I know keeping muzzle loader clean and in working condition is more work than a rifle. What are some of the essential items you feel are needed to keep it clean and the barrel in great condition? What is your method?

I take mine apart and take it in the shower with me. Wash it out with hot water and dry it. run a patch with bore butter down it is about all I ever do. Except grease the breech plug.

I take the barrel off the gun and put 3 drops of dawn soap in a gallon of very hot water. I set the breech end into the bucket and run a tight patch up and down inside the barrel until it is drawing hot soapy water up the barrel and getting it too hot to hang on to. Then run hot water alone through it with a clean patch next then dry it with the blow drier. Before reassembly I run a patch with bore butter up and down multiple times. Flip the patch over and rub the metal down and then reassemble.

Basically I clean as I would with a modern rifle with the exception of using a torch tip cleaner to clean the flash hole

Dawn works. Hot water in the bathtub with wire brush. Get that
barrel really hot when you rinse, that will help it dry. Then I swab
the bore with some TC bore butter.

I don't do anything special to mine. Soapy water in the sink cleans the flash hole of mine. I never put water down my barrel. A couple of wet patches followed with a couple of brush strokes cleans my barrel right up. I don't foul my barrel before I shoot mine.

Do not forget to put your antiseize on your breech plug before putting it back on.

Patches, solvent, patches, solvent and a final dry patch. Clean the breech plug real good with solvent and be sure the flash hole is clean.

I run a wet patch thru a few times to remove powder residue.
Then brush a few times through.
Then wet patches until all residue is gone.
Then I run my oiled pad thru to lubricate barrel.
On breech plug, qtip wet with cleaner to remove powder.
Use a guitar string, cut off a few inches from the little circle thing in the string, and that it's my plug hole cleaner.
You'll have to use one of the strings that aren't wound which is just solid wire.
I play guitar so want hard to get used strings lol

Then I just use pipe dope for the threads. Its high temp/pressure so it works great.

I also don't fire any caps before hunting because there is no reason IMO.

Sometimes you just gotta say "Damn, why didn't I think of that". That's a great idea for a nipple/breech pick. I'll be stringing one on my powder horn.

Good deal odocoileus... Sorry about my misspelled words lol my dang phone's auto correct...seriously lol
I also use pieces of strings when I rebuild/clean outboard carbs..which is what I do for work even tho I'm retired...

Use Black Horn 209, it will solve many of your cleaning problems
It is very clean burning. I have used it for a good while