# "Grilling" Vs. "Barbeque"



## Daphne duLibre (Jul 30, 2005)

Probably none more obnoxiously evangelical (in the secular sense) than a new convert . . . 

I've been at "barbeque" now for about 18 months. I stepped into this arcane craft by accident. I'd been "grilling" for years. 

And so I log into this particular forum -- expecting great things like the other forums on this site. 

No barbeque. 

One thread on comparing a Weber to a Char-Broil. One thread asking "What Grill Do You Own." 

No barbeque. 

I live on the North Oregon Coast. Around here only a few, and they're "imports" make a distinction between grilling and barbeque. 

"Grilling" is where you put the food on a grill and cook it over a heat source -- these days it's more and more about gas. 

Weber, with it's covered grill is a hybrid -- but technically it's a "grill" and not "barbeque. 

Barbeque . . . 

This opens a huge can of worms. Bottom line is that "barbeque" in the strictest sense of the term is about smoking meat. 

A "barbeque" is some sort of enclosed chamber which is heated from an offset/indirect firebox. The firebox contains aromatic woods, and maybe some charcoal. The firebox is dampered so that the aromatic woods smoke and smolder. The smoke is directed into an enclosed chamber where meat is hung. Temperature in this chamber runs about 200 - 250 F depending on what you've got on the barbeque. 

Meat preparation is a hugely complicated, and largely secreted process: 

Dry rubs, brines, sauces . . . 

Lots of links on google. 

Best barbeque I've done -- and I'm at the ocean, so maybe it's a regional thing -- brined Chinook salmon filets, rubbed with olive oil and Italian herbs. Smoked over Mesquite at 200 F for about 4 hours. 

My ribs and pork shoulder are coming along. 

Beef brisket -- the paramount barbeque challenge -- is not readily available locally. I'd have to order a special cut. And because it's complicated, it'd be like asking for trouble. 

Nothing wrong with grilling. I grill stuff all the time -- usually in an electric oven.  With sauces, marinades, even a brine or two. 

But it ain't "barbeque."


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## marmalady (Jul 30, 2005)

Daphne - I'd like to direct your attention to the sub-forum above, at this link: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=36 

We happen to have a barbeque expert in our family here, Raine, and there are numerous topics on barbequing all types of food, and she has posted some very good advice in answer to questions.


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## Andy M. (Jul 30, 2005)

Check out this thread, especially post #2, about BBQ.  It shows a technique for BBQ on a "grill".  Thanks, Raine.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9939


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## jkath (Jul 30, 2005)

We cook outdoors 3-4x/week, and more than half of what I know about it, I've learned from Raine's expert advice!


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## Alix (Jul 30, 2005)

Daphne duLibre said:
			
		

> Probably none more obnoxiously evangelical (in the secular sense) than a new convert . . .


 
Boy you sure said a mouthful. 

I am sure now that you have cruised the boards more thoroughly you have found lots more "barbeque" recipes to make you happy. If not, I encourage you to try perusing the archives, and if you are STILL not satisfied with our offerings I am sure any thread you start, humbly begging for recipes will be full very quickly.

Raine is busy setting up her new restaurant, but I am sure she would spare you a few moments to chat, recent convert to old hand. Try out the PM function of the boards.


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## kitchenelf (Jul 30, 2005)

There is a whole sub forum devoted to smoking meats and bbq - check it out under the Outdoor Cooking Forum.  

Also, check out these other recipes for

Pulled Pork
Another Pulled Pork Recipe

There are more - like Alix said look in the archives too. Yes, there is much debate over what exactly BBQ versus grilling is - some are adament that bbq is a food, others feels that bbq is the act of grilling. It really depends on what region of the world you are from. If you need any help with learning how to smoke please let us know or if you need some recipes - everyone will be more than willing to help.


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## kitchenelf (Jul 30, 2005)

I just wanted to add that technically smoking/bbq is not a complicated process at all.  Even with a brisket - you just salt, pepper, olive oil it and cook it low for about 18 hours, depending on how large the piece is.  You want to cook the meat higher than the temperature it is technically done at - this makes it tender and it just falls off the bone.  So really, nothing is complicated.  You don't even need to get into the mops and rubs to have good bbq.  A very simple sauce to serve with it is the infamous NC BBQ Sauce:

  North Carolina Vinegar Sauce



                 2 cups apple cider vinegar
3 TBS ketchup
2 TBS packed brown sugar
4 tsp. kosher salt (makes a huge difference so use kosher)
1 TBS Tabasco or other hot sauce
1 – 2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
1 – 2 tsp. black pepper 

   Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive mixing bowl and whisk until the salt and brown sugar dissolve.  Taste for seasoning.  Add amount of hot pepper flakes you want.  Transfer the sauce to a very clean or even a sterile jar and store in refrigerator.  Will keep for several months (if not more).

  Or even more simply, white vinegar and red pepper flakes - just shake and let sit for awhile.

The above sauce is great in a mixture of chopped cabbage, green pepper, and carrot, and onion.


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## Daphne duLibre (Jul 30, 2005)

*Somehow, Somewhere . . .*



			
				marmalady said:
			
		

> Daphne - I'd like to direct your attention to the sub-forum above, at this link: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=36
> 
> We happen to have a barbeque expert in our family here, Raine, and there are numerous topics on barbequing all types of food, and she has posted some very good advice in answer to questions.



Some way my browser (Mozilla something) was not opening/linking to the sub categories in this section. 

Not looking for "advice" so much as just hoping to stir up a discussion about smoking, BBQ, and whatever it is we're doing over a charcoal heat source. 

The local butcher doesn't carry brisket. It's a special order item. 

I keep buying these huge packages of ribs/pork shoulder/loin/beef ribs . . . Huge "family packs" at CostCo. Cook about 8 oz and freeze the rest. 

The freezer is full of meat that I cooked 8 oz of and froze the rest. 

Someday soon, I should send out invitations, build a fire and thaw out the whole freezer.


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## kitchenelf (Jul 31, 2005)

Mozilla Firefox - sometimes I have to switch back to IE on some links.

I love to smoke anything - I've also got a stovetop smoker that really puts the flavor in.   Still, aside from a good pork butt - I love to smoke beer can/butt chicken - they are just so wonderful in the smoker or even smoked on the grill when I do a bunch at one time.

I haven't used a mop yet - the flavor of just the smoke is good enough for me right now.  I'm sure I'll experiment at some point though.  I do use a rub on my beer butt chicken but I don't use a rub on my pork butts - I tried one time from a recipe and it wasn't good - it tasted too "Italian", which is all wrong for a bbq.

What has been your favorite thing to smoke?


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## Raine (Jul 31, 2005)

See, I'm not the only expert here! QSis also knows her way around the pit. That's pretty much it in a nutshell.  It's all in fire control, time and temp. The K.I.S.S. method works real well for cooking BBQ.   Learning your cooker.   

We've done 3 cooks now with the new pit, and we will probably still play around a little more with the wood. Think we have the temp and time worked out.

We had a dry run at the restaurant last night.  Invitation only to family, friends, folks who helped make this happen. Appox. 35 -38 poeple. There were bbq, judges, bbq cooking team, people who have eaten a ton of our food over the years, to people who were eating it for the first time.

It was a HUGE SUCCESS! Everybody really liked everything! The 2 waitresses we have currently, did a great job, they worked well together.   We worked a few bugs, and have a few more to go. Some will just have to come by doing it, finding out what works best.

Next week is gonna be busy, I believe.

We love to talk bbq, along with a few others here who are varying levels of expeirence with outdoor cooking. We all love sharing and learning from each other. So jump right in, and share your expeirences, swap recipes, ask questions. You'll find someone wanting to talk with ya.



> just wanted to add that technically smoking/bbq is not a complicated process at all. Even with a brisket - you just salt, pepper, olive oil it and cook it low for about 18 hours, depending on how large the piece is. You want to cook the meat higher than the temperature it is technically done at - this makes it tender and it just falls off the bone. So really, nothing is complicated. You don't even need to get into the mops and rubs to have good bbq.


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## BubbaGourmet (Aug 7, 2005)

Not to start a controversy...but I just gotta "pick a nit" here. I have always disliked the terms "Barbecueing" and "Grilling". You see, here in North Carolina we have raised the art of cooking "cue" to a very high level. All my life "Barbecue" has been something we _EAT_ not something we do. It is a noun...not a verb. The term "barbecueing" came from the earliest attempts to mass market outdoor cookers and was, in fact, stolen from Eastern NC where they have long owned "Barbecue cookers". This name was misappropriated by marketers on the west coast to sell the first charcoal grills. If you talk to a real old time pit master here in Eastern NC you will find that they "Cook" Barbecue or they "Make" Barbecue or they "Smoke" Barbecue...but they _NEVER_ barbecue. In fact, as with Raine (a pit master in his own right) they don't even refer to their cooking devices as 'barbecues" or "grills". They simply call them "cookers".
The problem with referring to these processes by these names is that it is intimidating for less experienced cooks. As a cookbook author (shameless self-promotion  ) I have spent the last 2 years in book signings, cooking demonstrations and teaching various and sundry classes on cooking. One of my most popular (to date) has been the class on Outdoor cooking that I did as part of a charity benefit this spring. Over 60 people signed up a we spent the better part of a Saturday cooking and eating some really great outdoor food. The best compliment I recieved was from a 68 year old woman who had never used any sort of "grill" in her life because she was afraid she would "mess somethin' up". She told me that I removed her fear by calling the cooking processes Broiling (what "grilling" actually is) and Roasting or Baking (What "barbecueing" actually is). I cannot take credit for my attitude towards terminology...it comes from none other than James Beard who believed in simplifying the processes in cooking as much as possible to make it more accessible to non-experienced cooks. He never titled any of his three books on Outdoor Cooking "Barbecue This" or "Grilling That". They were titled "Cook It Outdoors", "The Complete Book of Outdoor Cookery" and "James Beards Treasury of Outdoor Cooking"
I won't bother to explain as everyone on this board is an experienced cook but if you are ever trying to explain outdoor cookery to a neophyte, just tell them that a "Grill" is nothing more than an outdoor oven and can be used for everything an indoor oven can. Even baking breads and desserts!
 Direct heat grilling is broiling and indirect heat grilling is roasting or baking.
As for the controversy of charcoal versus gas, thanks to the good people at Char-Broil, we became a 2 grill family this year. I have always preferred cooking over charcoal and my wife loves a gas grill. She and I agree that charcoal gives a better flavor but it _is_ hard to beat that gas grill for convenience. If you are going to use charcoal, lump charcoal is the only way to go (other than wood which most mass marketed chacoal grills are unable to handle as hardwood fires just get too hot). Why? My future son-in-law is a chemistry nerd with 3 majors at NC State (go Wolfpack). He already has a degree in Chemistry and is nearing completion of 2 other majors; Molecular Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering.  He tested the most popular brand of Charcoal briquettes in response to a discussion he and I had about the merits of lump charcoal over briquettes. The list of chemical additives in the briquettes was daunting to say the least. I couldn't even pronounce half of the chemicals. He has switched to lump. He says it is "safer".
The other thing I would recommend is _NEVER_ use Lighter fluid or that quick start charcoal with the lighter fluid already in it. Petroleum is simply _NOT _a valid flavor component.
I am sorry for the nitpicking...but I do tend to get passionate about certain things.


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## kitchenelf (Aug 7, 2005)

OMG - it is certainly good to hear from you my friend!!!!!!  Your passion rang loud and true. Very good explanation.

I've got to go lay down - I'm in shock to see you here!!!!!!  

If you ever got anywhere near Charlotte, Winston Salem, Greensboro for a book signing or a class you better let me know!!!!

Any other cookbook yet besides Bubba Gourmet?  I know you were working on another one.  We still love the tuna carpaccio recipe (though I make it tartare style) with the wasabi mayo, shallots, and black caviar - every Valentine's I make it as one course.


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## Bangbang (Aug 7, 2005)

You don't need an ofset firebox to BBQ. If you have enough cooking space on your grill use indirect heat you can still "smoke" or BBQ. True smoking is not BBQ. True smoking is used to preserve meat. This works great for BBQ. I can BBQ "smoke"a turkey in this. It works great for grillin(direct heat)too.


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## BubbaGourmet (Aug 8, 2005)

Elf, my dear friend, if I do get the chance to get up your way I will definitely let you know. As far as new books I have 3 in the works (anything worth doing is worth OVERdoing!). 2 new cookbooks and 1 fiction. Will keep you posted on progress. I am thrilled to be back, by the way. I missed this lil ol' food forum more than you could know. Time constraints have kept me away...haven't even updated the website in a coons age and you know I am a stickler for that. Will get that done within 30 days. My next book related trip may be to Asheboro. Believe it or not, I have a FAN base there! (That blows my mind!) I have also been queried about a possible trip to (of all places) New Jersey. Will keep you postted on that as well.


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## Raine (Aug 8, 2005)

Hey Neighbor, glad to hear from ya!Maybe you can have a book signing at our new store and all the local DC folks can come and visit.


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