Reddit mentions: The best barbecue tool sets

Pork:

Both pork and poultry love sweet. I personally prefer a sweet-hot mix, but you can lessen either of those two.

I get a Pork Butt, also called Boston Butt (not really the butt, but is actually the shoulder). Get with a bone in. You want to have some fat, but don't worry, those will rend out. The leaner cuts like sirloin, chops, tenderloin, etc...won't be a juicy or as tender. Yes, surprisingly, the pork tenderloin is pretty lean, unlike the beef tenderloin (filet mignon).

Pro-tip: Cook until internal 190 degrees. While pork is done at 160, keep going until 185-195, that's when you get into the pulled pork range.

Another Pro-tip: When it hits the right temp, pull it out, wrap it in foil and leave it for about 30 mins. It'll still be ridiculously hot. Getting some pulled pork tongs saves your hands, but I use two big forks from time to time.

Third Pro-tip: You should let the meat stand overnight/maybe 6-8 hours, but could be longer. I cover with foil and throw in fridge. Because of the brown sugar, there will be a liquid formed in the pan (I use a standard cookie sheet). Careful when you move this around. It can be messy if you aren't aware.

Don't ever use white sugar, especially if you want to smoke/need to cook a long time. White sugar burns sooner, while brown sugar won't. I prefer dark brown sugar over medium/light brown--which only means it has more molasses. Pork loves salt, garlic, cumin, and I use herbs, like small amounts of rosemary, thyme, sage. Fresh if you can get it (I have an herb garden). As with the beef post I put out, I like a bit hot. The sweet from the sugar and spicy from the peppers, plus all of the seasonings makes it really good. YMMV. Some folks also include mustard seed for pork, I'm not as partial, especially with the sweet and spicy mix below.

Same ratios as the beef , this is really for tablespoons. Assuming about a 4lb roast:

16 - packed brown sugar (I typically use at least a cup; 16 tablespoons in a cup)

4 - coarse/kosher salt

4 - paprika (For color. I've tried the smoked hot paprika, but it's neither hot nor give much flavor)

2 - garlic powder (You may need a bit more, taste to adjust)

2 - cumin (You may want more, but cumin is really overwhelming at times)

2 - ground pepper

2 - onion powder

2 - red pepper flakes

2 - rosemary (Fresh if you can get it)

1 - sage

1 - Thyme

1 - ground cayenne pepper

1 - chipotle (Again, this is hot, back off the cayenne and chipotle and add if you're brave)


Trim the roast for most (but not all) of the fat from the outside. There's enough throughout the meat, so no need to leave big pieces.

For this (actually for most all meats), I usually smoke them. Because of long time to cook, grilling is not recommended. I'd throw it in a crockpot, and have heard an oven is good due to constant regulation of heat. If you do smoke it, try to stay around 225 degrees for what will be at least 6-7 hours (1.5 hours/pound). Again, you want to make sure internal temp is about 190 (185-195), regardless of how long it's been cooking or the temp of grill/smoker. For the oven, use 325 degrees for 1 hour/pound (haven't really done that often), but regardless of method be sure internal temp is 190. Also.....the bark (crusty outside) is what you're looking for.

Not OP, but I make wings regularly on the kettle. For regular wings:
-Set up kettle like OP, coals on one side
-Set all wings skin side down on a sheet with paper towel under it to dry the skin
-Sear wings skin side down over coals for 1-3 minutes until slightly charred
-Flip and sear other side for 1 minute
-Transfer to other side of grill skin side up
-Place lid on with vent open and directly over the wings
-Wait 5-20 minutes depending on how you like the wings done then toss them in sauce.

This gives the best of both worlds. A nice charred sear that makes the skin super tender and a indirect cooking period to crisp everything up. I usually marinade half of them in a mixture of Sabauce and Aardvark for some extra flavor. I've seen people have really good results using the Vortex as well.

Since you've got those, I don't think you need the slow-n-sear, but I don't own one, so I can't comment authoritatively. You'll be able to do what you want with those baskets.

If you do find yourself in accessory-acquisition mode, I most highly recommend a Vortex. I've had great luck with a diy-version of the same, and use mine for high-heat sears, low-n-slow cooks, direct, indirect, etc.

Nice weber you got there. Cheers!

As some added clarity since I use the same smoker, I ordered this and used it last weekend and it was amazing. I was able to get at least 6 hours of burn. I was making ribs so it only took about 5-5.5 and there were still unashed coals left. With it I can maintain a solid 250F.

I leave the stack damper/lid fully open. And I've insulated my doors with this. And for filling in around the seams, such as the stack or the firebox I purchased this. Those both will take about 24 hours to "cure" according to the directions.

Otherwise I think it's a solid entry-level smoker and hope you enjoy it!

P.S I know someone may ask if that charcoal cage was worth it and the quality is great, the inserts turn it into a snake method cage , and it feels quite sturdy.

This is a great idea for Dad. I now buy my so-hard-to-buy-for Dad oysters shipped in from Washington. I've ordered fresh salmon, oysters, dungeness crab all shipped in the same container to save on shipping. I buy from pikeplacefish.com (the famous Pike Place Fish Market). It's fun just buying from them.

The other thing I'm thinking of doing this year is buying a really nice grocery bag from The Fresh Market (or some other grocery store) and filling it with my favorite cooking/kitchen items including:
Reynolds Non-Stick aluminum foil
Reynolds Non-Stick parchment/foil paper
Almond Flour
Coconut Flour
Coconut Oil
Grill Mat http://www.amazon.com/BBQ-Grill-Mat-Set-2/dp/B00C1LWE32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416491088&sr=8-1&keywords=grill+mat
Etc.

***
I make pizza at least three times a week at home. I know how you feel. The best pizza I ever made was on a $10 grill while tailgating at a phillies game.

There's a basic rule for cooking pizza: 400+ degrees. That's it really.

There's something about home ovens that trap moisture. I always notice a lot of steam jetting from the oven vents. I know a byproduct of burning gas is water vapor. I think that has something to do with it.

I also have a cuisinart brick oven toaster oven. It comes with a pizza stone and makes great pizza. Electric too.

I've tried everything to get great results from my gas oven. I find keeping the door cracked for the first few minutes help.

But I will never forget the pizza I made at the Phillies stadium parking lot. I used a BBQ mesh pan and had the grill dome closed. The bottom of the crust came out nice and crispy.

I've made pizza on everything. I'm convinced the moisture trapped in the oven has something to do with it.

I made a pizza in an iron skillet and threw it under the broiler to brown the cheese. That was really good and less mess in the kitchen.

For those interested, here's a pic of the inside.

Here's a list of my mods.

• Grommet on the side for probe access: So handy! The most useful mod. I used this titanium drill bit to create a hole large enough. It took me about an hour of sweating my butt off with the drill to make the hole. I feel like this mod is a must because if you use any kind of probe this will be a lifesaver. Constantly closing and opening the lid of the smoker with the wire in the way will eventually damage the wire. With this grommet bypassing the door entirely, you don't risk damaging the wire anytime you open or close the lid. If your hand slips when opening the lid and the lid slams down, it can CUT the probe wire! Lifesaver indeed.
  
• Lavalock Thermometers x2: I bought two of these for both sides. Tested them for accuracy with boiling water and they work pretty great.
  
• Lavalock Gaskets: I used these to seal the lid of the main chamber. It helps create a seal for lower smoke leakage.
  
• Clamps: These make 100% sure you are airtight when smoking. When used together with the gaskets, I get virtually no leakage from the main chamber. One annoying thing though is that the clamp installed on the side of the fire chamber can get in the way of you opening and closing the fire chamber lid. But, overall I'm happy with them, especially for longer cooks.
  
• High Temp Silicone Caulk: This is a MUST. The areas around the smoke chamber leak smoke SO MUCH. I've used it to seal around every nook and cranny of the fire chamber and it's done wonders.
  
• Water pan: Not sure if this counts as a mod, but it's just a simple steel water pan.
  
• Oklahoma Joe Firebox Basket: The reverse flow smoker came included with this. I think the regular Highland Smoker does not have it. In my opinion, it is extremely helpful in maintaining heat throughout your cook and makes the temperature fluctuate less.

Just an FYI, I found a gift idea that would be pretty awesome. (Though I rarely dip myself)

http://www.amazon.com/Franklin-Spit-Bud-Portable-Spittoon/dp/B01BUKIUNM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464299708&sr=8-2&keywords=spittoon+can+opener

Pilot Rock Heavy-Duty Park-Style Grill - Model# H-16 B6X2 Pilot ... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UVPX9M/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_OA85Bb9J36SMQ

Seems like most expensive but definitely best reviewed.

I've just started getting into grilling, and I tried this set: http://www.amazon.com/BBQ-Grill-Tools-Set-Professional/dp/B00F4FRH0W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449678830&sr=8-3&keywords=cave+tools when I was at my buddy's place and thought it was great. He's very satisfied with it too, so I'm inclined to believe him since he's the one who got me interested with grilling.

He has his own brand of seasonings. I tried his steak seasoning with some ribeyes once, they turned out great.

Thanks for sharing this, I'm definitely going to try it in the future.

Prep everything you possibly can before hand! This means cracking eggs, chopping veggies, sparcing out spices, etc. making a meal, if you plan well, can be as easy as tossing ingredients from bags 1, 2 and 3 into a pot and heating!

A couple tips from my last very large camping trip - Chili can be cooked all day over a camp fire with one of these and a dutch oven. Also, we cracked about a three dozen eggs, whisked them, and poured them through a funnel into cleaned out 2-liter bottles and threw them in the cooler - poured those into a pan or a pot and were able to make egg scrambles every morning for a group of about 15. Both worked really, really well.

Paint the stack with some stove paint, and Amazon has the gasket stuff pretty cheap. Worked like a charm on my Traeger.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TAJW0QE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_t.ioDb8DWM1MF

Aha! I found the metal snowflake things on Amazon for holding skewers.

https://www.amazon.com/Winnerbe-Roaster-Rotisserie-Skewers-Needle/dp/B078561QB3/

Rotisserie seems plausable. Will see if I can pinpoint it exact but this is enough to award is solved.

Really surprised that in 200+ comments not one person has mentioned grill mats. I know they are relatively new but if you've ever used one, not only does it solve this cleaning issue (by essentially eliminating the need to clean the BBQ altogether), it also solves two other incredibly common BBQ issues; food getting stuck or falling through the grills.


https://www.amazon.ca/BBQ-Grill-Mat-Set-2/dp/B00C1LWE32


These are also sold at Canadian Tire, Dollarama, etc.

You still get grill marks and now you can toss things like chopped veggies or small shrimp right on the BBQ without having to use a pan or tinfoil.

No prob at all yeah it seems these get a bad rap because out of the box they do seem to have a couple issues but with a little work they produce great results. This is the gasket I use between the firebox

https://www.amazon.com/BroilPro-Accessories-Rated-Smoker-Gasket/dp/B07MG33FSQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=felt+bbq+gasket&qid=1557578585&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Then I used ultra temp rtv for the smoke chamber door. Basically left the door up made a small bead then let it cure. Original plan was to use the felt but it was way to thick

I know we're not supposed to put sales links up, but I have this contraption for cooking my drumsticks. I'm just looking for some best practice type advice.

https://www.amazon.com/G-HOMEFAVOR-Stainless-Dishwasher-Non-Stick/dp/B07D5S192Z

Take a look at this

The "R" is about 1.25" tall, a size where 6 letters would fit across an adult forehead.

What if someone were to just make it so these jackasses could literally never show their faces again without also announcing to the world what they were?

Could the tv news make them sympathetic to the public? It's not as if a talking head could invite them onto the show for an interview after this.

Not in Prati. You can buy a cheap grill like this in many supermakets, I think it's the best option.

two of these

It’s definitely worth doing on any smoker, and if you haven’t I recommend a high temp silicon based sealant to coverup all the cracks on the outside.

Yes it works well. I had to use acetone to clean the surface before I stuck it on. This is the tape

I used this one works great Fireblack Hi Temp BBQ smoker Gasket Self Stick 15 ft High Heat 1/2 x 1/8 Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TAJW0QE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_oVBkDbBJ9N76H

My dome thermometer doesn't work but I don't care because I have an Weber iGrill, 4 probe wireless thermometer. I use one for grill temp and the three others for meat temp. I bought the Cajun Bandit door because it looks and seals so much better. I was still losing a lot of smoke around the lid so I bought this gasket. All I did was clean the lip around the barrel and it sticks just fine. I also bought the grommet and drilled the hole for it. It's not necessary but I like it better this way.

So this exact thing on my knock-off is stripped. That disc is threaded and should screw back on. If it has been ripped off, chances are that threading is gone. What i did is apply a small ring of 550° heat resistant adhesive (glue). I bought this silicone based adhesive off Amazon and it cured in a matter of minutes. The glue was very inexpensive and I believe it was designed for gluing parts of a smoker back together.

I applied a thin-film with a toothpick, making sure to use just enough of the yucky-smelling adhesive around that threaded piece. The first time i did it, I hardly used any and that sucker didn't move for 7 months. Popped off once and this time i used the product a bit better.

Here you go: LavaLock https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRLELK0?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Yeah it's really only best to do this to get the egg up to temp quickly prior to putting food in (E.g. 6-700 degrees for a pizza). They sell a bbq dragon (http://www.amazon.com/BBQ-Dragon-Charcoal-Supercharger-Fireplaces/dp/B00FPZY92A) for this purpose, but a hair dryer does the same thing. Gets you up to temp in 10-15 mins rather than one hr.

Seal it up well! Install a high heat gasket like this around both doors. Use high heat silicon to seal any joints. The key to working with an offset is to be able to completely control airflow. You can't do that if the thing isn't sealed well.




Make sure the smoker you buy is a good quality steel too. Ultra cheap offset smokers use very thin grade metal that won't properly hold or distribute heat.







I was buying bags of Kingsford smoking logs at Home Depot, but at $18 per cubic foot it was getting expensive. I sourced a firewood supplier in my area that sells hickory and bought a bunch of it for much cheaper. I'll probably still go to Home Depot for mesquite since I use it less often and it's impossible to find in New Jersey.

Answering a couple of questions: Zero ash because there literally are none once the coals are full orange. The chimney can be seen [HERE] (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7FO8F5/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and this is the FAN.

I filled the chimney about a 1/3 full with charcoal and with the fans assistance the coals were bright orange within minutes.

This is the silicone stuff I usually use, if it helps

like Alt4sniper said, it is a high temp gasket. here is the product I bought

It’s basically a clip on, electric fan. Wind + coals = higher temps for cooking. Check it out

Pretty sure it is this product

[here ya go buddy. make sure you follow the instructions to a T. ](fireblack hi temp bbq smoker gasket self stick 15 ft high heat 1/2 x 1/8 black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TAJW0QE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Nb9WBb8VFVMXP)

Food grade, high heat silicon

https://www.amazon.com/LavaLock%C2%AE-grade-adhesive-smoker-Silicon/dp/B01LRNK6K2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1536856173&sr=8-3&keywords=food+grade+high+temp+silicone+sealant

You just MacGyver'd a bbq dragon. their clip seems a little more convenient though.

http://www.amazon.com/BBQ-Grill-Mat-Set-2/dp/B00C1LWE32

Check this out at Amazon.com
LavaLock RTV 650 F BBQ Grill Smoker Sealer Hi Temp Silicon Adhesive 3 oz (2.8 fl. Ounce) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRLELK0/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_EB8QDbNJXEBJD

And you can seal the corners where the sheet metal meet with this.

Fireblack Hi Temp BBQ smoker Gasket Self Stick 15 ft High Heat 1/2 x 1/8 Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TAJW0QE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_T4a6BbVTCR8V8

I installed this tape: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015DAI8K0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here you go - FireBlack34 for Big Green Egg SMALL MEDIUM & MINI 3/4 x 1/8 Black Hi Temp BBQ smoker Gasket 15 ft https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015DAI8K0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fzV4DbZ87BYG3

That’s the one I got. They have different lengths and widths to work for whatever grill. I went with 3/4”. The 1/8” you’ll see mentioned is the height of the material.

Slow n' sear plus a gasket kit make all the difference in the world.

Fireblack Hi Temp BBQ smoker Gasket Self Stick 15 ft High Heat 1/2 x 1/8 Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TAJW0QE?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TAJW0QE?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_asin_title

Just bought this myself on Monday. If it ever stops raining, I'll try it out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TAJW0QE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have the same model and absolutely agree with everybody that said seal it first. Use the high temp rtv on the mating surface between the firebox and the smoker and the two pieces of the firebox. Then use the gasketing tape on both doors. I even went a step further and prep the surface with the flap disc on my grinder first. Lastly and I highly highly recommend start a large very hot fire in the firebox before you do any cooking and burn off the coating of paint on the firebox. You don't have to get it all off but most of it otherwise there will be a very noxious smoke coming off while you cook. I used a block of wood and scraped it off when it gets all melted to speed up the process a little bit.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LRLELK0?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01F9FE60K?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Links to the two products I used