Kamado Grill Accessories You Actually Need on Day One (and What Can Wait)
Which kamado accessories are essential, which are nice to have and which can wait? Thermometers, deflectors, cast iron, pizza stones, rotisseries and covers, ranked honestly.
Quick answer
On day one you need exactly four things beyond the grill: lumpwood charcoal, natural fire starters, an instant-read thermometer and a way to set up indirect heat (a deflector or two-zone system, which every Kamado Bono set already includes).
Everything else is a genuine upgrade rather than a requirement, and the order to buy it in depends on what you cook. This guide ranks each accessory by how much it changes your results.
Every new kamado owner asks the same thing at checkout: “What else do I need?” The honest answer is “less than you think, then more than you expect”. The grill itself does most of the work. But two or three accessories genuinely transform what you can cook, and it is worth knowing which ones before you spend money on gadgets that will sit in the shed.
This guide is written around the Kamado Bono range we sell, but the logic applies to any ceramic grill. If you are still choosing the grill, start with the size guide because most accessories are size-specific.
What already comes with your Kamado Bono
Before buying anything, check what is already in the box, because Kamado Bono sets are unusually complete:
- Media, Maxi, Grande and Limited: stand with side trays, fibreglass gasket, the two-zone grilling system with side deflectors, Kazan pot holder, ceramic chicken rack, ash removal tool, cookbook and protective cover.
- Minimo: stand with handles, gasket, a thick ceramic heat deflector, ash tool, cover, cookbook and grate gripper.
- EVO Minimo, Media and Grande: the multi-level GrillMax cooking system with ceramic heat deflectors, cast iron top vent, calibratable dome thermometer and, on Media and Grande, side shelves.
- Picnic: stainless steel heat deflector and dome thermometer.
So the heat deflector, cover and ash tool that other brands charge extra for are already covered. That is why our Tier 1 list is so short.
Tier 1: buy with the grill
1. Lumpwood charcoal, not briquettes
A kamado wants large pieces of natural lumpwood: it lights cleanly, burns hot or low as you ask it to, and leaves very little ash. Briquettes contain binders, produce far more ash that chokes the airflow, and can taint food. Texas Club 10 kg lumpwood is made from oak, beech and hornbeam with the fines sifted out; a full firebox will run 10 hours or more. For the longest burn, Namibian acacia is denser still.
2. Natural fire starters
Never lighter fluid: the ceramic absorbs it, it taints every cook for weeks and it voids the warranty. A couple of ecological fire starters or wood wool lighters buried in the charcoal are all you need. If you cook several times a week, the Texas Club electric lighter has charcoal glowing in about two minutes with nothing added.
3. An instant-read thermometer
The dome thermometer tells you the air temperature. It cannot tell you when a chicken is safe or a steak is medium-rare, and guessing is how good meat gets ruined. The Inkbird IHT-1K pocket thermometer gives a reading in a couple of seconds and is the single accessory we would never cook without. Our temperature guide lists the internal temperatures to aim for.
4. Heat-resistant gloves
You will be moving hot grates, deflectors and cast iron. Heat-resistant gloves or leather gloves cost less than a bag of charcoal and prevent the one injury every kamado owner has had once.
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Tier 1: the day-one kit
Four items, under £80 in total, and you are cooking properly from the first light.
Tier 2: buy in the first month
After a few cooks you will know whether you are a griller, a smoker or a roaster. These are the accessories that pay for themselves quickly whichever you turn out to be.
A leave-in probe thermometer
For anything that cooks longer than half an hour (whole chicken, pork shoulder, brisket, a Sunday joint) a probe that stays in the meat and sends the temperature to your phone means you can stop lifting the lid, which is the main way people lose temperature in a kamado. The Inkbird INT-12BW has two probes and connects over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi; one probe reads the meat, the other reads the grill temperature at grate level, which is more accurate than the dome gauge. If you would rather replace the dome gauge itself, the Bluetooth dome and food thermometer screws into the lid and adds two food probes.
Cast iron
Stainless grates are excellent for chicken, fish and vegetables. Cast iron is what gives a steak the dark, even crust you see in restaurants, because it stores far more heat where the meat touches it. For classic grills there is a cast iron grate for the Media and for the Grande; for the EVO range the half-moon cast iron grate and half-moon griddle plate drop into the GrillMax system so you can sear on one side and cook eggs, onions or halloumi on the other.
A grill brush and grate gripper
The kamado self-cleans at high heat, but you still want a grate brush for the grate before each cook and a grate gripper to lift hot grates and deflectors without a fumble. Minimo owners already have the gripper in the box.
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Tier 2: the first-month upgrades
A leave-in thermometer and cast iron are the two purchases owners say they should have made sooner.
Tier 3: buy when you know what you cook
If you bake: a pizza stone
A kamado at 350°C with a ceramic stone makes pizza most gas BBQs cannot get near. The 30 cm stone fits Minimo, Media and Grande; the 36 cm stone suits Media, Grande and Limited; the 42 cm stone is for the Limited. The full method, including whether a dedicated pizza oven is a better buy, is in our pizza guide.
If you roast: a rotisserie
A rotisserie turns a whole chicken, a leg of lamb or a pork joint slowly over the coals and bastes it in its own juices. Kamado Bono makes a skewer rotisserie for the Media, for the Grande and for the Minimo, and complete EVO Media and EVO Grande rotisserie kits with motor, spit and forks. Add a rotisserie basket for wings, vegetables or a whole fish.
If you smoke: wood chunks and an ash basket
Smoking needs nothing more than a few oak, hickory or fruit wood chunks on the charcoal. What makes long cooks easier is an ash basket: you lift the whole charcoal load out to empty the ash rather than raking it, and you can bank the coals to one side for a lower, longer burn.
If you stew: a kazan or Dutch oven
Media, Grande and Limited sets come with a pot holder. Add a cast iron kazan or a Dutch oven and the grill becomes a wood-fired stove for pilaf, chilli, stews and bread.
If your grill lives outside: a fitted cover
Classic sets include a cover. For an EVO, or as a replacement, choose the Minimo, Media or Grande and Limited cover. Keeping rain out of the ceramic and the charcoal is the single best thing you can do for the grill’s lifespan.
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Tier 3: accessories that open up new cooking
Each of these is a genuine new capability rather than a convenience. Buy the one that matches what you cook.
What you can skip
- Briquettes and “easy light” charcoal. More ash, chemical smell, worse airflow. Lumpwood only.
- Lighter fluid and gel. Ruins the taste and voids the ceramic warranty.
- A second dome thermometer. A probe at grate level is what you actually want.
- Gadget multi-tools and giant utensil sets. A pair of long tongs, a spatula and gloves cover everything.
- Aluminium drip trays bought in bulk. A cheap foil tray under the deflector on a long cook is fine; you do not need a special product.
Which accessories fit which grill
| Accessory | Minimo 15” / EVO Minimo | Media 20” / Maxi / EVO Media | Grande 23” / Limited / EVO Grande |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pizza stone | 23 cm or 30 cm | 30 cm or 36 cm | 36 cm (42 cm on Limited) |
| Cast iron grate | 34 cm | 44.5 cm | 50 cm |
| EVO half-moon cast iron | EVO Minimo | EVO Media | EVO Grande |
| Rotisserie | Minimo skewer | Media skewer | Grande skewer |
| Ash basket | Minimo | Media | Limited |
| Cover | 15” | 20” | 23”–25” |
| Grate expander | Minimo | Media | 23”/25” |
Thermometers, gloves, tools, kazans and Dutch ovens fit every size. Each product page lists the exact grills it is made for.
Accessory questions people ask
Do I need a heat deflector if my grill has the two-zone system?
No. The multifunction two-zone system on Media, Maxi, Grande and Limited replaces the deflector: its side deflectors create the indirect zone. Minimo and EVO grills come with ceramic deflectors instead.
Which thermometer should I buy first?
An instant-read such as the Inkbird IHT-1K. It works for every cook. Add a leave-in probe thermometer once you start doing joints and long smokes.
Is cast iron worth it on a kamado?
For steak, burgers and anything you want a hard sear on, yes, it is the biggest single improvement after the thermometer. For chicken and fish the stainless grate is better.
Can I use wood chips instead of chunks?
Yes, chips work well for short cooks and can be soaked or used dry. Chunks smoulder for longer and suit ribs, pork shoulder and brisket. Both are in our charcoal and woods range.
Do I need a table or stand?
Every Kamado Bono grill except the Hibachi comes with a stand. The Kamado Grill Table is a built-in-look upgrade for Media and Grande owners who want an outdoor kitchen, not a requirement.
How much should I budget for accessories?
Under £80 covers Tier 1. Most owners spend £150–£300 over the first year on a probe thermometer, cast iron and a stone or rotisserie, and then very little after that. Our cost-of-ownership guide puts that in context.
Tell us what you cook and we will tell you what to buy
Send us your grill model and the three things you cook most. We will reply with a short list, not a long one.
