Starter Accessories

[Curlie028]

Cannot wait to launch myself into the world of smokers.

Decided to go for a ProQ Excel 200 (thanks to everyone who helped with that quandary)

To save me on shipping, by lumping everything into the same order, can I ask you, what accessories would you recommend for a beginner.

Things I am considering but haven't landed of anything:
Top of my thoughts
BBQ Gauntlets - or are the boss's oven gloves adequate
Some kind of fuel - specific recommendations very welcome
Rib Rack - or maybe two
Chimney starter
Proq Excel 20 cover - storeage space limitations (and laziness) will probably mean my baby will stay out
Then I'm thinking, maybe
Chicken stand - or two
Additional stacker - my venture to smoking came about from a web search for equipment to do a pig spit for my son's 21st in August
New set of weapons - simply cause my current set are a little tatty now
Cold smoke generator
A clay saucer - not yet 100% clear why, or what I do with it but many of you seem to recommend it

Well that's a mountain of a post. I hope it doesn't discourage replies, because I want to race on and gets things up and running.

Thanks,
Curlie

[Steve]

I wouldn't necessarily get everything in one order if I were you

BBQ Gauntlets - see welding gloves on eBay, can be got for around £3 per pair, I always buy two or three pairs at a time, they last a couple of years minimum.

Fuel - Heat Beads, Cocoshell briquettes or Restaurant grade lumpwood are my recommendations. I really only ever use lump, but I thought I'd pass you some recommendations for briqs too.

Chimney starter - Essential but get hold of the Weber one, it's bigger and much better than the generic one that's sold as Pro Q, Landmann etc.

Cover - worth the cash if you want to keep your bbq looking good. Be aware if you leave your Excel outside under a vinyl cover over winter it will likely go mouldy and need a good clean in Spring.

Rib Rack - a good buy, but be aware all rib racks aren't equal.

Chicken stand - waste of money, just shove a beer can up the chicken's bum and your laughing.

New weapons - you can never have enough

CSG - Don't own one as I'm not really too fussed about cold smoking but I only ever hear good things about them.

Clay Saucer - Yes, yes, yes, clay is the way Get it from B&Q or homebase, half the price of local garden centres I've found.

Extra stacker - I had one and never ended up using it.


Other things I'd suggest...

A remote thermometer such as the Maverick ET-732. Most of us on here swear by remote probe thermos.

A Thermapen, I wouldn't be without one.

A bulk purchase of disposable nitrile gloves. The nitrile ones are a little more expensive than the latex ones but they are the best disposables.

Cool box or Cambro - an Igloo cooler as a very worthwhile investment.

Head torch - might make you look like a miner but worth it's weight in gold for those overnight cooks you'll soon find yourself doing

[JEC]

My list of regular stuff below

Cover (came with WSM)
Weber chimney I have 2
Weber tongs and fish slice
BBQs delight smoker pellet pot
Landmann rib rack, couldn't justify extra for weber one
Stovax heat proof gloves (£14 and superior quality)
Latex gloves
Meat thermometer (landmann because it was free)
34cm clay saucer from homebase

Charcoal as follows

Supagrill Cocoshell briquettes
Bookers Restaurant lump
Barbiquick or BigK if I can't find above

Occasionally

Sunny weather

[Curlie028]

"A weed burner!!!"

I fear I am setting myself up here, but what is the weed burner for?

[JEC]

"A weed burner!!!"

I fear I am setting myself up here, but what is the weed burner for?

Lighting your coals quickly, and if you have an audience, impressively!

[Curlie028]

Looks like something used to clear the trenches in WWI

Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!

That would take my weapons up 3 or 4 levels.

Love this site.

[All Weather Griller]

Love this site.

It legitimises having toys you never dreamed of having LOL

[JEC]

Anyone else here on the forums using one?

Think it's just you on here with a firebreathing dragon for a fire starter, guess us Brits are just a bit less flamboyant about lighting our fires

[Steve]

I got one of the rothenberger ones. Use it to light the UDS.

[All Weather Griller]

I think BBQ Shack, Miss Piggies and Bigfoot BBQ use propane rings for the chimney starters:



I have toyed with the idea of the weed burner and the propane ring and couldn't arsed carrying the gas bottle and the Rottenburger QuickFire2 is fine for my needs.