(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best outdoor cooking tools & accessories

You're on the right track. The single barrel UDS upright is really only 4 main parts. You have your drum, a fire basket, grate, and lid. I'm at work otherwise I would take pics of mine and walk you through it. Might be able to still do that later but here are a couple things to look at to get you started. link cross section

I have a heat deflector on my charcoal basket as well. It was cheaper to just make a clover shape deflector out of 3 pizza pans with a bolt through the edge. All about getting creative.

Here's a write up of how I made mine:

1. Burn out the drum - I burned out the drum with a propane weed burner. You can buy one pretty cheap from Harbor Freight or rent one from a local place. I burned out the liner of the drum really well so that the liner didn't come off and end up in my food. Took about 2 hours of good burning and vigorous steel brushing to clean it up to my satisfaction.
   
   
2. Fire basket - I cannibalized an old Weber grill for a bunch of parts for this build. I used the charcoal grate, some expanded metal mesh, and some steel zip ties to form a basket shape. A few inches of threaded rod with some washers and nuts to fasten it to the grate for legs and boom - fire basket is good to go.
   
   
3. Lid - I used an old Weber 22" lid for this so I could have a middle and top rack in my smoker. I flared out the edge and riveted on a piece of tin to make it a little wider since the original size was roughly the same as the barrel and you want a nice fit. You can go with a flat top and add a stack or get creative. Just keep in mind the airflow.
   
   
4. Burn 'n' beer. I was still unsure of the chemicals ending up in my food so I decided to take a break. Loaded up the barrel with some good hard wood and started a hobo campfire. Buddy and I drank some beers and relaxed for a bit while that sucker got spit-jumping hot - as in, we would spit on the outside and it would appear to bounce off.
   
   
5. Air inflow - This was the hardest part for me. I used salvaged black pipe and made intake pipes that went in at the bottom and ran parallel to the drum up to the top where it was finished with a couple gate valves. I liked the valves for controlling the air flow but found that the 2 x 1" pipes weren't enough. So I ended up putting two more "always open" holes about 2" above the bottom. That seemed to fix it and give me the control I wanted.
   
   
6. Paint - you don't have to, but if you're gonna spend the money, you may as well protect your investment. I used Rustoleum High Heat and it worked well. I've seen some people get crazy with designs but that's totally up to you.
   
7. Racks and Temp Guage - I installed the racks by resting them on self tapping metal screws put through from the outside. Only had to put two in because I ended up adding U-bolts to support the black pipe intake valves and they poked through far enough to rest the grate on. The temp guage that i installed was just a cheapo grill one - nothing special but it gets the job done.
   
   Now I don't move mine far so I never installed the castors that I was planning on using. I had the basic design in my head of using angle iron and basically making a permanent hand truck that attaches to the side of the drum and all you had to do to move it was tilt the drum onto the wheels and you're off.
   
   This is a pretty rough write up and I apologize for the lack of pics. If I can find my build pics, I'll post them here. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help!

Well, Camp Chef, Green Mountain Grills, Louisiana Grills, Rec Tec and Traeger are the brands that spring to my mind right away.

I had a Traeger as my second smoker (first was an electric.. I was never impressed). After about 5 years the Traeger fell apart and I bought a Rec Tec.. (to be fair, this was about 8 years ago and Traeger was making some flimsy stuff) I love my Rec Tec, but it may not be for everyone because you have to pay for freight shipping vs. buying locally and getting it ASAP. That makes the price go from $999.00 to something like $1200.00..IIRC.

Pros of any pellet smoker: It just works. Every time (well, nearly 99.999% of the time there are no issues), no monitoring, no temp fluctuations, just set and forget. You see these folks around here talking about products to monitor the temp while away? I NEVER worry about that. I put ribs on at 10am at 225, and at 4pm it's still 225 irrespective of any weather changes.

Cons: Some say the smoke flavor isn't as strong. I don't know enough to agree, but I can understand that sentiment.

Pros: A lot of these pellet smokers can also be legit grills. I use my Rec Tec to grill steaks just fine. I use grill grates to make sure the heat is there, and I get sear marks too.

Cons: If you like to tinker or need time away from a honeydo list/house chores.. you lose that "I need to monitor my smoker" time. It's a set and forget. The wife will be aware! lol.

link for grates:https://www.amazon.com/13-75-GrillGrates-interlocking-Grate-Tool/dp/B002MAHRAM/ref=sr_1_6?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1504292399&sr=8-6&keywords=grill+grates&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011

Camp Chef: has a secondary searing system. If you want to only smoke, there are some versions of this one around that are very affordable, probably the lowest price smokers that are highly recommended: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/smoker/camp-chef-smokepro-dlx-pellet-smoker

Green Mountain Grills: Might be the best bang for the buck. If I had to buy a new smoker today, I don't see anything beating this one for the features and cost.
http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/smoker/green-mountain-grills-jim-bowie-pellet-smoker

Rec Tec: Again, I own one, it's built like a tank and the customer service is top shelf. I had to replace the ignitor rod once, and when I called a human answered right away. They sent me a free one. http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/smoker/rec-tec-grills

LA Grills:
http://www.louisiana-grills.com/lg700.html
I don't know much about them.

Of course, there's Traeger. If they are your choice, check Costco for the best deals locally. They usually throw in a few extra goodies and their price in store is unbeatable elsewhere.

As a point of note, Amazingribs.com (where I got a bunch of links from up above) has always been a great resource. When buying a pellet smoker, check to make sure you're getting the latest model (that may not be a concern with non-pellet smokers.. but pellet smokers seem to change technology every few years)

I have a BBQube Temp Master Pro that I got on ebay for a steal. It works really good for the most part. Set it for 225 after I got the Akorn going and it pretty much kept it in a decent range around that for nearly 18 hours cooking a pork butt. The highest the temp ever got was 260, but I attribute that to the hot dogs we cooked on it and the opening and closing of the grill allowing more oxygen to briefly get in. As long as no one messed with the grill it would drop to 220ish and climb to 240 then slowly recede until it hit 220. My only complaint and this was mitigated was the monitoring stuff. It has bluetooth and an app that you can monitor it on your phone. I had issues keeping it connected to my phone. The temperature management part I came to trust and would even consider running a cook with it when I'm not home. Before I got my BBQube I bought a bluetooth monitor with 2 probes that has better range and much more reliable connectivity, it only drops if you get out of range which I would say is about 100ft depending on what the signal has to go through. The app works great, it has some presets as well as customizable alarms and ranges as well as timers. I am going to continue to use both since the Qube's bluetooth is sketchy and not very good range. I haven't tried the others and I only paid $50 on ebay for my Qube so that $200 Amazon price is more than I would be willing to fork over, but if the reviews are anything to go by and my experience I would definitely get something if I were you. These definitely beat the constant dance of slight adjustments to the dampers every 30 minutes or so. I wanted the Egg and Traeger experience without either of their costs. I bought a used Akorn,a slightly used BBQube, that bluetooth thermometer, and some good BBQ/welding gloves all in for less than $250 and it has been well worth it. So far I have done ribs twice, a pork loin with one of the rib cooks, and a pork butt and they came out fantastic.

BBQube

https://www.amazon.com/BBQube-BBQ-QUBE-WEBKT-TempMaster-Temperature-Controller/dp/B07CZ3LHQR/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=bbqube&qid=1568747154&s=gateway&sr=8-2

EasyBBQ bluetooth thermometer.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PYVLBSM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Heres the deal with the weber smoker:


If you aren't filling up that top grate with 3 racks of ribs, or even filling the bottom grate there is honestly no point in using it unless you just want a fun hobby thing to do.

If you only want to do 1-2 racks of ribs, go grab a weber 22 inch kettle off craigslist. I got mine for 20 bucks.


It's ROI for charcoal use and time is very high compared to other smokers. Here are some tips that have gotten me lots of rave reviews on bbq using ONLY this smoker:

1. Always cook as much as you can.
   
2. Temp sweet spot is around 225-250
   
3. DO NOT TRUST THE LID THERMOMETER. It is always cold/off by 20 degrees minimum.
   
4. Get a good remote thermometer. The thermopro here is a good one to start with.
   
5. Consider getting a bbq controller. Its like CHEATING with a cook. I have the BBQ IQ130 (bluetooth), but the 120 on amazon here is amazing.
   
6. You can fill both the top and bottom grates with food. The max I have done is 2 small 14 lbs briskets on the bottom, and 3 pork butts on the top. Get a heavy duty table to use to set your stuff on when you need to wrap and rotate meat during a cook.
   
7. FILL THE WATER PAN UP, PERIOD. It acts as a buffer and helps control temp and keep it regulated. I fill with cold water. Every 2-3 hours on a cook I have a hose I carefully put in it, fill it up, and it keeps temps where they need to be.
   
8. Once every 4-5 cooks, do a HIGH HEAT BURNOUT with WOOD to get all the random flaky shit off it.
   
   The weber is a great backyard cooker. Many people win LOTS of competitions with them. It will serve you for MANY, MANY years if maintained well.
   

Thanks for the reply, couple more questions for ya:

For the burn out clean do you just run it all vents open with or without the baffle in? How easy is it to clean the RF baffle/tube?

How’s the seal on the door? Should I get some gasket?

Is the door on the firebox like a square foot? Wondering what size splits I should buy

Also thinking of getting a charcoal basket like this to do minion method so I don’t have to throw a split on every ~45 min every cook. And maybe an ash pan to go under to make cleaning easier? Would love to hear your thoughts on that

Thanks again!!

While I am a big fan of charcoal, I used a Weber Q (similar to this model: http://www.weber.com/grills/series/weber-q-series/1000) for years and it was great for a tiny apartment with limited space. I ended up getting the pull cart for it to use as a stand, which had the bonus of making it somewhat portable (http://www.amazon.com/Weber-6557-Portable-Cart-Grilling/dp/B00FLRB0GK). It naturally takes those little portable propane tanks, but we ended up getting a hose to hook it up to a full sized tank: http://www.amazon.com/Weber-6501-Adapter-Q-Series-Go-Anywhere/dp/B0012XXD4Y. The whole setup worked well for several years, and I'm told the new owners are still happy with it.

I upgraded to a Weber Spirit E-210 (http://www.weber.com/grills/series/spirit/spirit-e-210) a couple years back. The folding arms mean that you can fit it into some pretty tight spaces and overall it's quite a bit bigger/more powerful than the Q was.

Ive got these but it looks like they're not on amazon anymore. I think most well rated quick read thermometers should be just fine though. I'm not a huge fan of the fork style, they don't seem as quick as the ones like I just linked. this one looks great, but ive never used one

For grilling or cooking in the oven I use my iGrill all the time. I had an original and it broke on me, but then I picked up the 2 after seeing them at CES (before Weber bought them) and hearing how it was all new etc. etc. and its been rock solid for me since. Ive picked up a few minis for friends for Christmas as well and they all unanimously love them. I see the 3 is out now, but I have no experience with that.

Edit Looks like the igrill 3 is just crappier and only works with some grills. How dumb is that. If you're going to get one in that case, get an iGrill 2 or a mini

It might be splitting hairs, but some would argue that 600 degrees is still not hot enough to get the proper rise out of your dough for a "true" Neapolitan pizza. Though you're right that a pizza oven can be made for much less with a Weber Kettle grill and you can still achieve the 1000 degree + heat some suggest you need.

I use this setup, along with the absolutely necessary steel top and a few other modifications. Others have made something like this for even less. When burning white/red oak, olive, or almond wood, I'm able to get things well over 1000 degrees (max heat of my thermometers) inside and cook a pizza in less than 2min.

Now I just need to master the process of making dough. If anyone knows where I can get a good sour dough starter on the cheap, please let me know! =)

Also, for those who care to know, the purist think the best, most simple, most consistent pizza sauce is nothing more than canned San Marzano tomatoes, drained, and crushed up with salt. I've found that—when considering the law of diminishing returns—I can't really argue with that.

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.

Jumping in on this train as well - a kettle is the best start.

A kettle grill, a bag of quality charcoal, some fire starters, an instant read probe thermometer and practice.

I practiced on medium thickness pork chops I would pick up on sale - they are relatively easy to manage in the grill. You can do them slower and try to manage smokey flavor. Or do them reverse sear (indirect heat first and then a high temp seat for crust)

If you really want to start with chicken, I would recommend doing legs or thighs first. Breasts are tough not to dry out and take some practice and doing a whole chicken can be a little tricky too because of the size.

I would go with the following to start with as they are reasonable

Charcoal — I find the BigGreenEgg brand to be consistently ok and not terribly expensive, and available at the Ace hardware store near me. You can find entire threads o. This subject though.

Fire starters - I have been using these and they work great - make a pile and shove one under. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07CXRR2JS?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title#

Probe thermometer- I have a
Super-Fast® Pocket Thermometer (RT600C) from thermapen $24 you can buy a better one later if you need to.

For the grill - if you spot a used Webber at a garage sale / craigslist compare it to the new price and make your call. If you can afford it the closed ash catcher is far better than the pie-plate. Especially if it gets even a little windy.

If you wanna get that kind of perfection at home... I've got a tip for you: get yourself an inexpensive charcoal chimney, fill it with natural lump charcoal and light 'er up, then set that whole chimney over top of your steak (which should be sitting on a sheet pan on a flame proof surface or on the grill). 30-45 seconds, flip, 30-45 more seconds, and it's done better than any salamander could get it.

But don't waste that charcoal! Get MORE meat, and toss it directly on the coals. Little ash never hurt anyone. You can even season your coals by tossing in fresh herbage before the meat.

EDIT: Ok well for whoever downvoted me, here are Alton Brown's recipes. They were delicious.

No problem. I thought of a couple of other items (that you can never have 'too much' of) in the Safety category:

An Avalanche/rescue shovel: the BCA Dozer is my favorite. Has a saw in the handle and is $90.
An Avalanche Probe: The BCA Stealth 300 is a great deal at $70.
Fire Starters: Something like these with a pack of waterproof matches are VERY helpful in the winter.

In the end, you usually end up in one of these categories. If you haven't found something that strikes your fancy, look at the vendors for these categories and you'll find something:

• Parts: BackCountry Access, Sled Solutions, and Skinz Protective Gear make a ton of "universal fit" stuff.
  
  
• Apparel: Major Brands are Klim, FXR, Motorfist and 509
  
  
• Safety: BCA again, along with PIEPS, Snowpulse, and ABS. Otherwise any wintertime survival stuff from REI or any sporting goods store can apply.
  

Not a thermometer, but silicone gloves are quite useful. Here's the pair I have. It makes transferring the meat from the smoker to a container much easier, since I can just reach in and grab it. They're also a breeze to clean.

That would work well. I would probably just bake some normal red velvet cookies and over bake them a little so they are extra krispy. Then follow the directions for making the oreo coal lumps. Then add a coat of white chocolate on top. You can try the rolled into balls method too but seems like you will need some nice silicon gloves to handle the hot marshmallow mixture.

Something like this would work i assume.

http://www.amazon.com/Barbecue-Gloves-Silicone-Oven-Grill/dp/B00L5GL3HC/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1418407897&sr=1-2&keywords=oven+glove+silicone

The foil is going to just bounce the heat down, so, I don't think placing anything above the foil is going to do much.

According to this page,

https://www.amazon.com/Made-KettlePizza-Stainless-Baking-Steel/dp/B016X26ZY8/

the Kettle Pizza steel is 3/16" thick. You can match that thickness, but I think 1/8" should suffice and save you a couple bucks.

The steel that I recommended to you before was shorter to allow a small gap on the front. After thinking about the large gaps that Kettle Pizza puts on the sides of their steel, I'm thinking that I might need more space for air flow/better combustion.

If you've got $160 to spare, you could buy their version on Amazon. I've never priced a trapezoid shaped piece of steel, but assuming the cuts are about the same as right angle cuts, this should run you no more than $50

https://imgur.com/gallery/mblXAqb

If cuts other than right angles start driving up the price, you can always settle for NY bakes- which I think foil might give you.

I sized this steel to be 1" longer on the front and back so you can just set it right on top of the kettle insert.

Charcoal isn't going to do much in this kind of setting. You want flames, and, to get real flames, you need a pretty healthy amount of hardwood- and the wood can't be directly below the stone. The pizzaque weber insert approaches this somewhat ingeniously with a wire cage that pushes the coals/wood to the sides of the kettle.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1002/1362/products/PC7001-pizzaque-kit-kettle-grills-3.jpg?v=1535385496

You'll want to fashion something similar, perhaps out of chicken wire.

Good to hear that it made a difference :) The most convenient thermometer is a digital one with a long thin probe so you can stick it through the lid of the kettle. Maybe something like this http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00RV3QAKS/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1427568315&sr=1-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

Edit: or save on the thermometer and use the Chinese method of determining temperature by the pattern and size of the bubbles in your kettle http://bettersteeping.com/fish-eyes-in-your-kettle/

I have the same grill, just got it at Christmas and I really like it. Here are some of the accessories I got to go with mine:

 

Thermal Blanket (for those cold/windy winter days)

https://greenmountaingrills.com/products/new-parts/accessories/gmg-thermal-blanket/

 

Cover (protection from rain/snow)

https://greenmountaingrills.com/products/new-parts/accessories/gmg-grill-cover/

 

GMG G-Mats (work well with wings and probably other stuff I haven't tried yet)

https://greenmountaingrills.com/products/new-parts/accessories/gmg-g-mats/

 

Grease Tray Liners (easy cleanup)

https://greenmountaingrills.com/products/new-parts/accessories/gmg-drip-ez-grease-tray-liners/

 

ThermoPro T20 (I like to have two probes in the meat and one for smoker internal temp)

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01J173EAA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Lavalock (I haven't installed this yet, but I plan on sealing the cover so no smoke escapes)

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01F9FE60K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Magnetic Lights (for night smoking)

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B077PNF2WB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hellfire BBQ Gloves / Claws

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00JYOAM7O/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07CB26G7G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Happy smoking!

I think you've got the grill grate. The ECB charcoal pan is 15", and should be ~13" inside the bowl. The Smokey Joe cooking grate ( Weber 7431) is 14.5", but the charcoal grate ( Weber 7439 ) is 10.5".

You could also buy the 10" Brinkmann charcoal grate, which might work better than the Weber 10.5". Consider drilling some holes in the bottom if you do this, as it also helps airflow.

edit: use a few pieces of brick to prop the grate up a bit, otherwise. So long as there is 1" of gap or less on the outside it should be fine for briquettes.

I'll throw another vote towards carnitas. But making "carnitas" in a slow cooker will just result in shredded pork (although it will still be delicious). I made Chef John's milk braised carnitas the other day and they're killer. It looks gross while cooking, but they're worth it.

Also, if you plan on using charcoal to cook more than once, I'd highly recommend getting a charcoal chimney starter. It makes lighting charcoal about 1000% easier.

Edit: Just saw the deleted comment about the charcoal chimney. I'll leave it here for other readers though because I like mine!

I was on my phone in my first post, so it was a low quality post. Let me fix that. Don't be intimidated by the brisket. Just control the temperature of your fire and you will be good. My best recommendation is watch the 3 Franklin vids and listen close because this guy knows what he's talking about.

I have a Weber smokey mountain cooker and set it up with the minion method using my chimney starter. Like Franklin says, keep your temperature at a stable 250 degrees.

This is the serious eats pickled hot pepper recipe that I use for sandwich and pizza toppings.

​

​

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.

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Buy something like this. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WEIKL0/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ka6Dub1KR3CV4 I don't have that specific one, but they're great for BIAB.

1. I have a coworker that uses a 5 gallon kettle for BIAB and he said he puts just under 3 gallons into his fermentor.
   
   
2. I would try not to keep the element on during the mash. The only reason I make this suggestion is because of the danger of scorching the bag and the grain in the bottom of the bag. I've heard of people using false bottoms in their kettles for this reason, but I haven't tried it so I can't speak to the effectiveness of a false bottom. I have found that temporarily insulating my kettle has a huge impact on mash temperatures. I use old beach towels wrapped around the kettle during the mash to keep the temps stable.
   
   
3. I don't sparge my BIAB, I spend about 5 minutes squeezing the bag with silicone oven mitts. One of the advantages of BIAB is the relatively high grain to water ratio. This high ratio allows more sugars to dissolve during mash, reducing the need for sparging.
   

I would go with the Weber Smokey Mountain as mentioned, it is a relatively cheap investment for something you aren't sure you will pursue in the long run. They maintain temp like nobody's business and provide quality results with a minimal learning curve. Additionally, the money you save from not buying an expensive smoker can go into a much needed dual probe thermometer such as a Maverick.


If you want a truly set it and forget experience you can buy this little gadget. All for around $650 (depending on size of WSM) total investment.


Note: The IQ 120 is not a requirement just nice to have.

The Great Scrape The Woody Paddle New All Natural BBQ Grill Scraper https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013S1SM4I/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apap_t2bViPepWhxsW


I use a wire brush then go over the grill with my wood paddle

I used a bristle free brush like this

Get the grill good and hot, then dip the brush in water before scrubbing. The steam knocks the baked on stuff loose

These?

Do they get hot enough for a good sear?

Is it safe to cook on aluminum?

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.

Nice!

P.S. You need one of these. :)

I bought this one from Amazon and it works great.

Silicone gloves that are heat resistant and waterproof [2] are a god send with BIAB. Lets you squeeze with impunity.

Refractometers are always good, as well as pH meters.

Searching through the early access list, there are a number of food scales on there. Do that.

What I'm on the lookout for is a vacuum sealer and bags. Just picked up a pound of Mosaic and no way to split it.

Adding to my list.
Rubbermaid Fast Track to hang all of my gear

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

THIS The wood scraper he is talking about. I have one and it works great.

Hellfire have worked great for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JYOAM7O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cooked a 7# butt for 8 hrs on mine on Sunday. I had to throw in some more coals for the last 30 min. Otherwise it kept a beautiful 225-250 the whole time.

Do snake as others say. Keep top vent wide open and regulate temp with the bottom. Usually only about 10-25% open.

Get a couple of bricks to keep in the middle. This helps keep temp steady. Other people use a foil pan with sand. I avoid a water pan as it can be a mess.

Get a chimney starter and a hinged grate. The latter is helpfull if you have to add briquettes to finish off.

Go to the thrift store and get some pans and racks that you can dedicate to smoking. It's messy.

Get a dual probe thermometer, some decent tongs, a package of latex gloves, some hardwood chips, a big bag of charcoal briquettes, a lighter and you are good to go.

I purchased two of these and have been quite happy with the accuracy. I did the boil test and they were within a ~1-2 degrees.

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.

The one he uses is discontinued but it’s something like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07CZ3LHQR/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

That's not the type you want IMO. You'd want something made of coiled, harder metal like this GrillGrate brush or this one if you went with a metal brush.

Thanks! Just used a generic thermometer from amazon.com. However, the purists swear by Teltru Thermometers, which are substantially more expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007JI3HYC/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1 thanks.

Hmm. Good point. The Weber Rapidfire Chimney is aluminized steel. Link Do you know any issues with that material?

Like this guy?

Most of the guys I know use something like this paired with nitrile gloves

Drill two holes in the lid just above grate level, one on the right and another on the left and add new thermometers like these DOZYANT 3 1/8" Larger Face 550F BBQ Barbecue Charcoal Grill Pit Wood Smoker Temp Gauge Grill Thermometer 3" Stem Stainless Steel RWB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H1FL2L2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hXBkDbD4K81RN

Could have been using grill grates. I have some of these and they leave quite thick and prominent marks if I press the food down a bit when I first lay it down.

I've seen good things about this: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Scrape-Woody-Paddle-Natural/dp/B013S1SM4I but I haven't actually used it.

Or just don't put the unlit coals straight into the fire...

Any nylon one is good. I have this char broil. There are also wooden grill scrapers but I don't know how well they work.

If you arent concerned with technology, then by all means grab something like this guy. I bought one that I put in my WSM to replace the shit one that they sell it with. The probe is a little short so you may see temps 5-10 degrees different than they are at grate level but that's no big deal

Return the lighter fluid for one of these, if you don’t want your food tasting like lighter fluid. Weber Stephen Company 7429 Rapid Fire Chimney Starter, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B5BHKDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_wQj.BbPHQWMPG

Yours now



Weber 7431 Cooking Grate https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WEIKL0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZldVCb4G76NZP

Get yourself a chimney

https://www.amazon.com/Weber-Stephen-Company-7429-Chimney/dp/B07B5BHKDZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=59716358287&gclid=CjwKCAjw_YPnBRBREiwAIP6TJx_s11Sx9YzPuiH-khhScpMwFjzgMJLnVFad7ll8jWrF7_8C3s_EjhoCx4wQAvD_BwE&hvadid=274737034996&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9021973&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6092931552083787420&hvtargid=aud-647006051489%3Akwd-303301649903&hydadcr=5382_9609156&keywords=charcoal+chimney&qid=1558322755&s=gateway&sr=8-3

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

GrillGrates all day
GrillGrate Set of Two 13.75" (Interlocking) + Grate Tool https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MAHRAM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_uTDqDbZHXTX92

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.

A charcoal chimney. Used for starting charcoal faster.

https://www.amazon.com/Weber-Stephen-Company-7429-Chimney/dp/B07B5BHKDZ

its a scraper

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

This? Or do you have something better/cheaper? https://www.amazon.com/Weber-6557-Portable-Cart-Grilling/dp/B00FLRB0GK/ref=sr_1_2?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1473114062&sr=1-2&keywords=weber+q1200

https://www.amazon.com/Woody-Paddle-Natural-Scraper-Scrape/dp/B013S1SM4I

It's just one of these used for prepping coals for the grill.

Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RV3QAKS/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1427568315&sr=1-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

Hey, want to make sure I get what is needed to accommodate the Kettle 26 I am getting this weekend:

• The grill itself, multiple stores same price - $330. https://www.amazon.com/Weber-Original-Kettle-Premium-Charcoal/dp/B00N65AAW4
  
• Chimney starter - $17.
  
• One-Touch cleaning system - comes with the grill.
  
• Grilling kit - 37$ (this one I am not sure about).
  
• Is there a general place that is well known for its prices I should get charcoal from?
  
• Lighter cubes - $4.
  
• Anything else I am missing?
  
  p.s is the PK360 waste of money, or is that price difference is completely justifiable?