BBQ buying guides
BBQ buying guides for working out what to buy and what the extra money actually gets you, from the barbecue itself to the best BBQ accessories, like chimney starters, thermometers and deflectors. The right barbecue depends on what you want from it, a bit like buying a bike, so I’ll tell you who each one suits. Where I’ve cooked on the kit myself, I’ll say so.
18 buying guides, newest first.
Latest buying guides
The best BBQ gloves in the UK for 2026: six picks from £4.19 to £58.99
Six BBQ gloves from £4.19 to £58.99, including the Screwfix welding gauntlets the UK BBQ forum on Reddit recommends.
Where to buy a whole brisket in the UK
Four butchers that sell the flat and the point together, from £69, including the one I’ve ordered from.
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The best online butcher in the UK for 2026: eight for BBQ meat
Eight UK online butchers for BBQ meat. HG Walter is the one I’ve used, and I’d recommend them.
Aldi kamado vs Big Green Egg: the Aldi and Lidl kamados against the Large
The Aldi and Lidl kamados against my Big Green Egg Large: what each cost, what comes with it, and who each one suits.
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The best kamado heat deflector in the UK for 2026: six picks from £38.90 to £245
Six kamado heat deflectors from £38.90 to £245, for a Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe or Monolith. Mine’s the ConvEGGtor.
The best BBQ temperature controller in 2026: nine UK picks from £187 to £1,999
Nine UK options, from a £66 fan to a £1,999 kamado with one built in. Mine’s done about 35 cooks on the vents alone.
Big Green Egg vs Kamado Joe: the Large against the Classic III
The Egg Large at £1,495 against the Classic III at £1,999, neither on a stand, from twenty-plus cooks on my Egg and reviewers who’ve used both.
Big Green Egg sizes: the MiniMax, the Large and the XL
The MiniMax at £925, the Large at £1,495 and the XL at £2,050, with Big Green Egg’s own sizes and weights. Mine’s a Large.
The best wireless meat thermometer in the UK for 2026: six picks from £40.49 to £330
Six wireless meat thermometers from £40.49 to £330. The ThermoPro TP20 is the one I use, and for the price I’d take it over a MEATER.
Low and slow barbecue: how to smoke meat on charcoal
Fire first, then something cheap. Don’t do pulled pork first — a brined pork loin at 140°C is the smarter first low-and-slow. Works on a kamado or a kettle. Drawn from real cooks on Ben’s kit.
The best smoking wood chunks in the UK for 2026: six woods from £8.99 to £22.95
Six smoking woods from £8.99 to £22.95. Oak is what I cook with, and you don’t need to soak it.
Charcoal vs gas BBQ: which to buy in the UK
Charcoal vs gas from someone who’s cooked on both: an Outback gas BBQ, a Weber kettle for twenty years and now a Big Green Egg.
The best chimney starter in the UK for 2026: five picks from £9.99 to £23.27
Five chimney starters from £9.99 to £23.27. The Weber Rapidfire is the one I used for years, and I’d buy it again.
The best BBQ charcoal in the UK for 2026: six bags from £20 to £29.99
Six lumpwood bags from £20 to £29.99. Big K is the best I’ve cooked on, B&Q’s Restaurant Lumpwood is my weekly bag, and Diall is the one to avoid.
The best charcoal BBQ for beginners in the UK for 2026: four picks from £149 to £299.99
Kettle or kamado for your first BBQ? Four picks from £149, led by the Weber Master-Touch I cooked on for more than twenty years.
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The best kettle BBQ in the UK for 2026: five charcoal kettles from £149 to £560
Five charcoal kettles from £149 to £560, led by the Weber Master-Touch I cooked on for more than twenty years.
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The best kamado BBQ in the UK for 2026: six picks from £244.99 to £2,799
Six kamados from £244.99 to £2,799. I cook on a Big Green Egg, and I’d recommend the Kamado Joe Classic III.
The best BBQ gifts in the UK for 2026: eight ideas from £14.95 to £1,999
Eight BBQ gifts from £14.95 to £1,999. Most are things I’ve cooked with, and the Kamado Joe Classic III is the kamado I’d recommend.
Read the full guide →About these BBQ buying guides
The buying guides here all start from a cook on my own kit: a supermarket ceramic kamado against a £1,495 Big Green Egg, premium butcher against supermarket, charcoal against gas — with my own review behind the verdict wherever I’ve cooked on it.
The Aldi and Lidl vs Big Green Egg ladder includes the £500 GoodHome Sagami from B&Q as the middle rung between the Specialbuys and the BGE Large.
If there’s a specific BBQ buying decision you want a guide for, drop me a note via the About page.
Common questions
Which BBQ should I buy?
One that matches what you need. It’s like buying a bike: are you riding 200k, getting to work, or taking the kids to school? If it’s your first one, start with my guide to the best UK BBQ for first-time buyers.
What are the must-haves for BBQ?
Gloves, tongs, firelighters and at least an instant-read probe thermometer. On a kamado you’ll want a deflector for anything indirect, but you don’t need a chimney starter. On a kettle, a chimney starter is the easiest way to get the charcoal going.
What are common BBQ mistakes to avoid?
The big one is letting the temperature run away from you. It’s easy to nudge a barbecue up, but once you’ve gone past your temperature it can take an hour to come back down, especially on a ceramic kamado. The other is doing a long cook like pulled pork without a probe thermometer.