Recommendations
Cooking tools and BBQ accessories Paul actually uses — with honest notes on what justifies the cost and what to skip.
Chef's Knife
A German-forged high-carbon steel knife that holds an edge properly. The 8" Classic is the workhorse of the WUSTHOF range — heavy enough for breaking down chickens, precise enough for fine chopping. A buy-once knife that sharpens back to frightening keenness with a decent pull-through.
View on Amazon (Ad)Garlic Press
The Garject ejects the spent garlic skin cleanly rather than leaving you to dig it out with your fingers. A small thing, but if you cook with garlic daily — which low-carb cooking essentially requires — having a press that does not frustrate you matters. Chrome-plated zinc, built to last.
View on Amazon (Ad)Knife Sharpener
A suction-base pull-through sharpener with a tungsten carbide element. It will not replace a whetstone for professional edge refinement, but it will turn a dull knife into a functional one in three passes. The suction base means you can use it one-handed on a worktop edge.
View on Amazon (Ad)Silicone Spatula
The silicone head is heat-safe to 315 degrees C and will not scratch non-stick or ceramic surfaces. For flipping fried eggs, turning salmon fillets, or moving seared chicken thighs, this is the spatula I reach for first. OXO builds these with a level of grip and balance that cheaper versions never match.
View on Amazon (Ad)Box Grater
Stainless steel construction with four grating surfaces. The most-used side in low-carb cooking is the fine grating face for cauliflower rice — the OXO sharp teeth shred a head of cauliflower in about 90 seconds without turning it to mush. The non-slip base and comfortable handle make it noticeably better than cheaper alternatives.
View on Amazon (Ad)The kamado I cook on, plus the accessories I have bought and actually use. See the BBQ guide for full context.
Kamado BBQ
The kamado I cook on. The Big Joe II has a 24-inch cooking area — large enough to run a full brisket flat alongside a rack of ribs. The thick ceramic walls act as a thermal battery, holding temperature through cold, wet UK conditions without intervention. For low-and-slow cooks, it is genuinely a different category of tool compared to a standard kettle BBQ. The Big Joe II comes with the Divide and Conquer flexible cooking system, heat deflectors, and side shelves as standard — all of which you pay extra for on a Big Green Egg.
View on Amazon (Ad)Rotisserie
The JoeTisserie is a cast-aluminium ring that sits between the base and dome of the Big Joe, housing a 240V UK motor that slowly rotates the spit. The continuous rotation self-bastes the exterior, producing the best whole chicken I have ever cooked — crisp outside, remarkably moist throughout. Also outstanding for legs of lamb and pork shoulder.
View on Amazon (Ad)Cooking Surface
The soapstone fits into the Divide and Conquer rack and provides a flat, very dense cooking surface that retains heat extraordinarily well. It cooks with a gentle, even contact heat rather than aggressive grill marks — ideal for fish, scallops, and eggs. Worth having if fish features regularly in your cooking.
View on Amazon (Ad)Grill Cover
Essential for protecting your investment — and not just from rain. The UV exposure in a UK summer will bleach the red ceramic over time without a cover. Mine has faded from black to white over the past couple of years, but it is still doing its job. The custom-fitted Kamado Joe cover is solution-dyed and genuinely waterproof. Do not treat it as optional.
View on Amazon (Ad)Cooking Accessory
A ceramic beer-can chicken stand that holds a whole bird upright inside the dome, promoting even heat circulation and noticeably crisper skin than laying flat. Simple, effective, and worth the modest cost if you cook whole chickens on the kamado regularly.
View on Amazon (Ad)Ash Basket
The primary reason to upgrade from the standard Kamado Joe basket is airflow. The Onlyfire basket has larger, better-spaced gaps in the base that allow significantly more air to circulate through the charcoal bed, which means easier lighting, more responsive temperature control, and cleaner ash fall-through. It makes ash management noticeably easier too. One of those purchases you will not regret.
View on Amazon (Ad)Fire Starter
Connects to a standard propane canister and gets kamado coals burning in 30 to 60 seconds flat. No chemicals, no firelighters, no waiting. I use this to start every single cook. Essential day-one purchase with any kamado — see the Mapp Gas entry below for the canister I pair with it.
View on Amazon (Ad)Gas Canister
The fuel canister I use with the cooking torch above. Mapp Gas burns significantly hotter than standard propane, which makes a real difference when lighting kamado charcoal — you get a strong, reliable ignition point in seconds. I tried Coleman gas canisters first but they did not provide enough pressure for a strong, sustained flame. The Mapp Gas Pro Plus solves that completely. The twin pack is good value.
View on Amazon (Ad)BBQ Gloves
The kamado dome gets seriously hot. These protect to high temperatures and allow you to confidently handle the lid, adjust grates, and move meat without risk of burns. I use them on every cook. A safety essential, not a gimmick.
View on Amazon (Ad)Meat Thermometer
The industry standard instant-read probe — I have the red one. It gives an accurate reading in under one second, which matters when you are checking multiple probing points across a brisket flat or confirming a chicken thigh has hit temperature. For serious BBQ, guessing internal temperature is how you ruin expensive cuts of meat. This is not optional kit.
View on Amazon (Ad)Smart Thermometer
The MEATER Pro is the current model — I have the older MEATER Plus, but the Pro is the one to buy now. It tracks internal meat temperature and ambient cooker temperature simultaneously, sending data to your phone. For overnight brisket cooks or pork shoulders running 12 to 15 hours, being able to monitor both the fire and the meat without opening the dome is genuinely invaluable. Lab-certified accuracy and significantly improved range and connectivity over the Plus.
View on Amazon (Ad)Lumpwood Charcoal
The obvious first choice for a Kamado Joe owner. Large, dense hardwood chunks specifically sized for kamado use. The big pieces burn slowly and steadily — ideal for the long low-and-slow cooks a kamado excels at. It is what I primarily use and I trust the consistency. A kamado must only be fuelled with 100% natural lumpwood — never briquettes.
View on Amazon (Ad)Lumpwood Charcoal
Recommended to me by an experienced pitmaster, and it has become a firm favourite. Restaurant-grade birch lumpwood with a notably clean burn, high heat output, and very low ash production. The birch provides a neutral, clean smoke that does not interfere with your smoking wood pairings. Excellent value.
View on Amazon (Ad)