Barbecue at its delicious best.

Byline: SARAH O'MEARA

WHILE shopping for a barbecue, it's easy to get carried away by fuel and to forget about the food, says Thomas Feller, author of the Barbecue Cookbook.

Instead, he believes we need to think about BBQs as a cooking system in its own right.

Although heating food over hot coals is a simple way to cook quickly, it can also produce much more impressive results.

"It's not just a tool for grilling sausages," says Feller.

"Because it's a simple method of cooking, marinating foods - especially meat - is a good idea. I recommend one to two hours, but if possible leave for longer - even overnight."

All basic foods can be barbecued including eggs, vegetables, fruit and seafood, but getting the best flavours involves a little preparation. Think about your tools and invest in useful cooking utensils.

"If you use wooden skewers for your kebabs, soaking them for an hour in water before will make them less likely to burn during cooking," Feller says.

"For easily-damaged products like fish, the use of hinged-grill 'baskets' is a worthwhile investment."

Such utensils make handling and turning food much easier, he adds, and they stop bits of sardine sticking to the grill.

"Annoyingly, you should always clean your grill, or food will stick to it," he adds.

When it comes to firing up the barbecue there are many excellent lighters on the market which are odourless.

But a word of advice from James: "Never use the petrol bought for the lawnmower, nor the white spirit to clean brushes after a spot of DIY."

Choose high-quality, dense charcoal for a really good long burn, then wait until the embers are red before adding the food.

"Flames are the enemy of the cook," warns Feller.

But don't worry about getting the most expensive barbecue money can buy.

"Classic models still work well and their efficiency has been proven over the years," he says.

RECIPES. BEEF KEFTA KEBABS (Serves 6) 1kg lean minced beef 2 red onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 standard pack fresh coriander 1 standard pack fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 small hot red chilli pepper 2tsp ras-el-hanout (Moroccan mixed spice, also called couscous spice) 2tsp ground cumin 6tbsp olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 skewers Strip the leaves from the coriander and parsley and chop them finely.

Cut the chilli pepper in half, discard the seeds and white membrane, and finely chop the flesh. Mix all the vegetables and herbs with the minced meat.

Season with the spices and salt and pepper, and mix all the ingredients.

Wet your hands, form the mixture into 18 little sausages and thread on the skewers. Brush them with oil. Place on the barbecue when hot.

Cook for five minutes then turn them over and cook for five minutes on the other side.

Serve immediately.

MARSHMALLOW AND STRAWBERRY KEBABS (Serves 6) 24 marshmallows 18 small strawberries with stems attached 6 skewers Assemble the kebabs with four marshmallows alternating with three strawberries.

Lay them on the barbecue for two minutes. Serve immediately.

CAPTION(S):

Barbecue Cookbook by Thomas Feller offers a wealth of grilling tips and mouth-watering recipes Beef Kefta Kebabs and (above) Marshmallow and Strawberry Kebabs