Check out this list of 5 of the must have offset smoker tools to get you started with your offset smoker. All of the tools in this list are essential to getting the most out of your pit during your next cookout. I use these 5 things every time I run my own offset smoker and I wouldn’t cook without them. Here they are:
What are the 5 essential offset smoker tools?
Chimney Starter
The first thing you are going to need is something to help get your fire going. The chimney starter is the perfect thing for starting charcoal on fire without the use of lighter fluid. (Note: DO NOT USE LIGHTER FLUID TO START YOUR CHARCOAL) One full chimney of charcoal is the perfect bed of coals to use for building your wood fire.
Simply fill the chimney with unlit charcoal, grab either some old newspaper or a couple of wax cube fire starters, light them and place chimney over the top. In about 20 minutes you will have a chimney full of coals burning uniformly and extremely hot. Ready to be dumped into your firebox and start heating up your pit.
- Designed to quickly produce hot coals for cooking
- 7.5 in. In diameter, 13 in. High
- Specialized cone-shaped grate
- Durable construction for longevity
- Ergonomic handle for comfortable use
Charcoal Basket
A charcoal basket to place in your firebox helps to contain your coals, leaves room around for air flow, and allows perfect airflow to your fire. I find that since this keeps my fire in the middle of my firebox, the paint on my firebox has held up very well over the past 3 years. This can easily be made from a sheet of expanded metal with the use of a disc grinder and hammer.
How to make charcoal basket: click here
- The original heavy-duty basket from Oklahoma Joe’s. Designed in the USA
- Holds enough fuel to load once and cook all day. Also helps keep cleanup quick and simple.
- Fits most offset charcoal smoker grills including the Oklahoma Joe’s Highland, Longhorn, Bandera and 3-in-1 Combo.
- Stainless steel construction so it’s build to last. Quick and easy to assemble.
- Measures 12.3-Inches W x 12.3-Inches D x 7.5-Inches H
High Temp Grilling or Welding Gloves
When dealing with fire, you want to stay safe. Sometimes when handling a full chimney of hot charcoal, you want to have some extra protection when you dump the coals into your pit. The gloves also come in handy when handling wood that you may have pre-heated or for adjusting your vents.
This example of gloves is rated for over 900°F for a short period of time. These would not be recommended grabbing food though, only for handling dry materials. They are made of a special high temp fabric, that would allow hot liquids to penetrate. These would be perfect for handling hot pieces of wood, moving the inlet vents, or picking up hot cast iron.
- 🔥【High Heat Resistance&Good Protection】Our BBQ gloves are comfortable, flexible, and provide the highest protection for your hands. The high quality fiber of our grilling gloves distributes heat effectively，EN407 certified withstand heats up to 1472℉. Which can ensure great protection to your hands when taking and holding hot objects involving heat.
- 🔥【Premium Three Layers Material】The heat resistant gloves consist of 3 materials. The first material is silicone strips make sure your objects won’t slip out in your hands. The second layer is ultra-strength aramid fiber for high heat resistance and flame retardant. The third material is polyester-cotton, which could avoid allergies and make you more comfort.
- 🔥【Pretty &Non-Slip Design】Both sides of the oven gloves have different fire pattern design, more unique and pretty. You can wear the fireproof gloves by the pattern you like due to no difference between the left and right hands. And these heat resistant barbecue gloves with food-grade silicone strips ensure that your items don’t slip out of your hands and providing you more protection. The five-finger design is flexible to help you hold cooking tools, grills, and other hot objects better.
Fire Poker
A fireplace poker tool is great for managing your fire. Many times you will need to adjust your charcoal or move your wood around to get a cleaner burning fire. This is can be a store bought fireplace tool, or can be something a little more hand made like mine.
- Round Rope Twist Handle：With traditional rope twists in the handle, this fire poker is comfortable and finely balanced for ease of use, offering a classic and decorative design for tending to your fire.The top ring can also be hung to save space
- 40″ Wrought Iron Fire Poker：Heavy duty outdoor fire poker with one piece solid construction from 12mm round bar steel,more longer life than others.40 inch long size keep you safe while enjoying a bonfire with family and friends
- Forked Fire Pit poker：The end of this fire poker is designed with a forked hook, which allows you to easily move the firewood, coals, logs as you wish. Sharp hook heads that can also be inserted into the ground in the back garden when not in use
Digital BBQ Thermometer
- More Stable Than Bluetooth: Our advanced RF technology ensures a stronger, more reliable connection than Bluetooth. This smoker thermometer provides the freedom to move around without losing connection! Monitor your BBQ from up to 1,000 feet away!
- Effortless, No-Fuss Setup: No need for apps, complex setups, or sharing personal information. This meat thermometer digital wireless is ready to go right out of the box—making it a smart, hassle-free choice, especially for those who value simplicity and efficiency
- 4 Color-Coded Probes for Simple Tracking: Monitor up to 4 different meats or temperatures at once with easy-to-identify, color-coded probes. No confusion, just straightforward, organized cooking, making this a wireless grill thermometer that empowers you to cook smarter, not harder
This last tool is essential for getting good BBQ. The thermometer that is installed in most offset smokers is placed in a way that doesn’t necessarily measure the temperature where your food is placed. These BBQ pits are known to have variability in temperature from side to side and top to bottom.
By getting a multi-probe digital BBQ thermometer, you can place one probe at grate level to measure the temperature of your pit and then have another probe to measure the internal temperature of your meat. Many of these now come with either Bluetooth or wireless features that transmit to a cell phone so you can monitor from a distance. They also have temperature alarms for too high or too low that can be set. Just understanding the cooking temperature inside the pit is half the battle to getting perfectly BBQed meat.
These are the 5 best tools I would recommend you have in your possession for your first BBQ cook. If you don’t have these or something similar yet, what are you waiting for? Seriously though, these tools are the staples of every time I cook on my smoker and I wouldn’t fire up my pit without them.
To Learn How to Run Your Offset Smoker, click on my article: How to Use an Offset Smoker Effectively – A Beginners Guide
