with the earlier post, cotton with the latex gloves over them is worlds better

Bear claws might be a decent runner up. Not because they don't work, just don't really add anything to other options

Edit... just saw another post, the Weber chimney starter I bought with my KJ is still wrapped in plastic. I'm sure it works great bu hasn't been needed for what I do given the options I have

[MDPHX]

+1 on the thermopen, gave me more confidence when first starting, especially with chicken that I was always worried of under cooking and killing everybody

[SmokinJohn]

Best "purchase": My UDS.
Worst "purchase": My Double Barrel Smoker. Didn't realize it was a stick burner until I was testing it out.

[SmokerKing]

Best: BGE / BUFORD drum builds / Thermapens

Worst: Man Law BBQ Light

[Wood Fire Steel]

Best BBQ Purchase: Parts to build my drum
Best Honorable Mention: If we are including grilling, nothing has improved my cooking more than my Thermapen.

Worst: High temp gloves. Never use them. I use cotton throw-away gloves and cover them with latex gloves if I’m going to touch food.
Worst Honorable Mention: Thermoworks Timestick. Had 2 crap out on me. Totally unreliable and reliability is the key feature for timer.

I would like everyone to stop...read the above post...and go buy cotton glove liners and 6 mil nitrile gloves. It will change your smoking life forever. Best part is they are cheap. I take butts directly off the cooker and wrap them with nothing more than my hands , thin cotton liner and nitrile gloves. I pull to temp butts without any tools. It is warm, but not hot. Way better than the clunky silicon mits. Best thing I ever did.

[Joe Black]

Best purchase: My Bell Fab smoker
Worst purchase: Nothing comes to mind.

As far as a bad or worst purchase is concerned, I owe a lot to all of my brethren for their opinions and tips. Because of this, I have had some forewarnings when it comes to buying some items that are not up to par. Thanks guys.

[Twisted T's Q]

probably a tie for best , pbc and my bayou classic that i got for $360. 00 ( bayou classic is still new so that may change over time ) but the pbc has defiantly stood the test of time .

worst a homemade stick burner that I paid $600 for , I used it some but it would work your ass off and nothing about it was right , I actually just give it away a few weeks ago

good thread btw Bob C Que

[ronbrad62]

My best has to be a used Old Country Over/Under smoker that was barely used and I got for $240.
Worst is a tie: the silicone orange hi-temp gloves all over Amazon are horrible because they don't mold to the hand, and the Bayou injector, also available there, has two needles, and the liquid needle has multiple holes and I often make quite a mess when I inject and slowly pull it back.

[sturev]

Depends on how you define equipment... :-P
Best - A subscription to this site
Worst - numerous bbq gadgets that are filling up my kitchen and never get used... anyone want a bbq mop that holds a whole quart of sauce in it's strings, I mean WTF?

[Turkey]

Best: my first Weber Kettle because it got me into grilling and smoking.

Worst: various rubs. How do some people manage to make a bbq rub that is saltier than the equivalent amount of pure salt?

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

Best: Shirley

Worst: Famili OT digital thermometer off Amazon ; lived four months and then died. I thought I was getting a deal with an 80 dollar unit for 50, but maybe it's the reason they were cutting prices so aggressively

[pjtexas1]

Cotton gloves and disposable gloves? And I've been using just the disposable ones. It's hot but I'm quick.

[Kyle Serlington]

best: WSM (6 years ago)
worst: GMG Daniel Boone (1 year ago)

[Melissaredhead]

Bests pits: Weber kettles & Yoder stickburner :love:

Best gadget: igrill 2

Best rub: Black Ops

Worst pit: cos leaky bucket

Worst gadget: stupid thick fire proof gloves too farking big to do anything (

Worst Rub: all others it's just salt ( I build my own)

[Pocchampion]

Best. My subscription to BBQ Brethren. I have gained more from this site than any pit or gadget I ever owned.

Worst: raichlen silicone gloves.

[Hankdad1]

Best: Akorn, and subscription to this site.

Worst: Wire brush for grate cleaning. My wife spit out a bristle. Damn things should be outlawed.

[mrbill]

best:
a few of Raichlen's BBQ books from Half Price Books. at home growing up, bbq was dad grilling pork steaks on a gasser and slathering them in sauce(homemade) once done. it was good. it still is good. i still do it to this day. however, when i got my first grill after moving out, i wanted to do some research on recipes/techniques...etc and being short on funds, bought a few of his books cheap. i read each one cover to cover and have been in love w/bbq ever since. they lit the spark that is now a flame.


worst:

cheap digital smoker/grill thermometer with probes that died on the first cook(it was not dropped and i followed all instructions for use). and by died, i mean the lcd display acted as if the crystals had been smashed. maybe 1/3 of the display was readable.

[LYU370]

Best: Subscription to this site of course any my FEC100. I too bought mine used for a little over half price, 2012 model in 2014, original owner only used it twice.

Worst: Like a lot of other people, those stupid silicone gloves. But technically, they were a gift, so... Possibly the Blackstone. I like it, but that $50 griddle is going to cause hundreds of dollars in damage to my deck if I don't figure out how to keep the grease contained.

[Smoke on Badger Mountain]

Best: Toss up between any of my Weber kettles, Sub to this site or possibly the raw steel each time I build a new pit.

Worst: hands down cheap vertical from Walmart.

[mattmountz94]

Worst: Also agree on the orange rubber gloves, they are awful.

Best: Tough call between the Yoder and my Craigslist Kettle but the winner goes to the Kettle. Best 65$ i have ever spent

[Turkey]

Best rub: Black Ops

Worst Rub: all others it's just salt ( I build my own)

Have you tried Killer Hogs bbq rubs? I'm with you on the salt and the KH rub isn't salty and I love it on pork.

[Camper23]

Best: Last week got my early fathers day gift. Pit Barrel Cooker
Also, all of the Weber 22.5 I rescued. I have 3 I found within a 6 month period that add up to $15

Worst: COS. Just like previous poster, I was in a hurry to get started. Temps changed 50 degrees up and down within mins. It was not fun.

[six501]

Best: Weber Kettle then Weber Summit.
Worst: Cheap probe from Amazon

[Taylormade]

For those lamenting the purchase of BBQ gloves, I purchased these from amazon over two years ago and LOVE them! From handling briskets and butts to removing deflecting stones in my kamado, they hold up and do the job. They also don't feel like catcher's mitts and you're able to finesse when necessary. They're still holding up strong and if and when they ever fail, I'll definitely buy another pair.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K1L9SAG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Rodbolt]

Best: Thermopen/ceramic komodos

Worst: COS/gadgets that clutter and complicate (pit controllers, etc)

[Sevengoals]

Worst purchase- the COS i ended up with as the last bidder on Austrian Ebay.

Best purchase- the same COS because it opened the door to a whole new world of outdoor cooking!

:grin:

[Beer/Meat/Victory]

Best: WSM - Got me back into BBQ after 10 years.

Worst: The beef back Ribs I got from Restaurant depot a few weeks ago. Impulse buy, but the short story is that by the time I was done I had some nice smoked bones, and about 4 ounces of tender beef.

[IXL]

For those lamenting the purchase of BBQ gloves, I purchased these from amazon over two years ago and LOVE them! From handling briskets and butts to removing deflecting stones in my kamado, they hold up and do the job. They also don't feel like catcher's mitts and you're able to finesse when necessary. They're still holding up strong and if and when they ever fail, I'll definitely buy another pair.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K1L9SAG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I have some very similar gloves, "Boss" brand. They are about the best thing I've used for moving hot ceramic plate-setters in the BGE. They allow for dexterity while keeping my hands from melting.

[wrinklenuts]

Best: my first Weber Kettle because it got me into grilling and smoking.

Worst: various rubs. How do some people manage to make a bbq rub that is saltier than the equivalent amount of pure salt?

That is some funny ****!

[IXL]

Best: WSM - Got me back into BBQ after 10 years.

Worst: The beef back Ribs I got from Restaurant depot a few weeks ago. Impulse buy, but the short story is that by the time I was done I had some nice smoked bones, and about 4 ounces of tender beef.

Those beef back-ribs from RD are a real crap shoot. Most are as you describe but on occasion, ones can be found with real meat on the bones. Those are the times we load up with enough to carry us through the no-meat-beef-ribs periods, which are far more common.

[Mastertech351]

Best purchase - WSM and Shirley Fab

Worst purchase - cheap digital thermometer.

[Beer/Meat/Victory]

Those beef back-ribs from RD are a real crap shoot. Most are as you describe but on occasion, ones can be found with real meat on the bones. Those are the times we load up with enough to carry us through the no-meat-beef-ribs periods, which are far more common.

That was my first time buying them. I should have spent a little extra for the 3 bone short ribs I always see there. Live and learn, but now I need a pack of dogs for all of these bones.

[IXL]

Best: "How to Grill" by Steven Raichlen. When I purchased a Weber Genesis gas grill, I had never even cooked an egg in a kitchen, never made toast (I could, however, heat up a pretty damned good bowl of Wolf Brand Chili, no beans). After several cooking disasters in rapid succession, I saw this book in the BBQ section over at Academy Sports. It changed everything for me. (I even learned there is indeed a difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon: who knew?)

Worst: a genuine Big Green Egg brand "instant read" thermometer: what a chump I was! This thing is neither fast nor accurate, and having read about "real" thermometers, as a type, I thought I had found one...after all, it was a "premium" brand and it had "the look.". It's actually nothing more than a cheap piece of crap and BGE is just trading on the misguided trust of unsuspecting victims. The probe on this thing is the size of a medium-duty harpoon.... What puzzles me though, is that I would think that the BGE customer demographic would mostly be willing to pay whatever is required in order to get an actual high-quality thermometer, and BGE could supply any of the quality ones as rebranded BGE product and have happy and satisfied customers instead of ones who resent being hoodwinked by slicksters. (I could go on but I have to go and take my blood pressure medication now....:) )
The BGE cookers are a pleasure to own and to use, though.

[DrewZ]

Best: Craigslist Weber Kettle -- $50 got me a One Touch Gold with a chimney, a genuine Weber cover and 40 lbs of charcoal. Five years later, it's cooked everything from a full packer brisket to standard picnic fare. The only thing I've had to replace is the charcoal :-D

Worst: Brinkman Smoke-N-Grill. I did some of the traditional ECB mods to it. It worked just fine the few times I used it. I'm only calling it the worst because I simply don't use it. (It's not you, it's me . . .) If anyone wants it, I'd be happy to offload it to a local brethren.

[PnkPanther]

I actually dont mind my high temp gloves, I don't use them for handling food though

[GloriB]

My best would be my large BGE.
Worst is the piece of junk Extreme Smoker.

[Wesman61]

Best: Gateway drum.
Worts: New Braunfels COS.

[Lowki]

Best: My Humphrey's Pint, love that thing.

Runner-up best: Weber performer i got off CL for $40.00. Working on her upgraded replacement now, will be sad to see her go.


Worst: Maverick ET732, probes would burn out after 1 or 2 uses and it never did work right. Put me off the whole brand, i will never buy a maverick product again.

[dadsr4]

Best: 22" Weber kettle. If the meat fits, you can produce top-notch food. My next grill will be a 26" kettle for more room.
Worst: Off the shelf rubs. Too salty, too much reliance on capsaicin instead of allowing the favor of the meat to shine.

[wihint]

Best Kamado Grill/Smoker/OakRidge Spice Rubs (I put that stuff on everything, Black ops scrambled eggs or bloody marys!)

Worst Maverick ET732, I actually bought the replacement plan from Home Depot six months ago I have taken them back 3 times so far.

[Baby Back Maniac]

Wow! Note to self: Do NOT buy orange silicone gloves!!!

[TroyA65]

Best may be my first smoker, it was a brinkman electric and it sucked but it got me into the obsession and now I have a vertical insulated cabinet, a WSM, a $25 Weber Kettle from CL with a cajun bandit smoker insert and a Smokey joe/tamale pot mini that I built.

My worst was a set of the pig tail flippers that are still in the box never been used. Might have to bust those out this summer.

[mattmountz94]

Wow! Note to self: Do NOT buy orange silicone gloves!!!

I was like a kid on Christmas when mine showed up. Then I used them for the first time and my heart was broken. Never used again

[lubby]

Best purchase: My weber E-470 grill with smoker and rotisserie attachment. Just paid it off from last year LOL! It's all mine now. Used the smoker recently. Have to figure out the rotisserie part next.

[TroyA65]

Wow! Note to self: Do NOT buy orange silicone gloves!!!

Nope, I got a pair of those too and I think the catchers mitt description is pretty close, they suck!!

[m-fine]

Wow! Note to self: Do NOT buy orange silicone gloves!!!

I have some very large silicone mittens that I love. Thick to protect from heat buildup when working with 20+ big hunks of meat, large and loose enough for easy on on and easy off. The smaller cheap orange gloves are terrible. Too hard to get on and off quickly, too thin for extended protection but thick enough to kill dexterity for any task other than moving a hunk of meat.

[m-fine]

Best: Lang 84 offset. So much easier to use than the cinder-block smokehouse it replaced. Runner up, Weber Ranch.

Worst: Kingsford professional briquettes. More expensive than KBB but still smokey ash producing junk that I wouldn't use anywhere I wouldn't use regular KBB. To make matters worse, they actually don't burn as evenly or as long as KBB so for how I use briquettes, the expensive ones were inferior.

[ssv3]

Numerous best purchases like my LSG offset, the PBC....





WORST PURCHASE: The Blackstone charcoal + kabob rotisserie grill. I ended up giving it to my brother since it was in impulse buy and he hardly has the time to grill but a total of about 10 cooks (literraly) fell apart. Warped, paint burnt, handles, intakes fell off. Total garbage do DO NO BUY! Well at $199 I didn't expect much but come on! He tossed it.

Very good concept but extremely poor execution. I love my griddles and the pizza oven by Blackstone though.

http://i.imgur.com/boSFe1nh.png

[wihint]

Numerous best purchases like my LSG offset, the PBC....





WORST PURCHASE: The Blackstone charcoal + kabob rotisserie grill. I ended up giving it to my brother since it was in impulse buy and he hardly has the time to grill but a total of about 10 cooks (literraly) fell apart. Warped, paint burnt, handles, intakes fell off. Total garbage do DO NO BUY! Well at $199 I didn't expect much but come on! He tossed it.

Very good concept but extremely poor execution. I love my griddles and the pizza oven by Blackstone though.

http://i.imgur.com/boSFe1nh.png

Wow thank you that was my next purchase! You saved me $200. :clap2:

[ssv3]

Wow thank you that was my next purchase! You saved me $200. :clap2:

Glad I got the chance to post it today. Wanted to for a bit but busy. The griddles and the pizza oven absolutely but definitely not this grill. Wish they had built it better and charged more for it than this waste. Great concept though like I said before.

[LloydQ]

My best was an early 90's model Coleman smoker. About $45. Just like a Brinkman, but had vents you could control. That burned out, went to an 18.5 WSM, and have been smoking since! No worst, it has all been fun since then.

[gtsum]

Not sure of best...so many good ones?? Worst is certainly the silicon food gloves that offer zero dexterity for working with food...maybe my new braunfels POS I started on 18 years ago


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[sleebus.jones]

Best: This is a tough one. It's between the GMG Davy Crockett that got me back into BBQ or the Thermapen that is my chicken whisperer
Worst: Smoke Daddy Magnum

[Joe Black]

It sure sounds like everyone really hates silicon gloves. From what I read, do these not have fingers? I have a pair that are green, have a flannel lining and fingers. These handle meat very well, even for pulling butts. I have had them for probably 5-6 years, so I don't remember where they came from. I wish I could so I could pass it along.

I use cheap welding gloves from Northern tools for handling wood, grates, etc.

[Turkey]

That is some funny ****!
It wasn't particularly meant to be. I actually performed a test where I shook out some Bed Byrin's Bat Rib* in my hand, tasted it, and then did the same with the equivalent amount of table salt (yes, I am a sucker for punishment).

There was no doubt that the bat rib was more salty than the salt, or at least that my palate perceived it as being more salty. In the interests of science, I repeated the experiment. At that point my face resembled that of a bulldog getting a prostate exam from Captain Hook, but I came to exactly the same conclusion.

How is that even possible? The rub has very small granules, probably smaller than the table salt but I reckon one or more ingredients in there trigger the salty taste buds harder than actual salt.

*Names changed to protect identities.

[Saucy]

Best: Cooking school. Really changed my game.
Worst: every bottle of sweet baby rays my wife ever bought

[worktogthr]

Best: Subscription to this site of course any my FEC100. I too bought mine used for a little over half price, 2012 model in 2014, original owner only used it twice.

Worst: Like a lot of other people, those stupid silicone gloves. But technically, they were a gift, so... Possibly the Blackstone. I like it, but that $50 griddle is going to cause hundreds of dollars in damage to my deck if I don't figure out how to keep the grease contained.

I love the blackstone but I agree. Paul Shirley (Tuscaloosa Q) fabricated a more efficient grease drain for it and I sure do wish I lived closer to Alabama so I could ask him to fix mine. For now I have a giant floor mat that I bought at Restaurant Depot with grease stains all over it. Doesn't look too nice but better than destroying the deck.

[NickTheGreat]

Best: My WSM. Started it all.

Worst: I have all sorts of chicken leg racks and pepper holders I don't use. But I didn't pay much for them either.

[zackgirton6]

Best: Cooking school. Really changed my game.
Worst: every bottle of sweet baby rays my wife ever bought

What cooking school?

[Leftwngr]

Best: Thermapen.
Worst: Taylor bi-metal oven thermometer. Not sure what I was thinking.

[ebijack]

Best: Tough to choose a "best" I'm not done buying stuff :becky:

Worst: Flameboss 100 and Humphrey's DEB.

Flameboss just does not work. Thermos are crap. The 30 day warranty expired many weeks before I ever got the dang thing. Lesson learned.
The DEB isn't bad, it's just NOT for me in any way.
Soon to be torn apart and fixed/changed to how I want it to cook/operate. I'd have to take too much of a loss if I sold it. So might as well fix it/change it.

[offshore_SoLA]

Best: BGE. I was raised old school bbq. Living in "cities" i never had the time or the room to properly q anything and settled on a BGE. I guess you could say the BGE kept me engaged and led me to what I initially thought was a happy medium of my cinder block q roots... but low and behold - this LSG vertical smoker is splendid.

Worst: any over-priced, over-hyped, over-whatever commercial rub, and any freakin q sauce with HFCS.

[Hog1990]

Best: Ole Hickory CTO
Worst: Meater

[cowgirl]

Not into purchasing gadgets, but my favorite would be my "cookin'" rake. Great for blistering chiles on the block pit.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg74/cowgirls-photos_album/green%20chiles/607510ce-4dc5-43c3-bb9b-a38f50b83e9d_zpsd4531c7e.jpg


Was gifted a pair of those orange, heat resistant gloves. Not much use to me for cooking but they come in really handy for scalding birds before processing. :thumb:

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg74/cowgirls-photos_album/game%20hens/game%20hens%20051res_zpsqarllss8.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg74/cowgirls-photos_album/game%20hens/game%20hens%20058res_zps2wbtlxmb.jpg

[ChrisBarb]

Best: Ole Hickory CTO
Worst: MeaterWait you actually own a Meater? What didn't you like?

[ChrisBarb]

Best: Ole Hickory CTO
Worst: MeaterWait. you actually own a Meater? What didn't you like?

[Huskres]

Best: This is a tough one. It's between the GMG Davy Crockett that got me back into BBQ or the Thermapen that is my chicken whisperer
Worst: Smoke Daddy Magnum

What's wrong with your smoke daddy?

[LloydQ]

Bob C, what a cool thread!

[Hog1990]

Wait. you actually own a Meater? What didn't you like?

No. But I "purchased" one.

[pjtexas1]

The DEB isn't bad, it's just NOT for me in any way.
Soon to be torn apart and fixed/changed to how I want it to cook/operate. I'd have to take too much of a loss if I sold it. So might as well fix it/change it.

OFFICIAL HIJACK...
I need to know what you plan to do! You have my full attention.

[SmittyJonz]

Best: the Gas I purchased to get to Laredo n Back to pick up my -1 of 2- Old Country Smokehouse....... :heh:

Worst - Big Stupid Orange Silicon Gloves - They SUCK

[ebijack]

OFFICIAL HIJACK...
I need to know what you plan to do! You have my full attention.
PM sent

[lastmajordude]

Not into purchasing gadgets, but my favorite would be my "cookin'" rake. Great for blistering chiles on the block pit.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg74/cowgirls-photos_album/green%20chiles/607510ce-4dc5-43c3-bb9b-a38f50b83e9d_zpsd4531c7e.jpg


Was gifted a pair of those orange, heat resistant gloves. Not much use to me for cooking but they come in really handy for scalding birds before processing. :thumb:

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg74/cowgirls-photos_album/game%20hens/game%20hens%20051res_zpsqarllss8.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg74/cowgirls-
photos_album/game%20hens/game%20hens%20058res_zps2wbtlxmb.jpg


WINNER!!....leave it to the master (Jeanie) to win this thread.... ....good looking stuff!!

[BillN]

Best" LSG HOS
Second Best: a Pampered Chef Mix N Chop this thing is great for breaking up ground meat even if partially frozen and is the best tool I have come across for pulling pork
https://www.pamperedchef.com/shop/Cook%27s+Tools/Cookware+Utensils/Mix+%27N+Chop/2583
Third Best: Franklins BBQ Maifesto

No worst YET...

[NickTheGreat]

Best" LSG HOS
Second Best: a Pampered Chef Mix N Chop this thing is great for breaking up ground meat even if partially frozen and is the best tool I have come across for pulling pork
https://www.pamperedchef.com/shop/Cook%27s+Tools/Cookware+Utensils/Mix+%27N+Chop/2583
Third Best: Franklins BBQ Maifesto

No worst YET...

We have one of those but haven't tried for pulling pork. Thanks for the heads up!!! :clap2:

[BadkissonTT]

Weber Master Touch normally $199.....bought for $134.10+TTL on Home Depot price match policy about 6 weeks ago.

[Smoking Piney]

Best? Actually 2: My BGE and Assassin.

No worse yet.

[Steve S]

Best purchase (so far) - WSM
Worst purchase - not one but two cheapo POS smokers from Walmart.

Best accident - wandering in here a year ago looking for help for a big cook.

[Smoking Piney]

Best accident - wandering in here a year ago looking for help for a big cook.

Same here.....looking for a recipe! :-D

My Q game has gone up several huge notches since I found The Brethren. :-D

[Cook]

Worst purchase(s)...commercial rubs & sauces

Best purchase(s)...my own ingredients

[PnkPanther]

Not a purchase, but a gift. My mom knows I like making ribs and BBQing, etc...so she bought me a ribalizer. Which is a fancy foil pan to steam ribs on a gas grill. Never been used, still sitting in the basement.

[Stingerhook]

Best" LSG HOS
Second Best: a Pampered Chef Mix N Chop this thing is great for breaking up ground meat even if partially frozen and is the best tool I have come across for pulling pork
https://www.pamperedchef.com/shop/Cook%27s+Tools/Cookware+Utensils/Mix+%27N+Chop/2583
Third Best: Franklins BBQ Maifesto

No worst YET...

Your second best is a must in my kitchen Bill.

[Moose]

This right here is the absolute best purchase I've ever made. We picked it up in 2004, brand new right out of the box for $40:

http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae286/Pashn8one/IMG_0272.jpg

Unfortunately, the manufacturer went under in 2007 or so, so parts are hard to come by. I'm actually looking at getting a custom made cooking grate, which won't be cheap, but I plan on using this cooker for the rest of my life.

The runner up would be my Blackstone Pizza oven.

[KC Smoke]

Best: DigiQ DX2 and 22.5 WSM's. Being able to actually get some sleep is unmeasurably valuable. Not to mention that until I had the WSM's I didn't realize how much I was over smoking things on my stick burners.

Worst: Some of the damn near inedible things I've ordered in BBQ joints particularly sausage.

[FashionBiff]

Best Super Fast Thermopen in Desert Tan
Worst Maverick 735 remote thermometer never was happy with it

[McSpazatron]

Best: the Gas I purchased to get to Laredo n Back to pick up my -1 of 2- Old Country Smokehouse....... :heh:

Worst - Big Stupid Orange Silicon Gloves - They SUCK

I got the big orange gloves. Pain to put on and clean, but very handy for pulling out a finished brisket or for rotating meats once they are hot.

[Happy Hapgood]

My WSM started it all for me. I won a Party Q from this site in the throw downs that has been Excellent!

The worst is a two prong fork that measured temp. It's in some landfill by now I reckon.

[Joe Black]

Mike, it took me almost two hours to wash all of the crud off of that fork therm. It is one of the greatest finds that I've ever had. Thanks.

[LMAJ]

Best - A regifted Brinkman my mom gave us after my dad passed - it's what got us started down this crazy road.
Worst - Klose - not because it's not an awesome smoker, just because I am too lazy to babysit a smoker every hour, and I need all the beauty sleep I can get...

[m-fine]

I'll gladly take that Klose off your hands.

[MountainMan]

My best purchase is a CookShack PG-1000 it's wonderful at grilling, smoking and anything in between. The second best purchase was a CookShack FEC-100.

The absolute worst purchase that I made was a Louisiana Country Smoker CS 570. Neither the factory nor I could keep a fire burning.... Never again.

[frognot]

Best: My Big Green Egg and my Thermapen.


The worst is a two prong fork that measured temp. It's in some landfill by now I reckon.

Ditto.

[McSpazatron]

The worst is a two prong fork that measured temp. It's in some landfill by now I reckon.

That fork is a close runner up for worst for me as well. My worst has to be a cheap AA battery operated motorized wire brush for cleaning grates. A solution looking for a problem no one with functiong arms ever had. I got it as a present and could never bring myself to bother taking it out of the box.

Best is a toss up between the Weber 26in, and the thermapen. Honorable mentions go to my trusty little stainless steel box for woodchips, because it complements the weber so well.

[lastmajordude]

My WSM started it all for me. I won a Party Q from this site in the throw downs that has been Excellent!

The worst is a two prong fork that measured temp. It's in some landfill by now I reckon.

Toast I’m with you on that fork thing and yes someone gave me a motorized grill brush also.......geeeze!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rockinar]

WORST: Salt Lick Rub. Ugh. Whats in that? 50% caynenne pepper and 50% salt? Its makes anything you put it on inedible. I have bought a lot of terrible rubs before, but its the worst of the worst.