So as a result of the slow cooking thread I thought I'd expand out onto a related subject: the art of low 'n slow barbecuing.
I'm sure everyone is familiar with the standard BBQ fare of sausages, burgers, kebabs and steaks which are all grilled directly over the coals/gas with a high heat and over a short cook time. Grilling is great (grate?) but your barbecue is capable of so much more! Whole chickens, lamb legs, pork shoulder, whole racks of ribs and so much more are possible and surprisingly easy to cook this way. For those who already cook this way, please do contribute other recipes and tips. For those who are curious, read on!
What you need
A barbecue with a lid. That's it. It can be charcoal or gas (which is a whole debate on its own!) but as long as it has a lid/hood that covers the whole cooking area you can do low and slow barbecue. If you're a gas griller most have a hood over them that looks like this:
While most charcoal ones adopt the classic Weber-style kettle:
There are other gadgets and gizmos you can get which makes things easier but the only one I'd strongly recommend is a food thermometer. It'll help you tell if that roast is done to the middle and they're available for under a fiver. If you're feeling flush you can upgrade to a digital one, in this space many people swear by Thermapen. Many manufacturers build thermometers into the top of the BBQ, DON'T rely on these. They tell you the temperature of the lid, which is only useful if it's the lid you're planning on eating.
Another cheap one that can be helpful if you have a charcoal barbecue are some welding gloves for under £10. Why? Because the food is likely to be cooking for 4-8 hours depending on the recipe and one set of coals will not last that long. So when they start to get low you're going to need to top up by adding more coals on top of the already burning ones. As you can imagine these are likely to be very hot! The gloves allow you to place coals easily and accurately without burning your hands.
How it works
Burgers and sausages are cooked directly over the coals/burners (called direct heat,) but for a slow cook this would lead to the outside being done while the inside is still raw. Instead with this method the burners/coals are to the side of the food being cooked (indirect heat,) with the lid/hood of the BBQ down, this allows the heat to reflect back from the top and cook the meat from all sides.
The method
I use a charcoal BBQ so tend to stack the coals at the two sides of the base level, with a drip tray or some tin foil in between them to catch the fat. If you have a Weber or some other makes they provide baskets or bars that hold the coals in place (see pic, the water is optional but tends to stabilise the heat a bit,) With gas it's easier, you simply light the burners on the other side of the grill to the food.
Most recipes will have a target temperature, BBQ is an art not a science, so don't worry about hitting it spot on like you would an oven. Adjusting the knobs on the burner or the top vents on a charcoal model until you're within circa 30c of the optimum. Add the meat and SHUT THE LID. This is the single most important thing about low and slow. The lid is like the oven door, and should only be opened every 30-60 minutes to quickly probe the meat and/or top up the coals. Lookin' ain't cookin'. You'll know you've got the indirect heat working properly if you don't need to turn the meat, the top should look as done as the bottom.
Recipes.
A few easy ones to start off with:
Beer can chicken
This is a great one to begin with as it doesn't take that long, it's easy to tell if it's cooked and chickens are cheep (sorry!) so if you get it wrong you won't have spent much. Take a whole chicken (giblet free.) Rub a tiny amount of olive oil (it has a higher burn point than most veg oil,) all over the skin to crisp it then sprinkle salt and pepper over it. Optionally rub some fresh rosemary on, the oil tends to slacken the skin and you can sometimes get the rosemary in underneath it.
Now take a beer can. Leave about 1/2 of the contents (if you don't want to waste the beer drink it all then 1/2 fill it with water,) and violate the chicken with it. Yes really. As far in as it will go. Now with the beer can stood up (so the chicken is vertical, put it onto the BBQ that's at about 200c for 1 -2 hrs depending on the weight. The heat picked up by the can helps cook the inside while the water prevents the bird from drying out. The end result should look a bit like this:
Sunday roast joint
Very similar to how you'd do it in the oven. Aim for a similar temperature, season as you normally would and pop it on. This is my roast beef:
And roast chicken:
I've only been doing this 3 years so I'm sure there are others on here who know more than me so please share tips/recipes.