The whole starter kit
For not much money you can be properly set up: a basic kettle, a chimney starter, an instant-read thermometer, a pair of long tongs and heat gloves, and a bag each of lump and briquettes. That is everything you need to cook brilliantly. Nothing on that list is expensive, and together they beat a costly grill with none of them.
Where to spend, where to save
| Spend on | Save on |
|---|---|
| A chimney starter | A fancy grill; a basic kettle is fine |
| A thermometer | Built-in lid thermometers, which are inaccurate |
| Decent charcoal | Gadgets and single-use gimmicks |
| Good gloves and tongs | Matching branded tool sets |
Eat cheap cuts
The best-value cooking is the cheap, flavourful cuts: pork shoulder, chicken thighs, skirt steak, beef cheeks, whole chickens. They cost a fraction of premium cuts and, cooked well, often taste better. A butcher will sell you the cheap cuts the supermarket does not stock.
Better fuel improves your food more than a better grill does, and it costs a few pounds. A bag of good lump under a steak makes more difference than a hundred pounds of extra grill would. Spend there first.
Grow into it
Start with the basics, cook on them for a season, and add things only when you know why you want them. A rotisserie ring, a pizza stone, a cast iron plate, each earns its place once you have a specific cook in mind. Buying kit before you need it is how sheds fill with unused gadgets.
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