what tools to you guys and gals find are must haves when grilling with charcoal. Not tools for the food, but tools for tending the coals and grates and anything else you use.
My toys er tools are a pair of grilling gloves, BBQ tongs to use solely for charcoal, Weber Chimney, Weber starter cubes or duraflame starter blocks, dust pan for ashes, and a dual probe thermometer to measure grate temp.
After ruining all of my wife's kitchen towels I started buying these from Lowes. ~$10 for a pack of 12. No matter what I'm cooking I usually always have one draped over my shoulder. I can't imaging cooking without them.
I keep a plastic bag by my grilling stuff and when it's full of dirty towels I throw them in the wash with some bleach. When they get too stained or frayed I just throw them out. A pack will usually last me a couple months.
Tools? Okay then, I found the easiest way to clean my grates is with a 1/4" open end wrench.
Chimney, propane torch, and a few SS brushes are a must have IMO.
Now back to what I consider a "tool"
A small hatchet along with a rubber mallet is what I like to use for splitting up pieces of smokewood, and the rubber mallet serves also as a prop, when I need to turn the door over on the WSM for a HH cook.