Have you ever barbecued? I am sure you have... unless you have been living under a rock and never spent time with your family and friends. Bad jokes aside, just about everyone know what a barbecue is.

But knowing what a barbecue is and knowing HOW to barbecue is two different things. And if you want to learn how to barbecue, you need to know what the essential barbecue equipments are and how to use them. In other words, without the right paraphernalia and some basic knowledge of grilling your barbecue experience might not be as pleasant as it could be.

If you have been to a Home Depot or some other home improvement store you have probably found yourself amidst huge shelves and racks full of barbecue equipment. In my neck of the woods they even have stores that specialize in just barbecue supplies and equipment! Because of the wide selection in barbecue equipment, figuring out what you need can be somewhat of a challenge. It gets even more challenging if you are a newcomer to cooking with a barbecue grill.

In any event, following is a short list of equipment that will be useful as you embark on your barbecue venture. By the way, some of the barbecue equipment I have decided to add to this list may be quite obvious to you, but these are the basic essential tools for a successful barbecue. So here we go...

Oven Mittens - Oven Mittens is in my opinion an essential part of your barbecue arsenal. I am an avid fisherman and often cook it in tin foil, and the mittens really come in handy when trying to pick up these packages. We also often cook meat and vegetable on skewers, and without these it would be awkward to turn and remove these from a hot barbecue grill. You also want to be wearing them when basting meat (because you could get flare-ups). Be sure to get the long sleeved flame retardant mittens if you decide to pick a pair up.

Barbecue Fork - This is one of the utility utensils that need to be part of your barbecue equipment. The primary use is quite obvious... you use it for turning and lifting meat. But it also comes in handy to check whether or not your meat is done and also is useful when you are carving meat.

Grilling Tongs - This is another great utility tool for turning hot dogs, sausages, hamburgers and even tortillas. You can also use it to move charcoal-briquettes and grates. A really useful piece of equipment!

Basting Brushes - If you barbecue for any length of time, you will eventually need to invest in some basting brushes. Why more than one brush, because some barbecue sauces can be difficult to clean off the brush and may contaminate the flavor. You probably want to get another for oiling the cooking surface of your grill s well.

Wide Grilling Spatula - Sometimes you can't use the grilling tongs because the food falls apart. That is when you need to pull out your wide spatula. It is perfect for lifting and turning hamburgers and other delicate food.

Grill Brush - A grill brush is designed for cleaning your grill. You would want to invest in a brass or a steel brush depending on whether you grill is made with porcelain enamel or is made out of cast iron.

As you can see there are a lot of different barbecue utensils that you can use when cooking. You can often buy these things as a kit, but if you do decide to go this route be sure that all the utensils have long handles. Trust me, you'll thank me for this last tip!

Enjoy grilling!