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First, we'll look at the basics: barbecues, fuel for the fire, and some basic techniques.  Since true barbecue involves slow smoking at a low temperature, we'll examine the right tools for the job.

Smokers and grills come in all shapes and sizes, each best suited for a particular purpose.  The same can be said of the fuel for the fire; there are several different fuels for a barbecue fire -- each, again, with its unique advantages.

Probably the most popular workhorse for the barbecue aficionado is the offset barrel smoker (shown below).  Its off-set firebox (the smaller barrel hanging down and below from one end) provides a very indirect heat that is ideal for barbecue's low-and-slow cooking.

These are a little more difficult to find in stores than the typical burger- and steak-oriented flat grill, but Lowe's sells barrel-shaped grills with an optional firebox attachment that converts the unit into a true offset smoker.

Another widely used device is the water smoker or bullet smoker.  Also available at Lowe's, it has one major benefit: it holds a large bowl of liquid inside that fills the cooking chamber with a flavorful steam that keeps moisture levels high -- requiring less effort to prevent the meat from drying out.  Excellent for brisket, it's good for other meats as well; some barbecue teams rely solely on bullet smokers.

And -- for a little surprise -- don't belittle the basic Weber kettle simply because they are sold in K-Mart.  The simple but effective smoker is used by competitive teams as well.  It's strongly recommended that you buy one of the big ones, however; on small Weber kettles, it's difficult to keep the meat far enough away from the fire for even heating.

Beyond this, the realm of potential barbecue equipment is endless.  A 55-gallon drum can easily be made into a smoker; these have been used in competition as well.

Next, you'll need fuel for the fire.  Gas is off limits if you're going to get serious; it's forbidden in KCBS sanctioned competition.

Most familiar, no doubt, is the ordinary charcoal briquette.  These will cook a meal, but you will likely want to incorporate other fuels as well.  Hardwood charcoal, or lump charcoal, isn't pre-formed into briquettes, and has important advantages: It ignites more easily, making it easy to keep the fire going steady simply by gradually adding lumps, and it leaves much less residual ash than ordinary briquettes to accumulate in the bottom of the firebox.

While wood chips are often soaked in water and added to a charcoal fire to produce smoke, I prefer wood chunks.  Baseball- and golf ball-sized hickory and mesquite chunks produce a steady stream of smoke for longer periods, and themselves contribute to the fire, producing useful heat as well as smoke.  Some barbecuers rely solely on uncharred wood; I prefer a combination of wood chunks and hardwood charcoal.  Another fuel used by some serious barbecuers is wood pellets (not shown).

Shown below are mesquite wood chunks that I'm about to add to the firebox as soon as I close the lid on the ribs.

To get the fire going, the chimney starter is a widely used essential.  Since no lighter fluid is necessary, there is no risk of inadvertently cooking a lighter fluid flavor into the meat.  Set fire to two full sheets of newspaper wadded into balls and inserted into the lower compartment, and the chimney starter takes it from there.  

Moreover, chimney starters make it easy to pre-light charcoal and add it to a fire that is already burning.  Since true barbecue requires hours rather than minutes, you'll need ways to keep the fire going -- and jump-starting a fire that has grown too weak.  Shown below: chimney starter with hardwood charcoal.

Finally, you'll likely want to know just how warm it is on the cooking surface.  Grill thermometers (shown below) make this information readily available, but you'll still need to make some mental adjustments.

The consideration that you'll need to make, if you want accurate knowledge of the temperature at the grill surface, is that gauges only read the temperature at the location of the gauge.  The first few times that you'll cook, you may want to place an oven thermometer directly on the grill surface, and familiarize yourself with the difference between grill surface temps and the temps at the grill thermometer.  In my case, I subtract about 35 degrees from the larger gauge's reading.  The temperature at the cooking surface above is 215 degrees.

Accurate temperatures are important if you want to avoid cooking too fast or too slowly.  Ideal temps depend on the meat in question, but barbecuing generally is done in the 200-250 degree range.  Knowing the temperature accurately is vital if you have a timetable to meet -- whether it's dinner at six, or brisket turn-in to the judges at 3:30.  If timing is less critical, you can relax a bit, and remove the meat when it is finished, whenever that may be.

This post covered the hardware and fuel: the next will cover food and seasoning basics.