British BBQ Society Forums

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

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

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

"A weed burner!!!"

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

Curlie028 wrote:"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!

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.

Curlie028 wrote:Love this site.

It legitimises having toys you never dreamed of having LOL

DrSweetsmoke wrote:
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

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

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.