Which barbecue equipment and tools should I use?
Grills and Smokers
The market currently offers a wide range of barbecue grills and smokers. Which one to use is up to you depending on what you wish to do and, of course, your budget.
The “conventional” hardwood charcoal barbecue
Probably the widest used on the market, the typical «kettle» grill with a cover and controllable air vents is probably the most versatile. You can grill or barbecue, and do direct and indirect cooking. The popular brands (such as Weber) and other generics will vary a lot in size. Space on the grill is an important factor so don’t hesitate to purchase something around 22 inches in diameter.
One of the top product on the market is the Weber line of grills. We would recommend you read their website www.weber.com
The barbecue «smoker»
The typical smoker consist of a horizontal barbecue structure which contains, at the bottom, a section where your burn your fuel (hardwood charcoal), a top one which has grills to support your food and in between, a water pan to control temperature and humidity. It can be easily closed and have access to your meal or to add charcoal or wood chips and chunks.
Once again, one of the top product on the market is the Weber line of grills and smokers. We would recommend you read their website www.weber.com
The offset smoker
Another popular smoker is the “offset” model. You control the fire in the “firebox” on the side. The smoking chamber is where you cook your food. With this type of model, you can mostly barbecue or smoke but some alsuhe typical smoker consist of a horizontal barbecue structure which contains, at the bottom, a section where your burn your fuel (hardwood charcoal), a top one which has grills to support your food and in between, a water pan to control temperature and humidity. It can be easily closed and have access to your meal or to add charcoal or wood chips and chunks.
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The ceramic barbecue
You probably may have heard or seen those egg shapped ceramic barbecues. These cookers are based on the kamado style, a traditional Japanese clay oven that has been used for thousands of years. The modern models resemble have more a vase shaped and are designed to conserve heat.
One of the advantages of a ceramic cooker is maintaining a stable level of heat in the barbecue. Not only that, it can also be used in colder temperatures. Most or all manufacturers of ceramic cooker will recommend using only a hardwood charcoal, not briquettes.
These are gretting more an more popular since they have many characteristics which grillers like smokers look for such as a long and stable temperature.
Ceramic cookers are usually more expensive then the ordinary barbecue. However, being made of a durable material, they can last many years, in fact many generations. And because of it’s capacity to conserve heat, it uses less charcoal. For amateurs of grilling, barbecuing or smoking, it is an interesting investment.
The indispensable tools
The chefs utensiles
As you may all know, anyone who wishes to practice any trade has to acquire the proper tools. It is the same for grilling on hardwood charcoal. Most of the indispensable tools can be found in major box or specialty barbecue stores.
You may find that there are a lot but you may start with the first few. The others will be useful as your menu diversifies. We recommend those with LONG handles and a pair of good cooking gloves..
You will also find it useful to acquire a good pair of grilling gloves, a meat thermometer and a chimney fire starter.
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Fork |
Spatula |
Tong |
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Brush |
Skewers |
Knife |
The Grilling basket and other hinged cooking accessories
You can find various types of grilling baskets in most barbecue stores. They are very useful when preparing smaller food size such as vegetables and meat which tends to be more fragile such as fish. One may find various types and sizes for different used.
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Vegetable Basket |
Steak basket |
Fish grill basket |
Other useful tools :
Many other tolls are useful and sometimes essential to start and clean your grill. For lighting your Basques Hardwood Charcoal, you may use a charcoal chimney. All you need for this are some matches and a piece of paper (preferably news paper). An electric fire-starter is also useful. All you need is an extension to an electrical outlet.
A good barbecue brush is also an essential tool no matter what type of barbecue equipment you have.
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Electric fire starter |
Cheminey fire starter |
Barbecue grill brush |
Barbecue thermometer (électronic)
In order to reach that desired temperature, a thermometer is a very useful tool. Also is important since all meats require minimal temperature for it to be safe..
