Fuelling debate
Purists opt for charcoal barbecues, claiming they give unbeatable aroma and flavour. However, you do need to be organised and light the coals well in advance of the time you want to start cooking.
Scott Taylor, sales and marketing manager of Taylor Foodservice and the Tennessee Fuel and Wood Company, says timing depends a lot on the type of fuel used. "If you use briquettes, you can be ready to cook in 20-30 minutes, whereas traditional lumpwood takes longer."
Temperature is controlled on a charcoal barbecue by moving the cooking grid up or down. Another way to lower the temperature is to spread the coals out. Conversely, you can get extra heat at the end of service by scooping coals into a heap.
Caterers who prefer a less messy and more controllable barbecue opt for gas or electricity versions. Gas barbecues can operate on mains gas but bottled gas is simpler to use and means the barbecue can be moved. This type of equipment may have a radiant heat system, or lava rocks that glow red as the gas flames surround them. Some Weber units have porcelain-lined steel bars instead of lava rocks.
Unlike charcoal barbecues, gas models have fixed cooking grids because heat is controlled simply by adjusting the gas flow.
Ray Staples, general manager of Aeromatic-Barter, says gas barbecues can be ready to use in just five minutes. He adds: "If you are not cooking, you can leave the pilot light on to keep the lava rock hot and maintain the barbecue aroma."
Some gas barbecues can work indoors. For example, RV Rutland's chargrill can be brought into the kitchen if a gas fitter changes the connections. A few barbecues are designed specifically to be portable, notably the Cinders range.
The third option is electrically heated barbecues. Geoff Rutland, sales director of Rowlett Catering Equipment, promotes these as being reliable and easy to use and clean. Again, they have lava rock that burns fat and food drips to give the traditional barbecue smell and, like gas units, are ready to cook in five minutes.
