What needs to be started first? Or finished first?
There's two main strategies at the outset... and they can have almost mutually exclusive requirements... depending on what you're cooking.
Option 1: Starting with what needs to be finished first...
Have a large gathering where people will be milling about with small cooked nibbles/entrées/hors d'oeuvres?
Chances are, they need to be ready first. Most of these, whether they're barbecued skewers, spring rolls, or party pies need to be ready pronto... Thankfully, they're small and can be heated quickly on high heat....
...but what if the main needs a huge "head start?".
Option 2: Start the "long cooks" first so they're ready on time.
The classic "long cook" is the beef brisket. These can be cooked "low and slow" (the opposite of the high heat for short periods of cooking that your appertizers generally need) and they monopolize your barbecue for anywhere between 6-16 hours.
Well... assuming you don't have several barbecues, or a wonderful better half to "pop" things into the oven as you commune with the fire gods...
I have two-zone cooking, one for searing, and another for roasting... surely that's the solution, right?
Unfortunately, two zone cooking, while it can do a lot of things, there are few barbecues both big enough to handle a whole brisket and feed a mass of people with the starters they require.
Ham's preferred solution....
Honestly, I'd just pop the starter dishes in the oven. Particularly if they're not things that are ususally done in a barbecue. Party pies, spring rolls, chinese pork buns, et al. Are all good examples. While you're at it, put your side dishes in the oven too. By doing so, the main dish gets the smoky tang and anyone less fond of smoked foods doesn't have to deal with it on everything. Those who do love it, get the main meal as the crowning jewel.... which let's face it, it should be.
But what if I just have a barbecue right now without a kitchen to support it.
You might be traveling/camping, or renovating your kitchen. Or traveling because you're renovating your kitchen. (Hehe) I think many can truly understand that. However, can the barbecue-only solution work, let alone work well?
At first glance, this looks like a job for Tom Cruise and his merry "Mission Impossible" team. But remember, even "low and slow" meats are often enhanced by searing.... even if it's at the end instead of the beginning in a process called, (unimaginatively enough) a "reverse sear".
Ok, so the day before, you do your brisket "low and slow" probably overnight (I highly recommend a barbecue controller if you can get one) you get the internal meat temperature the way you like it (i.e. cooked to perfection), then wrap it in foil and let it "rest" in a non-chilled esky/cooler/chilly bin/towel for a little while. (Aim to have this "sitting" for as long as you're cooking the starters)
Meanwhile, crank the barbecue up not long before everyone arrives (probably after adding more fuel if it's a wood/charcoal barbecue. It'll need it after your night-long brisket cook) and cook your batch of "starters".
Just before searing the brisket, pat the surface dry with a paper towel so you get a beautiful deep brown (not black) crust then finish it off by setting it aside for a couple of minutes then serving.
Synchronising cooking needs for maximum effectiveness.
Whether you're cooking a whole side of beef, up front and slicing it just prior to searing, or cooking steaks sliced. You can schedule the searing part of your "low and slow" cooks with the higher temp cooking.
While this may look like a simple steak. It's often cooked as a whole brisket very slowly to ensure tenderness, then sliced and seared to give the individual steaks the "crust" or "bark" which can be cooked over the high heat most starter meals require.
However, while searing is often seen with charring. Charring is in fact a sign that the meat has been burned. This is not actually as flavoursome as a rich, dark brown crust. Instead, charring only creates acrid, less enjoyable flavours that detract from the meaty flavour and any herbs/rubs/marinades added. I highly recommend turning the meats over quickly to ensure even cooking while preventing char formation. A lot of people say "turn once" and that is helpful when cooking the meat in a low and slow environment as it keeps the conditions more stable... but for searing, it's my experience that flipping more regularly helps.
This reddish brown steak is on the way to a crust formation, without going so far as charring. If you're wondering about the red tinge... that's because the smoke from wood or charcoal barbecues actually brings out the red of the iron in the meat too. It's red just below the the crust and this is called the "the smoke ring" since it surrounds the inner meat. The smoke ring may only a few millimetres (1/8th of an inch) thick while the core of the meat is coloured exactly as rare/done as the cook determines. Naturally, without the smokiness of charcoal/wood/pellet barbecue... or the addition of some other smoke sources, the meat will not have the red smoke ring, or such a strong smoky flavour.
But what if I have two barbecues?
You lucky devil! (or angel if you're cooking my food) hehe.
Now this will vary a bit. However, the general gist is set one barbecue for the hot-fast searing/small goods, and the other for low-slow cooking for larger, tender cookstuffs.
If you're fortunate enough to have an offset smoker, kamado, or earth/brick oven... then these are the best type for the low and slow. Lidded metal gas barbecues can be used... but because they're often made of sheet metal, their heat retention means you'd go through a lot of gas if cooking this way. If you have a fancy insulated "metal kamado" or "insulated cabinet" style barbecue llike the Hephaestus series
If you have a gas barbecue, a hot plate or grill over a fire, (gas/wood/charcoal, doesn't matter) then that's going to be best for the hot and fast.