Boy does the BBQ Guy have a large budget for his Christmas want list for BBQ items. Let me give you wives some more economical ideas that will make the Quer in your life happy, maybe not as happy as a new Austin National smoker or an RV, but happy nonetheless.

Whether your BBQ Guy competes in bbq contests, or just likes to cook-out on your patio; I've listed a few things he might like to add to his collection.

This BBQ Wife can not stand the smell and hazards of lighter fluid. So I would recommend a Weber Chimney Charcoal Starter. Before Brian started cooking I didn’t know there was such a thing, now we have converted all our family members to this way of lighting charcoal for their grills and dutch ovens. (Sorry to those of you in the lighter fluid industry.)

A good stainless steel bbq grill set is also a perfect idea. It is probably more for the griller and not just the low and slow BBQ’er afficianado. The BBQ Guy loves his set for hamburgers, hotdogs, brauts, etc., but when he is at the smoker they aren’t much use to him, so keep your cook in mind.

Whether a griller or a BBQ’er, it is important to get that meat cooked to the appropriate temperature; especially chicken. Try a wireless thermometer or a digital temperature probe. The wireless remote has worked fine at home, but at competitions we have found that the remote readings can become inaccurate. It must pick up interference somehow.

Try the BBQ Grill Light. (This was a gift for the The BBQ Guy a couple years ago.)

If your griller wants to try the BBQing/Smoking aspect of outdoor cooking a great inexpensive way to get started is with the Weber Smokey Mountain. The BBQ Guy cooks 2 packer briskets in his WSM at contests and has brought home several trophies. They work.

BBQ Aprons and Mitts are also great additions to the BBQ accessories list. I personally have thrown away more t-shirts stained with BBQ sauce and marinade than I can count. If you don’t like the ones linked here you can always go to Cafepress.com and design your own for your guy.

If your BBQer is already a little deeper into the hobby, try knives. The BBQ Guy is kind of selfish with his Que knives, keeping them all to himself, so you might want to buy 2--one for you and one for him. We have this Henckels stainless steel 10-inch slicer.

If your family is going to make jump into competition cookoffs in 2007, a canopy is a must for any contest a 12 x 12 or larger is recommended if you will be having more than 3 or 4 folks on your team. Brian and I use a 10 x 10, but would really enjoy the additional space a 12 x 12 would offer. You can buy excellent Caravan canopies at Costco.

Contests are very tiring, so make sure you pick up a couple of Coleman cots to help you catch some z’s.

It seems the BBQ Guy Cooking team never has enough insulated ice coolers. You can turn the cooler into a gift basket and fill it with BBQ accessories, gift certificates to the grocery store or butcher shop, BBQ sauces, BBQ rubs (especially The BBQ Guy Rubs).

Share some of your ideas with me. There are always family members begging for ideas on what to give The BBQ Guy.