Of course, the most important is a decent BBQ. There are different kinds:

You have kamado bbq’s: Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, The Bastard, Primo. These are ceramic bbq’s and basically the best charcoal bbq’s out there. They are also the most expensive.

Then there are charcoal or briquette bbq’s: Weber, Rosle, Boretti. These are steel bbq’s with a layer of enamel. Especially the “bullet” bbq from Weber is the best known.

Then there are gas bbq’s and electric bbq’s. Then there are gas bbq’s and electric bbq’s. Because we only work with charcoal, we will not go further into this.

There are also the big smokers and BBQs that work on wood pellets like a Traeger or Yoder smoker. Set the temperature digitally and everything is done for you.

We at BBQ Bosses mainly use our Big Green Egg’s. Occasionally the Weber is used for the Tomahak steaks or marshmallows for example. But all low and slow projects are on the BGE. A Weber doesn’t hold a candle to a ceramic bbq. These are much better at keeping temperature, are more economical with charcoal and you can leave them alone for a longer time. They are more versatile to use (smoking, cooking, baking, steaming, direct, indirect, low and slow) and they last for decades.

Whichever bbq you own or choose to buy, one thing should absolutely not be missed and that is a temperature gauge in the lid. You can also purchase an advanced core thermometer, but that works more cumbersome than a thermometer where you can clearly and quickly read the temperature.

Firelighters work well in a BBQ. Just put 3 blocks on or a bit in between the coals,open all air vents and wait fifteen minutes. Especially kamado BBQ’s light easily this way.

A super handy tool to light your coal is a Looftlighter or the Eggniter. They  heat charcoal within 60 seconds. The looftlighter is also very useful to reheat your BBQ. For example, first low and slow your picanha until 47 degrees. If you want to grill, you must first wait until your bbq is hot enough by opening all the air vents. With a rooflighter you can grill after 30 seconds.

Just like the thermometer in the lid, this is the second item that should not be missing in your inventory. With this thermometer you check that your meat is not undercooked or overcooked and you prevent dehydration. Invest in a good and calibrated thermometer. There are 2 types: the first one directly measures the temperature (upper photo) and the other is in the meat so that it is continuously monitored. The second is mainly for large pieces of meat that you prepare low and slow.

Charcoal is more important than you might think. You do not want grit, no charcoal that smokes a lot and makes your food bitter and it should burn long and hot. Briquettes are a no go. We want pure charcoal and preferably hardwood. Beautiful chunks with a goed airflow. Dammers is always a good choice.

Smokewood is great to add extra flavor to your pieces of meat or to create a nice smoke line in your meat. Because the differences between them are not very big, it is important to determine the end result. Do you want to smoke a lot and thick smoke or only gentle smoke? Oak, Beech, Mesquite and Hickory give heavy smoke and are especially suitable for beef and pork.

Lighter wood such as wood from fruit trees and walnut trees are better suited for chicken or fish. If you use the heavier woods for this, your piece of chicken or fish will become bitter.