Cooking Gloves are “Must Have” Accessory for Working a Hot Smoker

You need cooking gloves… I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burned my fingers on a hot smoker. Working around a hot smoker is hazardous because you are handling fuel, food, and utensils.

A good pair of cooking gloves are essential for avoiding accidents.

If all you have are oven mitts they’re okay in a pinch. I used them for quite a while until I found something better.

There are two types of cooking gloves on the market. The leather variety is better suited for handling and adding fuel and hot utensils. On one occasion, when doing a all night cook, I over slept and let my fire burn too low so we had to start more charcoal.

Starting more charcoal in the chimney starter and having to pour the hot coals in the smoker gets pretty hot. On those occasions it’s good to have the gloves.

The other variety is a relatively recent product sponsored by Steve Raichlen of “Barbecue Bible” and “Primal Grill” fame. They are insulated rubber gloves that allow you to pick up large cuts of meat off the smoker with relative ease.

They are also easy to wash. Before getting these gloves it was a little bit of a challenge for me to grab that pork shoulder, pork butt, or large brisket off the smoker when it was done. I highly recommend this product.

The only downside to this product is that it is “one size fits all”. If you have small hands then they fit a little loose.

Personally, I would invest in a pair of both types and have them handy when the cooking starts.

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