No smoke without a grill

I remember huddling with my friends as a child around the barbecue set on picnics at farmhouses "" just as winter came around and the evening breeze became a wee bit chilly.

We would gaze longingly at the meat being basted, ready to take a bite of the barbecued flesh right off the skewer "" while Dad shooed us away. That foldable green and black garden barbecue was part of several good evenings.

To enjoy the outdoors, even if it's your little garden patch, green balcony or terrace, nothing beats a relaxed time spent with friends barbecuing food "" add to that some good music, wine and salads.

Chef Francise Luzinier of Intercontinental The Grand in New Delhi says, "One needn't be a chef or have any experience in cooking to do a barbecue."

But one must have the right equipment to start with. In times of crises Luzinier recalls the most basic barbecue set he grilled meat on "" some bricks, wood and coal, a wire mesh and iron rods, "which are available in plenty at construction sites in India", he quips.

On another occasion he used an old drum cut into half, dry wine leaves and wood to make a barbecued duck. Keep this in mind for when you're in dire straits. Otherwise, we'll look into some home barbecued sets available in the market.

Firstly, there are three basic models of barbecue sets based on the mode of fuel you are comfortable using "" charcoal, gas and electric "" further differentiated into tabletop or garden sets. If one goes barbecue set scouting in India, most shops have imported sets from China, Taiwan and the US.

Otherwise the local guys will be ready to make you customised barbecue sets. To start with, the tabletop portable chrome-plated charcoal Chinese sets like from Hibachi have the charcoal tray, three-level adjustable grill and slide-out ash vents for Rs 650.

One from the local tandoor and barbecue manufacture would cost about Rs 300. "Made of iron, the best quality local tabletop sets come for Rs 550," says the owner of Kashiwal Tandoor Store, Bhogal, New Delhi.

Food impresario Marut Sikka recommends first deciding the size of the barbecue set according to requirement and checking for adjustable height levels for the grill "" "so that when the coal is burning sharper, one can increase the height of the grill and decrease it when it's just embers".

Some medium-range tabletop sets for Rs 3,750 by STC also have rotating skewers. Instead of charcoal, one can also use flavoured wood or briquettes.

If you plan to have a garden barbecue set, make sure that it's lightweight, with two-wheel rollers and a grill cover, and is compact and easy to dismantle. Check out for Hibachi, Tefal or Black & Decker outdoor barbecue sets.

The Hibachi garden charcoal set for Rs 7,500 at Sham Di Hatti kitchen store in New Delhi has a durable enamel finish, stove and side plates by hydraulic press with a trolley and wooden shelf.

Sikka suggests buying sets that have ample little spaces around them to keep utensils, accessories; hand towels so that everything you'll need while barbecuing is at one place, something like The Largo Comfort Plus model by Tefal. One can also order customised sets from the local manufacturer, including a little garden umbrella over the set.

"The outdoor sets should be stainless steel or chrome plated so that they don't rust," says Sikka, adding, "The imported ones are more durable in such cases."

The gas barbecue sets come with knobs for burners and temperature indicators; sometimes also with an alternative charcoal option of lava rocks like a model from Campingaz for Rs 14,200, available at Pindi Crockery House in Khan Market, New Delhi.

The electric barbecue sets become perfect for indoor and tabletop barbecuing. Tefal has a whole range in different sizes, the thermostat operative tabletop one for Rs 3,195 and the one with a stand for Rs 3,495 approximately.

Since they are no smoke-no odour ones, your vegetarian neighbours won't mind, like a colleague who had to cut down his barbecuing sessions with his charcoal barbecue set.

Barbecue accessories come separately. Meat skewers are thicker than the fish, chicken and vegetable ones. The imported skewers come for Rs 30 approximately apiece; while the local iron ones cost Rs 10 each. One will also need tongs, forks and an oil brush and the imported ones range from Rs 600-1,300.

Keep in mind that electric barbecue sets will not give the food a smoky flavour as charcoal or flavoured wood would give. "For the Indian palate, the charcoal barbecue sets work best," says Sikka. If using an electric barbecue, marinate the meat well. Less marination works for charcoal barbecue sets.

While using an electric one, Luzinier suggests marinating the meat and vegetables with olive oil, fresh herbs "" rosemary, oregano, thyme; fish with lime, lemon leaves, ginger and chilli, and basting it every two minutes so that the food has a flavour, even if it's not smoky...

...at least it'll be grilled!