What materials to buy to get up and running?

[Richard J]

Hi Newbie here

So now I have my Callow Put together, just wondering what people have found to be the best products to buy to get up and running

I know there are different qualities of Briquettes etc. maybe some are better for Smokers than a BBQ etc.? 

Any recommendations for Wood/Pellets/Rubs etc.?

I know I can Google this, but thought there are knowledgeable people here, that would of already gone through this process, so would know the pit fulls of what to get and what not

Any help appreciated

Cheers

R

[Simon]

Hi. Welcome to the forum. There are a few different websites for wood or pellets. It’s depends on what you’re planning to cook. Some sites give a discount if you buy more. 

[Richard J]

17 minutes ago, Simon said:

Hi. Welcome to the forum. There are a few different websites for wood or pellets. It’s depends on what you’re planning to cook. Some sites give a discount if you buy more. 

Hi Simon, I think I would start with not trying to be too clever, so the obvious pulled pork, brisket, ribs etc.

[pittmab]

Welcome Richard,

In terms of fuel, i think general consensus would be Heat Beads if you can get them, Weber briquettes or the coconut shell briquettes are supposed to be very good. I suspect you could use a good quality lump wood as well which might help with air flow as briquettes tend to create a lot more ash.

Smoking wood is easy enough to come by on eBay or Amazon - oak, cherry, apple are all readily available. If you go for wood chips try and get the larger chips as these will sit in amongst the coals a bit better.

Rubs, sauces etc are so readily available now it's difficult to know where to start! I have used rubs from Angus & Oink, Norfolk smoke pit and Oakridge which have all been excellent. Sauces I tend not to use that much but do go back to Baby Rays original or some of the Bullseye ones.

I think a lot of this is trial and error and finding out what works for you, good luck

[Richard J]

9 hours ago, pittmab said:

Welcome Richard,

In terms of fuel, i think general consensus would be Heat Beads if you can get them, Weber briquettes or the coconut shell briquettes are supposed to be very good. I suspect you could use a good quality lump wood as well which might help with air flow as briquettes tend to create a lot more ash.

Smoking wood is easy enough to come by on eBay or Amazon - oak, cherry, apple are all readily available. If you go for wood chips try and get the larger chips as these will sit in amongst the coals a bit better.

Rubs, sauces etc are so readily available now it's difficult to know where to start! I have used rubs from Angus & Oink, Norfolk smoke pit and Oakridge which have all been excellent. Sauces I tend not to use that much but do go back to Baby Rays original or some of the Bullseye ones.

I think a lot of this is trial and error and finding out what works for you, good luck

Thanks for the info, certainly a help. I know what you mean about the rubs sauces etc. think I'll concentrate on getting the smoker working properly fuel wise then when I can cook something without giving us all food poisoning I'll look at flavouring after that