The likes of American smokehouses and Korean barbecue feasts have, over the last decade, unlocked our perceptions and prowess when it comes to all things grilling. Charred-yet-raw sausages and 'it must be done by now' chicken are fast disappearing from the menu, but it's fair to say plenty of us still find barbecuing at home a bit daunting. The convenience and consistency of modern methods can feel much more appealing, particularly when it comes to cooking for a crowd, and when we do have success behind the grill, it's easy to stick to a tried and tested roster of recipes. By doing so, though, we miss out fantastic techniques, traditions and styles from all over the world.

Live fire is the oldest cooking method around, one that encourages us to connect with our intuition and step away from today's gadgets. Romantic notions aside, it also creates flavour that can be tricky to replicate in the kitchen – a lick of smoke adds new dimensions to familiar ingredients and dishes. And when you throw in the social side, it's easy to see how barbecuing is a totally new world for home cooks to explore. Chef Richard Bainbridge knows this well – over the last few years he’s delved into all things grilling, brushing up on new skills, jazzing up his home barbecuing and weaving those lessons into the menus of his restaurant Benedicts in Norwich, as well as launching his own range of sauces.

‘All we ever knew of barbecues was burnt sausages which were raw in the middle,’ he laughs, ‘but I think we are getting into a new style where it becomes more of a backyard kitchen. I think lockdown really helped; we got invested in our gardens and everyone was cooking a lot more generally.’ Neither our skills nor our confidence will improve without practice, so, as the weather warms up, Richard has shared some of the simple tweaks that took his home grilling to the next level.

Good spice rubs – mixtures of salt, herbs and spices – are one of the building blocks of brilliant barbecuing. Designed to flavour meat, fish and vegetables while also creating a crust on the outside, applying them well in advance will impart the maximum flavour. Making them at home means you can tailor them to what you're cooking, or the sides or sauces it'll be served with, and tweak them to your own taste. But instead of rubbing them directly on, Richard suggests starting with a layer of mustard. ‘If you sprinkle salt on your arm, when you move your arm it’ll fall off,’ he says. ‘It's the same with food. Use a bit of mustard, rub it all over whatever you're cooking and what that does is help everything stick. It’s not there for heat, but it helps that flavour stick.’ While meat is often the obvious grilling go-to, Richard says it works with fish or vegetables, such as celeriac, parsnip or beetroot.

Though the barbecue sauces we buy and make in the UK are usually thick and sweet (and often used as a condiment, similar to tomato ketchup), for Richard, thinner is better. In parts of America's deep south, which has strongly influenced his technique, those thinner, vinegar-based sauces are commonplace, adding a warming tang and vibrancy. ‘What I tend to do is dilute a sauce with a cider vinegar, put it in a spray bottle and spray it on,’ he says. ‘It caramelises less quickly and adds acidity. If you are cooking a piece of chicken and spray it with a barbecue sauce mix, it keeps it moist on the outside while the inside cooks. Even if you are doing pork belly or sausages, spray them with the let down barbecue sauce; it will caramelise on the meat but won’t become over-reduced.'

Part and parcel of being a home cook is getting adventurous in the kitchen, but far fewer of us extend that ethos to the barbecue. There's no end of inspiration for dishes which go beyond the traditional burger and sausages. Why not try Nancy Anne Harbord's golden barbecued margaritas, which have a base of grilled fruit, or our barbecued broccoli recipe, with satay sauce and charred lime? Or our charred goat chops with a smoky aubergine sauce? Rather than being written off as failure, the trial and error should be part of the fun, Richard says. Experiment with prawns, whole fish and crab (spiced with paprika and cayenne), or ditch the notion that a good barbecue has to involve meat. ‘After you’ve finished barbecuing, get some big bits of beetroot, celeriac, butternut squash or kohlrabi, put them in the foils and come back to them the next day,’ he says. ‘Vegetables are mainly water, so they will have started to steam from within. When you go back, you’ll have a banging barbecue slow-roasted kohlrabi salad, for example. Even lettuce – touch it on the bars and give it a scorched, smoky flavour for a new dimension to your salad.’

One of our main barriers when it comes to barbecuing is feeling out of control – it's far easier to heat the oven to the right temperature and understand what sort of results we'll get, particularly when cooking for others. Barbecuing is less predictable, and while we might aim for low and slow, being confident that's what's actually happening takes patience and practice. In the meantime, there are ways of easing that pressure. Richard says placing a tray with cold water under whatever you're grilling will help it cook more slowly and evenly, making it less likely to dry out quickly, for example. This, too, is where knowing the difference between indirect and direct heat comes in – while a bit of char and blackening is great, full-on burning is less so.  Creating a space for food to cook indirectly gives you more time and control (Acme Fire Cult co-founder Andrew Clarke has told us more about the difference here).

We've all been guilty of having all the gear and no idea at some point in our home cooking careers, but knowing what we're using not only makes barbecuing easier, but gives us more control over the end result. A meat thermometer, for example, might remove uneasiness about when things are done, while a charcoal chimney makes getting going easier and quicker. It applies, too, to what we're actually firing up. Richard says we should seek out sustainable, natural British coal, which isn't full of additives. Similarly, the wood we use for smoking has a big impact – English oak, for example, has nutty flavours (it's often used with salmon), while silver birch is floral in profile. Applewood and cherrywood add a sweet, fruity dimension, complementing pork and poultry in particular. Why not experiment with the balance – a combination of wood and charcoal could provide the heat, smoke and flavour you're after.

Letting the barbecue gather dust in the garage means we miss out on a world of potential. Ultimately, practice makes perfect, and there are more resources than ever to help us get started (explore our barbecue recipe collection, or delve into barbecue traditions from around the world, to find new inspiration). There are few cooking methods as rewarding – and delicious – as live fire, so now is the time to sharpen up your skills.