Gear I Use: The Actual Grills, Tools & Accessories Behind Bus Stop BBQ
- Bus
- Apr 15
- 7 min read
Updated: May 2
There are two kinds of BBQ gear lists. The first kind is written by someone who clearly searched “best BBQ accessories” and then glued together a list of products like a raccoon building a spaceship. This is not that.
This is the actual gear I use behind Bus Stop BBQ. The grills, tools, gadgets, accessories, and meat-handling devices that show up when I’m smoking lamb, making smash burgers, cooking breakfast burritos on the flat top, reverse searing steaks, or trying to feed people without turning the backyard into a full-blown restaurant kitchen.
You do not need every single thing on this list to get started. That’s what the essentials posts are for. This post is more of a “what’s actually behind the curtain” look at the gear I use, like, and keep coming back to.
If you’re building out a backyard BBQ setup, this is the stuff I’d actually point you toward.
Kamados are probably my favorite all-around backyard grill. They smoke, grill, sear, roast, bake, and generally do everything short of helping you fold laundry. If you’re only going to have one serious backyard cooker, a kamado makes a very strong case. It holds heat well, uses charcoal efficiently, and gives you a ton of flexibility.
I wrote a separate post on the essential kamado toolkit, so I won’t turn this into a full ceramic grill sermon. But these are the Kamado pieces I actually use and think are worth knowing about.
18" Kamado Joe Grill- I like the 18-inch Kamado Joe because it hits the sweet spot for most backyard cooks. It’s big enough for ribs, pork shoulder, chicken, steaks, wings, sides, and normal weekend BBQ behavior. Quick note: if you’re getting a Kamado Joe, I’d go Series II or Series III if you can. The spring-loaded lid is worth it.
Fire Starter Squares - never use lighter fluid in a kamado
Lump charcoal - don't use charcoal briquettes in a kamdo
Kamado Joe Soapstone - You get a flat cooking surface inside the kamado, which gives you more even contact and keeps the good bits out of the fire.
Beer Can Chicken Attachment - Beer can chicken is amazing, and this attachment gives you more stability than an actual beer can.
Kamado Pizza Attachment - turn your kamado into a pizza oven. Why not?
Not everything belongs on the kamado. That’s where the Blackstone comes in.
Breakfast burritos. Smash burgers. Cheesesteaks. Fried rice. Hashbrowns. Pancakes. Reverse sears. The Blackstone handles the stuff where a big flat cooking surface just makes more sense.
I have a separate Blackstone starter kit post too, because the flat top becomes its own little universe once you start using it. But in terms of the gear I actually use, this is the Blackstone setup that gets the work done.
28" Blackstone Griddle - The 28-inch size is my favorite starting point because it gives you enough room to cook a full meal without needing an aircraft carrier in the backyard.
Silicone Grease Liners - Cleaning up sucks. These liners will make your life easier.
Blackstone Spatula - A real griddle spatula is different from a regular kitchen spatula. It’s longer, sturdier, and built for scraping, flipping, smashing, chopping, and moving food around a big hot surface. Pro Tip: get two.
Griddle Cleaning Kit - You need to clean the griddle. There is no way around it.
Cast Iron Burger Press - Why have a flat top if you’re not going to make smash burgers?
Squirt Bottle - Oil, water, sauces, cleaning steam, finishing touches. You’ll reach for it all the time. It’s not glamorous, but neither is the trash bag, and try cooking without that.
Egg Rings - Egg rings are great if you’re doing breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, or anything where you don’t want the eggs to wander off across the griddle like they’ve got somewhere better to be.
Blackstone Lid / Basting Cover - A basting cover is how you trap heat and steam on the flat top. Essential to to melt cheese, steam vegetables, finish thicker items, or make breakfast sandwiches feel like they were assembled by someone who has their life together.
BBQ Tongs - Tongs are still useful on the flat top, even if spatulas do most of the work.
Wood Chips
Wood is where smoke flavor actually comes from, so choose wisely!
Apple wood is one of my go-to choices, and lucky for you I wrote an entire blogpost to help you pick which wood to use in different situations.
Good BBQ gloves are not optional.
You need them for handling meat, especially larger cuts. It’s not just about taking food off the grill when it’s done. It’s also about wrapping brisket, moving pork shoulder, handling ribs, and generally dealing with hot, greasy, awkward food without dropping dinner on the patio.
Tongs are great. Spatulas are great. But sometimes you need your hands, and your hands should not be bare unless you enjoy learning lessons the spicy way.
Great for:
Pulling meat off the smoker
Wrapping brisket or pork shoulder
Handling ribs
Moving hot accessories
Shredding or transferring larger cuts
Why I use them:
Better grip
Better control
Better heat protection
Less “why did I touch that?” energy
I love the MEATER because it lets me check the temperature from the couch, from the patio chair, or while sitting around the fire with the crew pretending I’m being relaxed and not mentally checking the brisket every 90 seconds.
The MEATER tracks internal meat temperature and ambient temperature, which is useful because your built-in grill thermometer is not always telling you what’s happening right where the meat actually is.
Bluetooth thermometers are great, but range can be limited. Depending on your house, your walls, your smoker placement, and whatever mysterious signal-blocking force lives in every backyard, Bluetooth may not always reach where you want it to.
That’s why I still like having a wired thermometer around.
It’s reliable, simple, and helps make sure you don’t overdo your cook. For long smokes, redundancy is not a bad thing. Brisket is too expensive for blind optimism.
Spatula, Tongs, and Large Fork
Sometimes the basic tools are the ones you use the most.
A good spatula, a solid pair of tongs, and a large fork will cover a lot of backyard cooking. You’ll use them for flipping, moving, checking, pulling, turning, and occasionally pointing at the grill like you know something important is happening.
And if you’re going to use BBQ tools, you might as well rep your squad while you’re at it.
NFL BBQ Tool Set - The NFL BBQ tool set gives you the basics: spatula, tongs, and fork. It’s useful, and it adds a little personality to the cook.
NFL Grill Spatula - Is it jus ta big spatula that reps my squad? In some ways. But also there's a beer bottle opener on the end. They call that a win-win, folks
Is team-branded BBQ gear essential? Technically no. Does it make standing by the grill feel more official? Absolutely.
Big forks work. They really do. But there is something deeply satisfying about putting on meat shredder claws and tearing into a pork shoulder, chicken, or lamb like you’ve briefly become a backyard werewolf with dinner plans.
They’re not strictly necessary, but they are useful. Especially when you’re shredding a lot of meat for pulled pork, tacos, sandwiches, bowls, or leftovers.
Good for:
Pulled pork
Shredded chicken
Shredded lamb
Turkey
Moving larger cuts of meat
Why I use them:
Faster than regular forks
Easier for big batches
Great for shredding meat evenly
More fun than they probably need to be
My uncle recommended this tool to me, and it's some of the best advice I've ever received.
Meat tenderizers are great for bigger or tougher cuts. This is the tenderizer where you jab the spikes into the meat and let the little blades do their work. It’s very simple. It’s also weirdly satisfying. Tenderizing matters because it helps break up tougher muscle fibers and can help marinades penetrate better. That means better texture, better flavor, and less chewing your way through dinner like it’s a jaw workout.
A Good Set of Knives
I use Cutco knives. I'm a Cutco man, as it were. But Cutco doesn't have an affliate program and, to be honest, any sharp knife will do. The key word is sharp. A dull knife makes prep slower, messier, and more dangerous. Whether you’re trimming brisket, slicing steak, cutting vegetables, or breaking down chicken, a sharp knife makes everything easier.
You do not need to turn your kitchen into a professional butcher shop. But you do need knives that can actually cut.
The Bottom Line
Bus Stop BBQ is not about having the most expensive backyard setup. Do we collective BBQ gear like they're Pokémon? Yes. But that doesn't mean you have to. It’s about having the right tools for the way you actually cook.
For me, that means:
A kamado for smoking, grilling, roasting, and searing
Apple wood chips for salmon and lighter smoke flavor
A Blackstone for breakfast, smash burgers, and flat top chaos
Good gloves for handling meat
Reliable thermometers so I don’t ruin expensive cuts
A few accessories that make specific cooks easier
Sharp knives, solid tools, and a little personality around the grill
Start with the basics. Add the extras as you figure out what you actually like to cook.
And if you’re going to stand outside for hours tending meat, you might as well enjoy the gear while you’re at it.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links above may be affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, Bus Stop BBQ may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we genuinely use and believe in.
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