# Recommended Barbecue Tool Kit?  (possibly apron?)



## deke dirt (May 3, 2010)

Pitsters,

Can you please recommend a good quality barbecue tool kit?  I've seen 20-piece ones but, unless I get a strong rec, I would only need the standard three-piece (i.e., tongs, spatula, fork).

Also, do you have an apron you'd recommend?  Or will just a cheapie jobber do?  Or do you eschew one altogether?

Thanks,



Derek


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## indyadmin1974 (May 3, 2010)

All I use are some tongs from GFS.  I try not to use a fork and a spatula is too hard to control.








I have 2 pair and that's all I really use.


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## ecto1 (May 3, 2010)

All I really use are butterball carving gloves.  I can reach in and grab the meat with my hands and I know I wont rip it apart.


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## smoke 2 geaux (May 3, 2010)

I totally agree with indy.  Get yourself a pair of those tongs, and that's all you need.  Don't go poking holes in your meat with a fork, and use a regular kitchen spatula when you need one.  Those monster grill spatulas may be good for fighting off the Taliban, but are pretty useless as cooking tools.


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## mballi3011 (May 3, 2010)

Well I'm with everyone here with their choices a good pair of tongs is a most then some good heavy duty heat resident gloves and then a good but small brush for the grate unless you have a lang or something that big. Well then an apron would be good also cause most of my T-shirts are all stained all around the fat belly area. But you should be on your way to bbq happiness.


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## jirodriguez (May 3, 2010)

ROFL... you just described most of my BBQ shirts. Wife makes me keep them for when I'm firing up the grill.. heh-heh.

Tongs and some BBQ gloves and you are good to go. One nice thing to keep handy for prep/starting the BBQ are some laytex food gloves. You can use you hands to put the meat on the smoker, then take them off and toss them before you grab the lid handle raw meaty hands.


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## bbq engineer (May 3, 2010)

Hey D²,

As long as were talking about essentials, I will echo the previous posts.  I will also throw out for your consideration the following items and a rationale for them:

Some Bear Paws - These work great for holding large pieces of meat, and also sausage for slicing.  If you want to shred a butt, this will make short work of it.  Mrs. Engineer got me a pair, and they are great.
A Thermapen instant read thermo.  The standard as far as I'm concerned.  They are expensive, so save your change and work up to it.  Easily the most used accessory in my tool kit.  Nothing has helped me produce consistently delicious 'Que like this has.  Mrs. Engineer got me this as a gift too...now that I think of it, I guess I'll keep that beautiful woman around!
Happy smokes!


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## caveman (May 3, 2010)

My wife & daughter gave me a home made apron for father's day two years back. I don't use a thermapen but do have an acurite thermo along with nitrile gloves for putting the raw meat on, like JL stated. Then I have the silcon gloves for grabbing the meat while using a good pair of tongs to grip the other end. That and beer holder so you don't spill it & you are good to go.


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## garyt (May 3, 2010)

I love those silicone brushes for sauce


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## meateater (May 3, 2010)

Silicone brush for wet applications, A good pair of tongs from a restaurant supply, a good pair of gloves and a dozen various thermometers. But most important, BEER.


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## danielh (May 3, 2010)

Just gloves for me..  So much easier than all the utensils.


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## walle (May 4, 2010)

Definitely have to recommend mine!


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## rdknb (May 4, 2010)

Red apron and tongs


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## deke dirt (May 4, 2010)

Thanks a lot, folks!  Very much appreciated.


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## deke dirt (May 4, 2010)

BBQ Engineer, is this what you're talking about:


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## chefrob (May 4, 2010)

long heavy tongs.........and as i found out this weekend, where shoes or sandals. thoes lil' hot buggers (coals) hurt like hell!!!!


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## indyadmin1974 (May 4, 2010)

Gotta get a pair.  I'm pretty sure those are what BBQEngineer was talking about.

Along with all of that, having a good thermometer to monitor the grate level temp and the food temp is also key.

The Maverick E-73 seems to be the therm of choice on here but I haven't gotten up the change to get one yet (they're only 35 bucks but all my cash keeps going to meat...)

I am a gadget geek so I like to have all kinds of stuff but just about everything mentioned above is an essential.


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## morkdach (May 4, 2010)

beer lots of it and holder


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## bbq engineer (May 4, 2010)

D²,

You got it...that's the bear paws. I usually use them more for holding things that I'm slicing but they work great on hot meat. Don't let them fool you either because they are plastic, they are sharp as H*ll.  Not real expensive either...~ twelve bucks or so.


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## deke dirt (May 4, 2010)

D SQUARED; D SQUARED, B SQUARED, Q

I was going to ask, for those who use gloves, what kind of gloves are you using?  Provide company names/links/pics, if you please.


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## rstr hunter (May 4, 2010)

I agree with all above and would add 

Spritz bottles for apple juice/bourbon/etc spritzes. 
Squirt bottles for homemade sauces. 
A good cutting board to cut ribs on, pull pork on, slice brisket on, etc. 
A long slicing knife for brisket is helpful as well. 
A charcoal chimeny if you have a charcoal smoker.

And most importantly... A cooler and ice packs to send me samples
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






.


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## caveman (May 5, 2010)

I have three pair.  The first pair is for anything smoking hot.

http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-In...ref=pd_sbs_k_2

And these but I don't do a lot with them because of heat transference.

http://www.amazon.com/Gloves-Glove-M...ef=pd_sbs_k_12

And last of all, my babies.  I grab & transfer meat with these, plus, if I want, can cut.

http://www.gemplers.com/product/ANM/...-Gloves-1-pair


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## bayouchilehead (Jun 15, 2010)

meateater said:


> Silicone brush for wet applications, A good pair of tongs from a restaurant supply, a good pair of gloves and a dozen various thermometers. But most important, *BEER*.


I agree with Meateater on the tools and He is a Man that understands the Plan!!


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## eman (Jun 17, 2010)

Anyone who is looking for a small pocket type thermometer ,And like me, Just doesn't want to drop the cash for a thermo pen needs to check out this product.

Google , comark PDT300 . water proof /-58 to 300 deg F +/- 2 degrees.

 I believe it sells for $19.95.

 I use mine alot.


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## scarbelly (Jun 17, 2010)

Funny Marc should mention the Tshirts - I have "converted several shirts into SMOKING SHIRTS"   and I should be fair that not all the stains are from the smoker cause I do have 1.3 acres and while things are smokin I may end up doin yard work or changing out a garage door opener ( 2 weeks ago) --

I also have several pairs of tongs in various sizes and some hitemp gloves. I also have an instant read ( not a thermapen but it was a gift) thermo 

One item everyone failed to mention - if you are smoking on the patio - put something down in front of the smoker so you don't have to power wash your patio like someone I know


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## scarbelly (Jun 17, 2010)

chefrob said:


> long heavy tongs.........and as i found out this weekend, where shoes or sandals. thoes lil' hot buggers (coals) hurt like hell!!!!


Did ya learn yerself some new dance moves?


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## rsather (Oct 26, 2010)

I love using the stuff from Man Cave - it's heavy duty and pretty reasonable for the quality...I've been using my set for a couple months now.

http://www.mancaveryan.com


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