Some people find this sight, a stressful situation...
Regardless of the barbecue type you're using. You get it lit, and up to temperature.... many newbies go "now what?". The French culinary world has a phrase: "Mise en place" which translates to "Putting/gathering in place"... depending on who you talk to. However, in the context of general cooking, it means "Having everything ready and at hand to get this food cooked or otherwise prepared efficiently". Despite getting the barbecue organised and running smoothly, it's usually from this point on that any failure of preparation, time management, or cooking really wrecks your day. So it's worth taking stock at this point.What needs to be started first? Or finished first?
There's two main strategies at the outset... and they can have almost mutually exclusive requirements... depending on what you're cooking.
Option 1: Starting with what needs to be finished first...
Have a large gathering where people will be milling about with small cooked nibbles/entrées/hors d'oeuvres?
Chances are, they need to be ready first. Most of these, whether they're barbecued skewers, spring rolls, or party pies, these need to be ready pronto... Thankfully, they're small and can be heated quickly on high heat....
...but what if the main needs a huge "head start?".
Option 2: Start the "long cooks" first so they're ready on time.
The classic "long cook" is the beef brisket. These can be cooked "low and slow" (the opposite of the high heat for short periods of cooking that your appertizers generally need) and they monopolize your barbecue for anywhere between 6-16 hours. Obviously, the larger/thicker the meat, and the lower the temperature, the longer you have to cook.
Well... assuming you don't have several barbecues, or a wonderful better half (or other helper) to "pop" things into the oven as you commune with the fire gods...
I have two-zone cooking, one for searing, and another for roasting... surely that's the solution, right?
Unfortunately, two zone cooking, while it can do a lot of things, there are few barbecues both big enough to handle a whole brisket and feed a mass of people with the starters they require.
Ham's preferred solution....
Honestly, I'd just pop the starter dishes in the oven. Particularly if they're not things that are ususally done in a barbecue. Party pies, spring rolls, chinese pork buns, et al. Are all good examples. While you're at it, put your side dishes in the oven too. By doing so, the main dish gets the smoky tang and anyone less fond of smoked foods doesn't have to deal with it on everything. Those who do love it, get the main meal as the crowning jewel.... which let's face it, it should be.
But what if I just have a barbecue right now without a kitchen to support it.
You might be traveling/camping, or renovating your kitchen. Or traveling because you're renovating your kitchen. (Hehe) I think many can truly understand that. However, can the barbecue-only solution work, let alone work well?
At first glance, this looks like a job for Tom Cruise and his merry "Mission Impossible" team. But remember, even "low and slow" meats are often enhanced by searing.... even if it's at the end instead of the beginning, done in a process called, (unimaginatively enough) a "reverse sear".
Ok, so the day before, you do your brisket "low and slow" probably overnight (I highly recommend a barbecue controller if you can get one) you get the internal meat temperature the way you like it (i.e. cooked to perfection), then wrap it in foil and let it "rest" in a non-chilled esky/cooler/chilly bin/towel for a little while. (Aim to have this "sitting" for as long as you're cooking the starters)
Meanwhile, crank the barbecue up not long before everyone arrives (probably after adding more fuel if it's a wood/charcoal barbecue. It'll need it after your night-long brisket cook) and cook your batch of "starters".
Just before searing the brisket, pat the surface dry with a paper towel so you get a beautiful deep brown (not black) crust then finish it off by setting it aside for a couple of minutes, then serving.
Synchronising cooking needs for maximum effectiveness.
Whether you're cooking a whole side of beef, up front and slicing it just prior to searing, or cooking steaks sliced. You can schedule the searing part of your "low and slow" cooks with the higher temp cooking.
While this may look like a simple steak. It's often cooked as a whole brisket very slowly to ensure tenderness, then sliced and seared to give the individual steaks the "crust" or "bark" which can be cooked over the high heat most starter meals require.
However, while searing is often seen with charring. Charring is in fact a sign that the meat has been burned. This is not actually as flavoursome as a rich, dark brown crust. Instead, charring only creates acrid, less enjoyable flavours that detract from the meaty flavour and any herbs/rubs/marinades added. I highly recommend turning the meats over quickly to ensure even cooking while preventing char formation. A lot of people say "turn once" and that is helpful when cooking the meat in a low and slow environment as it keeps the conditions more stable... but for searing, it's my experience that flipping more regularly helps.
This reddish brown steak is on the way to a crust formation, without going so far as charring. If you're wondering about the red tinge... that's because the smoke from wood or charcoal barbecues actually brings out the red of the iron in the meat too. It's red just below the the crust and this is called the "the smoke ring" since it surrounds the inner meat. The smoke ring may only a few millimetres (1/8th of an inch) thick while the core of the meat is coloured exactly as rare/done as the cook determines. Naturally, without the smokiness of charcoal/wood/pellet barbecue... or the addition of some other smoke sources, the meat will not have the red smoke ring, or such a strong smoky flavour.
But what if I have two barbecues?
You lucky devil! (or angel if you're cooking food for me) hehe.
Now this will vary a bit. However, the general gist is set one barbecue for the hot-fast searing/small goods, and the other for low-slow cooking for larger, tender cookstuffs.
If you're fortunate enough to have an offset smoker, kamado, or earth/brick oven... then these are the best type for the low and slow. Lidded metal gas barbecues can be used... but because they're often made of sheet metal, their heat retention means you'd go through a lot of gas if cooking this way. If you have a fancy insulated "metal kamado" or "insulated cabinet" style barbecue llike the Hephaestus series the retention will be much better, but you can still use a lot of fuel on longer cooks.
If you have a gas barbecue, a hot plate or grill over a fire, (gas/wood/charcoal, doesn't matter) then that's going to be best for the hot and fast. However, if you have an ability to pull the food away from your burning fuels (such as a Parilla-style barbecue) then this can go either way. In any event you want a barbecue to be set up for different aspects of cooking, so you can just transfer food from one to the other as needed.
Personally, I do have a small Hibachi that I can set up beside the Kamado... but in general, I either do the low-and-slow first, then finish up with high heat....set stuff up so I can do two zone cooking, if it's just steaks/small roasts.... or if I'm going big, I cook the starters/sides in the indoor oven, and just reverse sear the big stuff in the barbecue.There's nothing wrong with doing some of the meal in the kitchen and the rest outdoors if it gets things served on time! You're probably a better barbecuer for acknowledging the limitations and planning accordingly, rather than trying to do it all in the barbecue and messing up the schedule, or worse yet... ruining the food.
How about working with your guests/family/friends
Ok, so you've got a mostly cooked brisket (or other large chunk of meat) that's resting from it's "low and slow", you've left it a little underdone so it doesn't overshoot when you sear it as steaks or other more manageably-sized cuts.
Preparation really is half the battle!
One of the things I like to do is ask guests to "say when" as I'm slicing up a steak off the brisket, then set it aside so I can remember who wanted what. Sometimes I'll even get the guest to wrap their cut up in foil and label it with their preferences.
Because heat slowly moves inward during a low-and-slow cook. I ask the folks who like the slightly more cooked meats to come up first, that way I can shave their bit off from the outside of the brisket. People who like it still "mooing", I'll get them to come up once I'm closer to the middle. Once done, and as usual, I keep it warm, then sear according to the size/thickness it's cut. As you might expect, I then sear the outside as quickly as possible to avoid overcooking the inside of the steak. Starting with the thickest cuts first. That way, there's a good bit of heat retention if I pull it off early. The thin stuff is the last bit I put on. That way, I'm less likely dry it out and/or burn it as I pull everything off at once. It takes some practice, but I'm getting better, and I'm almost certainly more un-coordinated than most.
What's the advantage of this system?
Often, I find that the womenfolk appreciate a more modest portion, cooked to their preferences. Similarly, children are less likely to leave food on their plate, and it gives those with heartier appetites more meat to choose from. Everybody benefits.
That said...
I often cut an extra piece or two of the smaller portions and cook it to medium-rare or just medium, that way if "someone's still hungry" later, we can fix that up right away, and it suits most people's preferences. Yes, I'm hedging my bets. I also cook one extra bigger steak (either to account for an unexpected guest, or Ren and I share it later... because we're not cooking again that day once everyone has gone home and the washing up is done. :-)
What else can I say about managing "the cook?"
Honestly, this has a lot of factors, ranging from the size/thickness of the meat, the type of cut, how you intend to cook it, how cooked do you like it, are you balancing multiple people's preferences and dietary requirements or just your own? Your situation will vary from one moment to the next. Sometimes stepping back, sipping a cold beverage and spending a minute to think through your next steps will be a huge help.
For low and slow cooks, I cannot overstate how helpful a barbecue controller has been. It lets me know if the coals are going out, if it's overshooting temperatures, and lets me know in (almost) real-time what the internal temperatures of my main cuts are at. That way, I can actually sleep before a major gathering, and that helps to avoid mistakes, and my resulting moods. They're coming down in price all the time and I love mine. Some will even message your phone if there's a problem and you can even manage the cook (to some degree, pun intended) from the comfort of your own home, from work, or even when you're commuting!
Relax, take a breath, think it through, and do as much preparation beforehand as possible... the rest will come with practice.
All the best in your barbecuing endeavours!
Ham.
P.S. Planning, getting help when needed, and not getting too "hung up" on the "I must barbecue every part of this meal" will probably help a great deal too. It'll help to reduce stress which means you'll make fewer mistakes, both of which enhance enjoyment of the process and encourage you to practice your barbecuing skills more often. Don't let bravado/pride/self-reliance hinder your skill development. Also, a lot of people enjoy cooking with others and feeling useful, rather than simply waiting around for the food to arrive. Give your guests a chance to help!