Barbecue basics Sybil Kapoor The irresistible smoky scent of barbecuing food drifting on a warm summer breeze is enough to make the most BBQ-resistant of cooks run to find some charcoal. Celebrate the thrill of the grill this summer.

In this article

Choosing a barbecue Eco-grilling

Perfect technique Adding flavour

Using marinades

Once smitten by the barbecue bug, many find barbecuing the most enjoyable form of cooking, with its flexibility to be creative with simple ingredients, and its relaxed, outdoor approach.

What style of barbecue to go for is a matter of personal taste. There's a profusion of designs but the best tend to be quite basic.

All a charcoal-burning barbecue needs are air-vents (preferably adjustable) in the lower part of the basin to ensure that the flames are drawn upwards and the charcoal burns well, and an adjustable rack so that the temperature food cooks at can be varied by height, as well as by the density of the coals.

Concerns about the the environmental impact of barbecues and the use of charcoal have been raised because about 97 per cent of wood charcoal bought in Britain is not from sustainable sources. It can come from some of the world's most endangered tropical rain forests and contribute to deforestation. Many of these unsustainable charcoal briquettes are also doused in petroleum solvents.

The most environmentally friendly option is to use sustainable British charcoal made from native managed coppiced woodland. This form of charcoal doesn't require or use fire-lighting chemicals. According to research undertaken by the BioRegional Development Group, which has developed this charcoal, it has a carbon-neutral footprint.

This kind of coppicing is also helping to create new flower-rich woodland habitat for butterflies and nightingales. Look out for this type of charcoal in selected Co-op, Sainsbury's, Tesco and B&Q stores.

There's a surprising amount of conflicting advice about grilling food, but here are a few tips to help you get the best results:

• Different types of charcoal burn at varying speeds and heats. The best guide to when they're ready is a visual one: the charcoal should be ashy grey on the outside and glowing red in the centre.
• Food will naturally stick when it first touches the grill, but will come away easily once the outside has seared. Make sure your grill rack is very hot, then sear your food on both sides over a medium-high heat close to the middle of the grill where the charcoal tends to be the hottest because it is more closely packed.
• Regularly move the food on the grill. If your ingredients are naturally fatty or too liberally coated in oil, the fat will drip onto the barbecue and cause flaring, which will give the food an unpleasant taste and a blackened appearance.
• Once your food is seared you then have to decide how to cook it. Quick-cooking foods, such as vegetables and fish, should be kept over a medium-high heat.
• Denser meats and poultry should be moved to a medium or medium-low area of the grill. Either move the rack higher or find a cooler spot such as closer to the rim.
• The food should be turned regularly until cooked to your liking. It's better to have golden, succulent food than perfectly burnt grill marks that taste bitter. Be absolutely certain that the meat is cooked all the way through.