This is not the unsophisticated style of cooking that you may have been led to believe.
Barbecues come in two basic types with a variety of heat sources. Each type has a different role to fulfill which may or may not be suited to your life style. Either or both may be suitable for what you want to achieve. So the most important thing is to first look at the differences between the two.
Flatbed Barbecues
These range from inexpensive models that consist of little more than a heated metal plate to brushed steel monsters capable of catering for an entire neighborhood. They may be powered by charcoal, gas or electricity and they may or may not have a hood. They do have one thing in common; they all cook food by the direct method.
This means that the heat source is always directly below the food. That in itself has pluses and minuses. Direct cooking is what gives rise to flare-ups and burnt meat, but also produces perfectly cooked steaks. It's a trade-off.
Flatbeds give you more for your money in terms of space and ancillary equipment, but they can confine you in terms of what you are able to do. To grill food items such as sausages and chops, for example, you really need to add a griddle of some kind, preferably one of cast iron, and for steaks you need a thick grill of similar material that will sit above the heat source and prevent costly protein from going up in an oily smoke.
As for roasting, even with a hood, the result you get from them is not too different from that of a conventional oven. The joy is in the fact that you are cooking outdoors and everyone can stand around offering advice and sympathy.
Flatbeds are great where quantity is more important than anything else and there are willing hands ready to do the cleaning up. They are, without exception, high maintenance compared with:
Kettle Barbecues
These are almost synonymous with the trademark Weber, which is hardly surprising when you consider this was the company that first marketed them way back in the 1950s.
Whether by design or lucky accident, Weber succeeded in producing a barbecue that could not only fulfill all the functions of a flatbed, but also behave as a very advanced convection oven - far more efficient, in fact, than any domestic cooker of the same period.
The success of the kettle barbecue is down to its unique shape which has not changed, or changed very little, since its inception. Because coals can be burnt either directly under the food being cooked, or at the outer rim of the barbecue with a space in the middle, the kettle can perform two functions extremely well.
It can grill food directly, or it can roast it using indirect heat with some form of container placed under the joint or poultry to catch fats and juices. Hey presto! No more flare ups. In either case the lid is kept closed, ensuring an even distribution of heat during the cooking process. And it is the lid closure that produces the convection effect, giving rise to that unique barbecue flavor created by meat cooking in its own micro-climate.
This flavor effect will take place regardless of the heat source. It is a function of the shape of the kettle. It can, of course, be enhanced (or otherwise) by adding hickory chips and similar flavenoids to the cooking process.
Which will you Choose?
You may decide you need both. If your idea of a great cook-out is limitless steaks, chicken wings and hamburgers then a flatbed is almost a must. You will not be able to cook the same quantity of these simultaneously on a kettle.
On the other hand, if barons of beef and legs of pork are more your style, the kettle barbecue has no serious competitors. It will cook individual items such as steaks as well, of course, but even at 57cms (22.5 ins) it will not be able to handle more than four or five at a time, depending on size.
If there are budgetary considerations, again there is no contest. Cheap flatbeds have cast iron grills and griddles that are prone to rust. It's not just that these are hard work to maintain, they will require replacing on an almost seasonal basis, making nonsense of your original savings. You will pay serious money for a good quality flatbed.
Companies like Weber, on the other hand, ensure that any parts of the equipment likely to come into contact with food are of stainless steel, which is relatively maintenance free and should last a lifetime. They are not very expensive and for families there are smaller, cheaper, versions that function every bit as well as their larger siblings.
Finally, if you do decide on a kettle, make sure that the main bowl and lid are coated with vitreous enamel or have a ceramic finish. This is important not just for longevity but also for heat retention during normal use. As in most other things, with barbecues you get what you pay for.
