Must have accessories for beginners

[Big Dawg]

Screw the accessories.  You have the grill. Get charcoal, buy meat.... cook the stuff...make meals.... learn how the grill works for you,  only then get accessories. Right now, just get a good thermometer so you know when the food is cooked properly.

^^This^^

Oh yeah.
Get some nice steak knives.

I'd pay attention to these two . . .





BD

[dbhost]

So it looks like you have a good start...

Royal Oak Ridge charcoal is one I haven't tried. Mostly as they are not in my HEB... But I hear good things about them!

Hinged grate and chimney are must haves for me for sure!

If you have the means to do it, and don't mind poking a hole in the lid, I would STRONGLY suggest installing a thermometer IN the lid, between the hook and the lip of the lid, that puts it plenty close to the grate without interfering with the operation of anything else in the grill.

If you are unsure of how to do that, I made a quick and easy video on it...
https://youtu.be/EYYatwbi4MQ

Foil catch pans to do an indirect heat. The Weber branded ones are honestly pretty lousy, but they work, and are a mess cheaper than the other ones in the store... You pick...

Other must haves are stainless steel tongs, spatula, meat thermometer, meat fork, skewers, silicone basting brush,lighter, tool holder. etc...

On the tool holder, I got a Weber branded one that hangs off the kettle itself, it's for the 22" models and I am not sure if they make one for the 18". It would be worth a look...

And of course like so many others have mentioned, meat, lots of lots of meat. Pour coals, light, cook, eat, clean repeat...

[yippee]

As soon as I get off of work today, I'm going home and lighting the grill for the first time. I plan on grilling on it as soon and as often as possible. I would have started last night, but by time I purchased the charcoal and chimney and made it home, it was pretty much time to get ready for bed for work in the morning.

I certainly don't have any problems with putting a thermometer in the lid. I was really just more curious which thermometer people have had good experiences with and recommend.

I plan on buying the add ons as I go, no way I was waiting til I have them all to get started enjoying the grill. Just trying to compile a list of what everyone likes, uses, and suggests so I have some ideas to pull from as I get started.

[Darko]

@yippee .  As I said, all you need is the grill, charcoal & food. As you cook stuff, you'll decide what accessories you want based on what your preferences are. That's when you'll really hate us, because we'll tell you to buy everything.

[yippee]

I cooked some burgers last night, I figured they were a fast and simple way to get my feet wet. I used the chimney starter to kick things off, preheated the grill, then got to cooking. Burgers came out good, everyone liked them.

I do definitely want a thermometer to add to the lid. I'm sure it will become more second nature with time, but I'd like something to look at to quickly tell the temp.

Do I remember reading somewhere that the charcoal baskets help keep the coals hotter longer? If so that's a definite add on too. I just placed the coals on the bottom grate, and they kind of scattered. I feel like I was losing temp by the end of the cook. Maybe it was just my imagination, but to me it definitely didn't seem to be as hot towards the end. I'm hoping that maybe a nice charcoal basket will help with that. I put about 40-45 briquettes in an 18" kettle, does that sound like a reasonable amount?

All in all, I was happy with my first cook, but I'd like to keep getting better with each cook.

[powermatt99]

Beer.

[jeffrackmo]

Being a purist... I wouldn't deface my kettle lid(s).  I would invest n a remote therm to clip on the grill.  Maverick has an inexpensive wireless set up.  I have the maverick 733.  It has two probes.  One for the grill and one for the protein.   The wire fits nicely between the Lid and the bowl.

Just know that the therm on the lid is a "best guess" of the grate temp.  It usually runs 40 - 50 Degrees hotter at the lid.  You want stable temps at the cooking grate.

I agree with the guys here.  You have the kettle.  Now learn the kettle and go from there. 

Welcome to the WKC and congrats on the new Kettle and the Maiden cook!!  More is in your future!! 

Best of Luck!  Oh... and we like pictures.. LOTS of pictures... As @Bob BQ says.. NO pics?  Then it didn't happen..

Pull up a chair and be careful... You just may learn a thing or 12....

J

[PotsieWeber]

If you don't have one yet, a good woman is a great accessory for a grill.  Usually best to stay away from the vegetarian ones.

[hawgheaven]

Get a Vortex...



I installed a Weber lid thermo...



And get yourself a Thermapen to check internal temps of your meats...

https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImu6bs_e83AIVRGt-Ch0oowlAEAAYASAAEgLyaPD_BwE

[Neil_VT00]

I think that the only must have is a good thermometer.  hawgheaven's suggestion of the thermopen is a great one, but if you are looking for something a little more budget friendly, I'd recommend a thermopop (https://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop). It reads a little slower, but is still very accurate.

[hawgheaven]

I think that the only must have is a good thermometer.  hawgheaven's suggestion of the thermopen is a great one, but if you are looking for something a little more budget friendly, I'd recommend a thermopop (https://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop). It reads a little slower, but is still very accurate.

I agree with the Thermpop as well... I have a few of them in my arsenal...  Great product for cheap.

[Filibuster]

   Lid thermometer and an instant read therm yes, when you start doing whole birds rumps and roasts and other big hunks of meats then it's time to step up to a wireless therm. Hamburgers, chops and bird pieces don't don't need a wireless. Get the slow and sear basket and Weber SS flip grate and switch to the ash bucket.

Sent from my SM-J700P using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[avega2792]

I love the charcoal baskets and the small chimney for the 18" I will never not use the baskets! a cheap and effective tool hanger I use are the magnetic hooks from Harbor Freight, I think they're $3 and they work just fine. I also added a lid thermometer and ash bucket on my 18". I love my 18" kettle!

[addicted-to-smoke]

Thermometers always get placed over food, not over the heat source. You want to know the temp that the food experiences. The temp generated at the food source is irrelevant.

I'm a fan of @DirectDrive 's Tel-Tru mod, http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/lid-therm-mod-for-kettle/

What's nice about the 18 is that because the lid is a flat top, you can place the thermometer closer to the edge than you could with a 22, AND since the lid is closer to the grill grate (than a 22's is) the thermo should read more accurately.

That being said, any bimetal lid thermometer is a "best guess" tool, relegated largely to glancing at whether or not the gill is "hot" or "cold." Tel-Tru's BQ100 is the best there is.

But you can also skip all of that and place a cheap oven thermometer on the cook grate! Just know that no matter how you clean it/oil it, it'll cloud up and be hard to read eventually. (Remember to place it with food, not over coals!)

[addicted-to-smoke]

I use a Weber 7407 ash pan (the one for regular 22.5" kettles) inside my old 18.

The pan sits on the charcoal grate straps, and the charcoal grate just sits on top of the ash pan.

Very little ash collects in the kettle, so very little needs to be swept out. This is a really nice upgrade for the old daisy wheels (3 wheeler) grills, and performs the same function as the Happy Cooker internal ash pans. You could also use it in your modern 18 of course.

https://www.amazon.com/Weber-7407-22-5-Inch-Replacement-Catcher/dp/B000WEOQ1I

I like the 304 SS grates from Killa Grilla. For the 18 they make regular and single-flip cook grates.

http://killagrilla.com/item/round-bbq-stainless-cook-grill-grate-kg-weber-replacement

http://killagrilla.com/item/round-bbq-stainless-cook-grill-grate-kg-w-flip-up-door


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Of course, you could also mod yours into a "One Touch Gold," with ash catcher assembly, lid bale.