# BBQ Equipment Must Haves?



## Geebs (Mar 12, 2018)

Hey All, 

I am starting to really get into the smoking scene and want to see what some of your "must have" items are when you BBQ. Items that just make cooking/smoking a little simpler and easier, whether that be from prep, cooking, finishing, and cleaning. I know from reading many posts that a 12 pack of PBR is on top of most your lists, dont worry I have this part covered. 

Right now I cook on my new Woodwind and have been smoking on my WSM for about 4 years. So far I just have a few basic items: 12"-18" Oval A-Mazw-N Tube, just purchased a thermapop thermometer, Thermopro dual prob thermometer, grill gloves, meat claws, and have an IQ blower for the WSM. 

Any recommendations are appreciated. Cheers.


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## SmokinVOLfan (Mar 12, 2018)

Looks like you got a pretty good start there.

PBR of course is a must! You got the AMNTS, a couple nice thermometers, and the meat claws.

I would suggest getting on amazon and buying a 40 pack of disposable aluminum pans. Way cheaper than going to the grocery store and buying them and way easier than cleaning a bunch of casserole dishes.

And also a vacuum sealer if you don't have one. Makes life a whole lot easier for freezing and storing things. I bought an open box one off amazon for like $35. Well worth the investment.

As long as you always keep a good supply of wood/pellets, spices, aluminum foil, and a freezer full of meat then you should be good to go!

Happy Smokin!


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## tallbm (Mar 12, 2018)

I'm am MES40 owner and here are my items:

*AMNPS with mailbox mod* - external set and forget smoke generation for hours and hours!
*Silicon Mats* - keeps items from falling between smoke rack bars, makes cleaning simple, keeps meat from sticking
*12" x 18" Basket and Tray* used with mats - basket has handles and is a perfect fit for MES40 and I can add and remove my meat/items all in one shot by just wearing regular oven mittens!!!! (This is my new favorite accessory)

*Wireless Multi Probe Thermometer* - I use a ThermoPro TP20 on tope of my other stuff
*HeaterMeter PID Controller* - 4 probes, wifi, computer and mobile device accessible, dashboard with live temp probe graphs, can save/archive the graph and cook information, a billion more features!

Other accessories I like:

*Dual Chicken Vertical Roasting Rack* - a roasting rack that has 2 sets of prongs that can fold up to place 1 or 2 chickens onto and will have the chickens sit upwards for vertical roasting.  Prongs also fold down to make a regular roasting rack








*Expandable Rib Rack *- This thing expand and you can do vertical rib smoking with little issue where other supposed rib racks actually suck.  1 smoke with this thing and it was leaps and bounds better than my V-shaped rack


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## Geebs (Mar 12, 2018)

Tallbm, any brand or tray with basket you would recommend? Thanks for the other recommendations as well. I was looking at the grilling mats but afraid that they wouldnt get all that smoke flavor from the grill if I used them.


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## normanaj (Mar 12, 2018)

By far the greatest single item I have that ups my smoking game is the AMNTS.That and a good quality instant read thermometer.


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## bbqbrett (Mar 12, 2018)

The number one thing you can have is something you can't buy, patience.  Then again if you drink enough of the PBR's  that might do it.   Other than that I would say a good thermometer for the smoker (can even use an oven thermometer in the chamber) and a good digital thermometer for the meat.


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## Geebs (Mar 12, 2018)

normanaj said:


> By far the greatest single item I have that ups my smoking game is the AMNTS.That and a good quality instant read thermometer.



I just got one of the expandable ones, tried it out on my last brikset and with some wings. So far I really like it and havent had any trouble with it burning the pellets.


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## BandCollector (Mar 12, 2018)

OK,  What's PBR?


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## Geebs (Mar 12, 2018)

Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.


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## BandCollector (Mar 12, 2018)

Geebs said:


> Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.



Oh,  of course!

I don't know, maybe it's the teacher in me but I HATE ACRONYMS!

I realize that sometimes they are necessary (the most popular ones) but is it that difficult for people to write out what they actually mean?  No offense anyone!  LOL!

WADWOC,

John


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## Bearcarver (Mar 12, 2018)

Geebs,
Don't know if you missed this, but don't forget a Digital Camera so you can post the Q-View for the rest of us!!
And a Notebook to record what you did each time & if it worked good or if it needs improvements.

Bear


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## gmc2003 (Mar 12, 2018)

BandCollector said:


> Oh,  of course!
> 
> I don't know, maybe it's the teacher in me but I HATE ACRONYMS!
> 
> ...



PBR has been around since the 1840's.  It was extremely popular for a long long time. Then kinda died out in the 1980's and 1990's. It has since seen an uptick and is fast becoming a favorite on college campuses and of course us old timers.

As for Q gadget's I really only use the amnps trey for cold smoking. Everything else can be found in a lay persons kitchen. Except maybe my basic Maverick single probe therm. 

Chris


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## BandCollector (Mar 12, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> PBR has been around since the 1840's.  It was extremely popular for a long long time. Then kinda died out in the 1980's and 1990's. It has since seen an uptick and is fast becoming a favorite on college campuses and of course us old timers.
> 
> Chris



For years I have liked Schlitz (the beer that made Milwaukee famous) in 16 oz cans.  But for some reason the biggest supplier of beer to all the bars and beer distributors here in Pittsburgh decided to stop distributing it.

OD,

John


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## Geebs (Mar 12, 2018)

bearcarver said:


> Geebs,
> Don't know if you missed this, but don't forget a Digital Camera so you can post the Q-View for the rest of us!!
> And a Notebook to record what you did each time & if it worked good or if it needs improvements.
> 
> Bear



Got the camera covered. Here is a pic of my brisket this weekend. Thinking of buying a knockoff go pro to maybe start doing some fun little videos.


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## Bearcarver (Mar 12, 2018)

BandCollector said:


> For years I have liked Schlitz (the beer that made Milwaukee famous) in 16 oz cans.  But for some reason the biggest supplier of beer to all the bars and beer distributors here in Pittsburgh decided to stop distributing it.
> 
> OD,
> 
> John




LOL---Schlitz was my favorite in Vietnam.
Our 4 choices were Schlitz, Bud, Black Label, and Falstaff.

Bear


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## gmc2003 (Mar 12, 2018)

BandCollector said:


> For years I have liked Schlitz (the beer that made Milwaukee famous) in 16 oz cans.  But for some reason the biggest supplier of beer to all the bars and beer distributors here in Pittsburgh decided to stop distributing it.
> 
> OD,
> 
> John



Ah Shitz, I forgot about that beer. I thought Old Milwaukee was the beer that made Milwaukee famous. Found times of sitting on the toilet the next day. Funny how you didn't need much toilet paper after.

Chris


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## BandCollector (Mar 12, 2018)

Geebs said:


> Got the camera covered. Here is a pic of my brisket this weekend. Thinking of buying a knockoff go pro to maybe start doing some fun little videos.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



WOW!  That is some great looking grub!

John


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## Bearcarver (Mar 12, 2018)

Geebs said:


> Got the camera covered. Here is a pic of my brisket this weekend. Thinking of buying a knockoff go pro to maybe start doing some fun little videos.



Yup---Those Pics will do Just Fine!!! :)

Bear


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## Geebs (Mar 12, 2018)

BandCollector said:


> WOW!  That is some great looking grub!
> 
> John



Could have been so much better but that think line of fat through the middle really threw my cooking off. I think I pulled it off way to early as I am pretty sure my probes kept going into the fat and not the meat.


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## gmc2003 (Mar 12, 2018)

I'm completely satisfied with those pic's and the brisket. You definitely have it covered.  

Chirs


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## BandCollector (Mar 12, 2018)

Geebs said:


> Could have been so much better but that think line of fat through the middle really threw my cooking off. I think I pulled it off way to early as I am pretty sure my probes kept going into the fat and not the meat.



Trial and error. . . . That is how most of us here have learned.  Keep on plugging!

John


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## tallbm (Mar 12, 2018)

Geebs said:


> Tallbm, any brand or tray with basket you would recommend? Thanks for the other recommendations as well. I was looking at the grilling mats but afraid that they wouldnt get all that smoke flavor from the grill if I used them.



I own an MES 40 so I have the Masterbuilt 40 mats.  These are grate type mats and let plenty of smoke through, these are not the solid mats.

The 12" x 18" Copper Chef XL is the biggest you can find of those baskets and trays (tray is a little bigger).  The following is the big one, a small one, and a pair of tongs for less than what the big basket and tray cost alone lol


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## johnmeyer (Mar 12, 2018)

I'd like to second several items, and then add a few of my own.

1. Wireless thermometer. This is absolutely essential, both for the food and for the smoke enclosure. Some people say you don't need one because you should just be able to tell if things are ready by pressing, touching, bending, tasting, etc. That is all well and good, but you'll avoid a lot of problems if you actually measure what you're doing.

2. Disposable pans. You can get a lifetime supply from Costco for under $10. I find the 10x12 pans fit perfectly in my MES and are just the right size for the typical 8# pork butt.

3. Q-Matz. These are essential if you want to smoke nuts, or anything else that is not easily supported by the typical "oven shelf" that you find in many smokers. I have an MES 30" and you can buy these pre-cut to fit exactly.

4. Rubbing alcohol. This makes quick work of cutting through the smoke buildup on a smoker window, if you have one. It works well on other smokey parts.

5. Pen and paper. If you are new to smoking, write down everything you do (times, temperatures, things you screw up). Unlike most cooking, BBQ is about as far from science as you can get, and there are so many variables that you are going to have to learn by screwing up a lot. The pen and paper let you keep track of what didn't work -- and what DID work -- so you know next time.


And, since people have mentioned beer ...

Back in 1970 I used to travel from Chicago to San Francisco several times a year. I'd bring Coors to Chicago because, back then, they didn't distribute east of the Rockies. On my return trip I'd bring Stroh's to everyone because they didn't distribute very far outside of Detroit. I haven't had a Stroh's in decades, but if I were doing a smoke today, that's what I'd try to get.


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## old golfer guy (Mar 12, 2018)

Us guys on the west coast grow up on Olympia. Morning, noon and nite.


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## pops6927 (Mar 12, 2018)

I have a slicer, grinder, and stuffer.  A good grill brush for the grates.  Amazen Qmatz for cheese, veggies, nuts, etc.  Hooks, bacon hangers, 30" stockinette (ham bags).  I order a lot of pre-mixed ingredients/mixes through Butcher-Packer.


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