Below are some great smoking and grilling resources I have used to make grilling and smoking meat a little easier. All of the products listed I actually use and fully endorse from my personal experience with them. Some of the links contain affiliate links, where I earn a small commission for purchases you choose to make at no additional cost to you. I only have affiliate links for products I use and fully support. If you ever have any questions about any of the products or services below, send me an email and I will be sure to respond. Happy Grilling – Keegan
Smoker Charcoal Guide
One of the most important elements in smoking meat is a choosing the correct charcoal and then using it in the correct way. For my insights on charcoal check out my Charcoal Guide for Smokers
Meat Thermometers, Smoker Temperature Monitors, and Smoker Temperature Control
There are a lot of devices out there these days focused on measuring meat and smoker temperature. Some devices can even control the temperature of your charcoal smoker! Let me help you sort through the chaos when choosing which gadget to spend your money on. Check out my Smoker Temperature Monitoring & Control Guide to get started.
My Favorite Cook Books
Check out some cook books that are on the money with their recipes and techniques. Adam Perry Lang’s are my favorites for grilling. Franklin BBQ serves as great inspiration and a back to basics approach with great results.
Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue Sauces – This is an awesome resource to get started on making your own rubs and sauces and provides plenty of recipes to try as well. His loose templates helped me get started developing my own rubs.
BBQ 25 by Adam Perry Lang – Adam Perry Lang might be my favorite BBQ author. This book is my very favorite for everyday grilling. It brought to light a lot of flavor profiles I had not experienced before and really drives home how to create bold flavors with simple methods.
Serious Barbecue by Adam Perry Lang – This is an awesome book to experiment with on the smoker. It contains a lot of great recipes that yield very good results. The recipes in this book or more involved and complex than BBQ 25. If you are new to the BBQ world, start with BBQ 25.
Franklin BBQ by Aaron Franklin – This book changed my life. His story is inspirational and a source of motivation. His simple recipes bring the focus back to quality ingredients and meticulous preparation and processes. His recipes changed my own Rib & Brisket recipes forever.
American Pie by Peter Reinhart – Pizza might be my 2nd favorite food? If you like pizza as much as I do, you want this book. Weather you are cooking indoors or outdoors, this is a great book for dough recipes. I use the Neo-Neopolitan dough recipe all the time.
Ratios by Michael Ruhlman – This book is my go to for basic recipe instruction for a jumping off point. Example: Need to know a basic recipe for a Brine or Vinaigrette? This book has you covered.
My Favorite Sauces and Rubs you can buy Online
I make my own rub most of the time. Check out my complete rub guide here. However, I do use store bought rubs and sauces from time to time, to change things up and get ideas for different flavor profiles. Below is my list of rubs and sauces that pass the test and will serve you well, shipped right to your door.
- Plowboys Yardbird BBQ Rub – I love this on chicken and grilled fish. On the salty side, with a touch of heat. Well balanced flavors. A little goes a long way with this rub.
- Bad Byron’s Butt Rub – I keep a tub of this around for seasoning injections or using as a base for rubs. It is a nice finely ground rub that tastes great on chicken and pork. No sugar in this one, if you have family members avoiding calories.
- Rufus Teague BBQ Sauce – This might be my favorite store bought sauce. I like the “sweet with a touch of heat”. sauce the best. It is a pretty thick sauce with lots of flavor and goes well with any BBQ.
- Dinosaur BBQ Sauce – Their sauce has a nice kick of vinegar. Very good on everything. Love it with Brisket.
- Dizzy Pig BBQ Rub – Nice all around rub for Chicken and Pork. Not spicy, just well balanced.
- Trim Tabb’s Pig Powder – A rub on the sweet side that I like a lot for short smoker sessions, like Smoked Wings or Rotisserie Chicken.
Grilling and Smoking Accessories Everyone Should Have
These are the accessories I use all the time. A lot of them weekly. Do you own any of these? I am positive these will make your weekday grilling and Saturday afternoon smoke sessions even better.
Fast Acting Accurate Temperature Probe
- Thermoworks Thermapen – super fast and accurate, know when to pull your meat off the grill
Charcoal Temperature Controller
- Flame Boss 200 Wifi Temperature Controller – this is my favorite new grilling toy, because it makes it too easy. Check out my full review here….
Meat Claws for Handling and Shredding Meat
One Bad Ass Chef’s Knife
- Global G-2 – 8 inch Chef’s Knife – I use this for almost every kitchen task. Super Sharp and Strong.
Boning Knife for Trimming all Cuts of Meat
- Victorinox 6″ Semi Stiff Boning Knife – I never knew I needed one of these until I purchased one. They glide through the edges of Brisket and Pork Shoulder without effort.
Heavy Duty Poultry Scissors
- Stainless Steel Heavy Duty BBQ Scissors – great for spatchcocking a chicken or breaking down any poultry.
Meat Injectors
Cajun Injector Deluxe Marinade Injector – great for small tasks, such as injecting a chicken
Meat Injector Stainless Steel – 2 Oz Heavy Duty – great for larger cuts of meat, such as pork shoulders
Chimney Charcoal Starter
- Weber 7447 Compact Rapidfire Chimney Starter – I prefer this one as it is easy to store away. It is perfect for starting charcoal for smokers, as you usually only need a handful to get started.
Weber 7416 Rapidfire Chimney Starter – great for larger charcoal grills.
A lightweight Head Lamp
Petzl – TIKKINA 80 Lumens – a great light weight headlamp to use when digging through a bag of lump charcoal at night or checking if the meat is done.
