10 Grill Accessories That Are a Waste of Money — and 10 That Aren’t
There are a LOT of grill accessories out there… but let’s be honest — some feel like total garbage. Today we’re looking at 10 BBQ Grill accessories that I feel fall into the waste of money category and 10 that I love and recommend to friends & family. Whether you grill on a Kamado, pellet smoker, gas grill, or charcoal, this video will help you avoid the gimmicks and pick gear that actually makes your barbecue better. And if you’re searching for BBQ gift ideas, this list will save you time and cash.
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* Mentioned In Video*
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🌡 MEATER wireless probes –
💰 No coupon needed! Black Friday sale – get 20% OFF Plus, Pro Duo, Pro XL + Accessories and 30% OFF Block
🗑️ KickAsh Basket & Can –
💰 Use discount code “SDBBQ” to get 5% off any order site wide!
🔥 GrillGun and Su-V Gun from GrillBlazer –
💰 No coupon needed! Just use this link for up to 10% off site-wide
🥩 ChefsTemp X10 Instant Thermometer – & S1 ProTemp Smart Gauge –
💰 Use discount code “SDBBQ” to get 25% off any order site wide!
🔪 Dalstrong Knives, Cookware & Tools –
💰 No coupon needed! Just use this link for up to 10% off site-wide
🍖 Drip EZ Prep Tubs & Grill Gear –
💰 Use discount code “SDB10” to get 10% off any order site wide!
🪵 Smoke North offset smokers –
💰 No coupon needed! Just use this link for 25% off all accessories & pit upgrades!
🧂 Pepper Cannon (8-60 mesh 10x more per grind) –
💰 Use discount code “SDBBQ10” to get 10% off any order site wide!
🪨 Fogo Charcoal & BBQ accessories (Free shipping orders over $100) –
👉🏼 Dalstrong & Get 10% off your order here— (no code needed)
👉🏼 FireBoard Drive/Spark/Pulse Here –
👉🏼 Ceramic Grill Store Spider I used in this video (My BGE E-Book has been updated with more setup options –
👉🏼 ThermoWorks RFX –
🗄 At Home Mini Dry Age Cabinet (Pro Smoker Reserve 50) –
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Chapters
00:00 – Wasting $$$ sucks
00:31 – I’d Skip (1)
01:00 – I’d Skip (2)
01:41 – I’d Skip (3)
02:32 – I’d Skip (4)
03:47 – I’d Skip (5)
04:25 – I’d Skip (6)
05:32 – I’d Skip (7)
06:19 – I’d Skip (8)
07:03 – I’d Skip (9)
07:44 – I’d Skip (10) BGE Specific
08:35 – Thumbs up BBQ Gear
08:50 – Best Gear (1)
09:25 – Best Gear (2)
10:41 – Best Gear (3)
11:35 – Best Gear (4)
13:08 – Best Gear (5)
14:28 – Best Gear (6)
15:33 – Best Gear (7)
16:51 – Best Gear (8)
18:26 – Best Gear (9)
19:01 – Best Gear (10) BGE Specific
#bbq #grill #giftideas
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James do you still have your Kamado Joe's sitting off to the side or did you total get rid of them. I saw why you switched. Its funny Kamado Joe still uses videos of you.
Whoa ! You missed the point on those Grill Grates BIG TIME ! #1 Get them hot as you can before doing a meat throw down ! Nice marks for sure . But mostly , they work FANTASTIC eliminating flare ups ! You can't beat them .
Meater connectivity is hit or miss and the most unreliable device I have tried in this category – when I raised my issues to their customer team they never acknowledged & never responded. Pure junk especially at the premium price – much better options and better customer service from other players.
I agree with your recommendation of what to buy and don't waste your money. I been using the ChefsTemp new probes with stand and love you can see the probe's temperature without having to use your cell phone.
I couldn't figure out how to make Meater work, and the batteries.
I could not disagree more with your comments about the RFX. I have wasted many hundreds of dollars on MEATER probes of every generation that have horrible connectivity issues. The RFX is a major improvement in capability from this standpoint whether it’s in a pellet grill, Kamado, or 3/8 inch thick steel of my offset.
I love my RFX! That’s my opinion.
Great video, ty!! GrillGrates… I LOVE them as if you get a random flare up, it doesn't char the meat's and I like flipping them over for fish, veg and burgers anything I want more a flat surface but still want some smoke from. Another thing for me when I travel to cook at someones house or park bbq's, I grab 2-3 rails and instead of a BBQ with a basic or broken (not sure what you will get) wire rack, I have something I can trust. I will look up. your video on them now for sure to see your thoughts, I"m intrigued to see what you found.
Gotta do a hard disagree on the cold smoker attachment if you have a pellet grill. My Traeger has never been that great at smoke production so I've tried smoke tubes and a cold smoker attachment (Magnum PIG from Smoke Daddy). The smoke tubes were alright but nothing compared to what I can achieve burning chunks of wood in the cold smoker to supplement the smoke flavor. I'm sure using one on a Kamado grill compared to a pellet grill is apples and oranges so I'll give the benefit of the doubt that it's a pass on a big green egg but if you've got a pellet grill I think they're absolutely worth the investment.
I tried my RFX for the first time on two smoked 18lb turkeys yesterday. The temps were spot on with my instant read so I am confident with their initial accuracy. Also, never had any issues with connectivity over the 6 hour cook. Tossed them in the dishwasher and now all clean as new. At first I was disappointed with the wired chamber probe, but I have a certain spot I like to measure my chamber temp so having a separate probe helps me there.
for high heat gloves, I just bought some welding gloves, I can pick up burning logs and move them in my offset no problem.
unless you are starting a fire for an offset smoker that grill gun is a giant waste of money, even than one of those cheap weed torches would work just the same, a cheap 10 dollar heat gun from harbor freight will light up charcoal/lump in a few mintutes no problem and i ve havent lighted up any other way since i tried years ago. Dont over complicate with fancy expemsive brand names only where its necesary which is usually thermoworks products.
very handy that all the things you recommend are things you have codes for!
$200 pepper grinder!? Lmao. Just buy pre ground pepper at that point.
The electric fire starters are way better than the grill guns and half the price. The electric ones allow me to stick it in the charcoal and walk away. The grill gun has to be baby sat and it leaves me smelling like a chimney
I"ve had lots of issues with poor connection with the Meater, and my RFX has been flawless. The meater now sleeps unused in the drawer of shame, while the RFX gets used once or twice each week
What happened to all the Kamado Joes?
Every single product that he advised for, he is sponsored by (and even created one). Really?
I love grill gates. I use them almost every cook. And, like you, I don’t care about sear marks. But, I do care about clean up and these are super easy to clean. They are useful on my propane grill and essential on my pellet smokers. Depending on what I cook, I even used them on my eggs.
These were all excellent James. I wish the Meater had longer range, but for accuracy, they rock.
I've had my WSM for one year now and I just ordered the the chef's temp stuff for it. Thanks so much for how ever you worked out the discount code for it.
I’m a diehard ThermoWorks fan…..RFX is trash. It pains me to say it. I own so many ThermoWorks products that are truly world class, but they really missed the mark with RFX. Range is so bad that the gateway MUST be right next to whichever smoker I’m using or the signal drops. I switched to Typhur for the wireless probes, and what a night and day difference. Their ambient temps are actually spot-on too. It takes a few minutes for them to come up to the right readings,but they’re spot-on.
Hard pass on the RFX? MEATER is really buying your influence. There are countless negative reviews not only of their product but also of their customer service. Of course, you got a unit that works perfectly, while the rest of us who bought into your reviews now have a $300+ paperweight. Thermoworks is top-notch and doesn’t need to spend all of its capital on marketing because its products speak for themselves. Your bias has been really coming out recently. Very disappointed.
Your code for the pepper cannon on the screen is wrong 15:14 but the code in the notes is correct. It should read SDBBQ10.
James, does the BGE expander rack and double indirect systems fit in the Goldens Cast Iron Kamado??
interesting how you provide negative feedback on the thermoworks products, only to promote your meater sponsor. So genuine.
I agree w/ most of your hard passes, but I have to argue for the dry age bags.
For 99% of backyard BBQers, a dedicated dry aging chamber is not an option because they're so expensive. If your advice is followed, then 99% of us shouldn't try dry aged meats? I've seen many of your videos, so I know you're not trying to come across as elitist, but one could interpret your remarks about dry aging in that light.
Also, I have dry aged many briskets in bags for 45 days, and my moisture loss has ranged from 23-28%, well within the normal values for any dry aging method.
Perhaps your results with bag dry aging have more to do with the different cuts of beef you displayed in this video. The steak on the left, presumably the one you dry aged in a bag, looks like a ribeye cap. This is a shorter, fattier cut that will lose more moisture during dry aging than the taller, leaner cut shown on the right, which looks like a ribeye center filet.
Respectfully, if you're going to compare apples to apples, you should use the same cut of beef for both dry aging methods.
Your video must be doing so well: the ChefsTemp thermometer link has been taken offline. Great insights here!
So I have some other suggestions:
1. A good knife sharpener system that works for you. Sharpal seems to be a very cost effective, yet quality brand.
2. Wired thermometer systems are far more reliable unless you use a rotisserie. They don't disconnect randomly in the middle of a cook like Meater. Both of my Meater 2 probes have proven to be the most frustrating items I've ever bought for grilling, and that's saying a lot.
3. Thermoworks has their original Thermapen 1 on sale for a very reasonable price for Black Friday. But there are several others brands that people swear by.
I used to think the pepper cannon was ridiculously overpriced. I've used it daily for almost 2 years now. It's not overpriced. Yes it's expensive, but it's not overpriced. Thanks for the video!
Any idea if the eggspander will work on a Kamado III?
The biggest waste of money would be buying multiple big green eggs and accessories then switching to kamado joe then switching back to big green egg. But sponsors pay the bills.
Smart tips.
Hey James! Great video but you mentioned updating your bge double indirect guide. I bought the bge bundle when it first dropped I was wondering where I could get the updated version?
Smoke tube. Super cheap and super useful that a lot of people don’t have or use.
Such a flex. Yeah, it’s never good to burn money, even if it isn’t your National currency.
Obvious biased reviews. Discount code=trash competition/push trash
Gee, I wonder if this is a Meater sponsered video or an add for Meater ?
Meater is garbage, I have had 2 and neither worked.