Gear I Use
This is the stuff I actually cook with. Not sponsored picks, not best-of lists scraped from Amazon reviews - this is the gear that lives in my backyard, gets used every week, and has earned its spot.
Kamado and Flat Top Essentials
These aren't paid placements or generic best-of lists. These are the exact tools I fire up in my own backyard every single week, chosen because they make cooking low-and-slow easier and a hell of a lot more fun for the home cook.
Kamado Gear
Kamado grills are the centerpiece of my outdoor cooking. They're versatile, durable, and heat up to whatever temperature you need. Here's what I use and trust:
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- Fire starter squares - Gets charcoal going without lighter fluid or chimney starter fuss.
- Lump charcoal - Premium lump that burns clean and hot. Worth the upgrade from basic briquettes.
- BBQ grill gloves - Keep your hands safe when you're working around a 600-degree grill.
- Soapstone Surface - Protects your ceramic and adds a nice cooking surface for certain foods.
- Beer can chicken attachment - Sounds gimmicky but it actually works for keeping chicken upright and getting even heat.
- MEATER - Wireless thermometer that talks to your phone so you don't have to camp out next to the grill.
- Kamado pizza attachment - Turns your kamado into a legit pizza oven. Changes the game if you're into it.
- Rib rack - Lets you cook more ribs vertically instead of stacking them, so they cook more evenly.
- Grill grate extender - Adds more cooking surface without upgrading your whole grill. Practical upgrade.
- Wired thermometer - Simple, reliable, and it just works for reading grill temp.
Flat Top Gear
A Blackstone griddle opens up a whole different cooking style. It's flat, it's hot, and it cooks everything from smash burgers to pancakes to stir-fry. Here's what makes it work:
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- Silicone grease liners - Makes cleanup way easier. You just pull them out and toss instead of scrubbing.
- Blackstone spatula - Wide and thin so you can flip and scrape without mangling your food.
- Griddle cleaning kit - Gets the surface clean between cooks so rust doesn't set in.
- Cast iron burger press - Flattens smash burgers to the right thickness and gives you that crispy edge.
- Egg rings - Keeps fried eggs contained and makes them look legit on a griddle.
- Squirt bottle - Water bottle for deglazing and moving grease around while you're cooking.
- Melting Dome - Covers the griddle when you're not using it and helps it last longer.
- BBQ tongs - Good tongs for grabbing and flipping. Sounds simple but bad tongs ruin everything.
More Gear I use
A Sportula is a fun, team-branded grill spatula that still does real work flipping burgers, chicken, sausages, and anything else that needs a clean turn on the grill.
A meat tenderizer helps break down tougher cuts so marinades can work deeper and the final bite comes out more tender, juicy, and less like jaw day at the gym.
The MEATER is a wireless thermometer that tracks both meat temp and ambient grill temp, making long cooks easier to monitor from the couch, patio, or wherever you’re pretending not to obsess over brisket.
Meat claws make quick work of shredding pork shoulder, chicken, lamb, or turkey, while also making you feel briefly like a BBQ werewolf with dinner plans.
A meat injector lets you push flavor and moisture deep into larger cuts like turkey, pork shoulder, brisket, or chicken before they hit the smoker.
Butcher paper is perfect for wrapping brisket, ribs, pork shoulder, or lamb during the stall, helping hold moisture while preserving better bark than foil.
Woods I Use
Light, sweet, and subtle, apple wood is great for salmon, chicken, turkey, pork, and anything delicate that needs gentle smoke.
Fruity, rich, and slightly sweet, cherry adds beautiful color and works especially well with pork, poultry, beef, and salmon.
Mild, nutty, and slightly sweet, pecan gives pork, ribs, chicken, and lamb a smoother smoke flavor than hickory.
Bold, smoky, and slightly sweet, hickory is the classic BBQ wood for brisket, ribs, pork shoulder, and anything that can handle a stronger smoke flavor.
Mild and softly sweet, maple is great for chicken, turkey, pork, vegetables, and lighter cooks where you want a gentle smoke profile.
Strong, earthy, and aggressive, mesquite is best used lightly for quick cooks, steaks, reverse sears, or blended with milder woods.
Clean, steady, and balanced, oak is perfect for beef, lamb, and long cooks where you want smoke flavor without overpowering the meat.
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