"Must Have" Egg Accesories?

Thermapen. Probably the most important tool I own with the BGE

Give the search box here a look with "must have egg accessories" and you will get several hits.  Some good reading in addition to anything posted here.  FWIW-

I'm an old curmudgeon, no doubt, and it sounds like you're hoping people will talk you into buying a bunch of new toys, so I'm going against the flow, here.  But I'd urge you not to buy anything until it seems clear to YOU that you need it.  You can spend a fortune on stuff you don't really need and without really improving your enjoyment of cooking on your BGE at all.  Put your focus on cooking great stuff, on recipes and techniques, getting really good at cooking superb food on the Egg that you and those you serve it to enjoy.  Buy an accessory if/when it becomes clear you need it.

CI grid is a great example.  Some people really seem to care about grill marks, and if YOU find that you keep being disappointed, somehow, that you don't have a deep, dark "brand" criss-crossed on your food, and you don't mind spending the money and maybe having to deal with rust, get a CI grid, by all means!  But I don't care a lick about grill marks, and if I had purchased one just because people told me it's a "must-have" accessory, it would have been a waste of money and a pain in the neck.

If YOU want to cook pizza, then you want a pizza stone.  I love pizza, but for whatever reason, I've never cooked one in my Eggs.  But if you have to ask whether a pizza stone is a "must-have" accessory," then you clearly don't need one, because if you were dying to make pizzas in the Egg, you wouldn't need to ask whether to buy a pizza stone or not -- you'd know.

Let what you want to cook be your guide.  If you keep finding that you need to cook more ribs than you can fit in your Large, or multiple briskets, or other very large capacity cooks, then YOU will know an AR would be a great purchase for you.  But if you haven't been finding yourself wanting to cook a lot more than you can in your Egg without an AR, then why would you spend the money?

da87 said:

Still a newbie and learning every day from my mistakes!  ... I love food (and good wine) and seem to be trying everything I see on the forum or in the cookbook that looks good!

THAT's the ticket!  Keep doing that!  

Here are mine: 

1 - A better way to light other than cubes.  In my case a weed torch from Harbor Freight was a game changer for me.  Up and running in no time.  I got inconsistent results with starter cubes.  

2 - A nice thermometer.  

3 - A way to raise your cooking grate and a second tier.  

4 - Gloves (two pair).  A regular work glove for handling the cooled Egg, getting it ready, etc and a pair that handles heat well for removing PS, grate, etc when hot.  

I bought a Thermapen before I even had the egg.  It's even improved our indoor cooking, no more guessing when things are done and no need to overcook meat to really be sure we don't give anyone food poisoning.

looking back over past few years these are the must have items for me:
1) CGS multigrid setup, spider and stone
2) high quality pizza stone
3) Bbq guru pit temp controller
4) decent quality digital thermometer
5) Rutland gasket and @RRP instrux for installation



Other wish list items: cast iron grid and pan, Dutch oven, thermapen, wok, remote temperature monitor, cgs ceramic stilts for grid elevation, vertical bird roaster, deep food grade brining containers, sous vide circulator


This would about do it for me

Pizza Stone
Means for a raised grid (AR, PSWoo2, bricks)
A handful of rubs - for ribs, beef, chicken, wings, etc. 
A good thermometer - thermapen/pop
Wood chunks/chips - apple, hickory, pecan
Cast Iron Dutch Oven and Pan

For all cooking, not just for the egg, a good instant read thermometer is a must have (my favorite is the Thermapen).

The one must have for the egg is a way to set up the egg for indirect cooking - which you have with the plate setter.

Everything else are "nice to haves", but not really must haves.  There are many accessories available that can make specific functions easier/more convenient.  Just take your time and decide if the item will actually solve an issue for you.  Be aware that there are some accessories available that really only exist to pad the bank account of the seller - they don't really help you.

Start by deciding what you want to cook.  Cook it with the setup you have. Then decide if any accessory would improve that cook and if it is worth your purchase.

WeberWho said:

Thermapen. Probably the most important tool I own with the BGE

^^^This. A thousand times this. 

Once you start employing a meat thermometer, there's no going back - improves your cooks exponentially and helps ensure consistency.

Gloves, for handling hot things, is a close second.

These items both go to self-preservation (not poisoning yourself and not burning yourself, respectively). It's like Maslow's hierarchy of needs - satisfy these basics first and then look to fancier items.

I would say kick ash basket, pizza stone and a CI grate. I usually put the CI grate right on top of the coals for a super sear on steak, and I also use it to elevate the pizza stone on top of the plate setter for better air circulation 

A second mortgage.

Woo,Kick Ash Basket,Smokeware cap,Tip Top temp control (keep it simple), Thermopen ,Maverick ET-732 ,Ash vacuum . A good ash can is always nice to have.

da87 said:

Thanks all - great suggestions and advice!  What's also been valuable is what hasn't been suggested

you know, for making lead fishing weights

Instant read thermometer.
Fireproof/heat resistant gloves.
Deflector/platesetter.
Extras my vary depending on what you cook.
Planks for fish, cast iron grate for steaks, beer can chicken holder, temp probe that monitors while cooking, etc.

I have a small $20 shop vac for the ashes, gloves, different temp probes, drip/water pans, wood chips, platesetter, small trash can for ashes/hot charcoal, cast iron accessories. All depends on your cooking habits/needs.

I am going with the BGE light string.....doesn't everyone have them?