# Barbeque vs Grilling



## Raine

This is a term and technique that is way too often misundertood or been diluted.

BBQ no matter how you spell it is a method of long/slow cooking over wood coals.

It is not a device you cook on.  

It is not sauce.

Grilling is cooking high heat and fast, no matter what the heat source.


----------



## buckytom

i can't agree enough rainee. i am a griller; food is cooked directly over coals. i would love to learn the art of the 'cue, but i never have enough time. over the years, an old friend and i have done whole pigs and lambs on a spit, low and slow, but it was over coals, so i'm not sure what you would call that.

i have recently started to use all hardwood charcoal for grilling. i think kingsford sells it now in bags. and i use the newspaper chimney method to get them started. you can't beat the taste over real coals, not briquettes or (gasp) propane, and there's no chemical taste from the lighter fluid. propane grilling has it's merits like temp control, but you might as well just move your stove outside. also, i hate when someone starts their charcoal with a whole bottle of lighter fluid. the food cooked on it taste's terrible, even after the coals are all ash.
charcoal briquettes are ok, but all hardwood is the way to go for flavor. the briquettes are especially susceptible to the bad taste of lighter fluid, but do burn longer. a mix of a few briquettes and hardwood charcoal would help the grill burn more evenly.


----------



## Raine

Kingford has a lot of filler these days. Try to find some lump charcoal.


----------



## DampCharcoal

I've used lump hardwood charcoal and it burned incredibly hot. Did I do something wrong? :?


----------



## buckytom

yep, that's what i meant, lump charcoal. it's just chunks of charred hardwood, no fillers, coal, or other combustibles. smells just like a campfire, and the food cooked on it is delicious.


----------



## Raine

No DC, lump burns a little hotter.


----------



## buckytom

and it burns out a lot faster too, so you may have to add some to keep it going. or like i said, mix in a few briquettes to stretch it out.


----------



## jennyema

Rainee said:
			
		

> Grilling is cooking high heat and fast, no matter what the heat source.


 

Then sauteeing would be grilling.  Or microwaving.

Most definitions of "grill" that I have seen either refer to the noun form as a device, a metal grate used to cook food over a direct heat source; or to the verb form, to cook food on a metal grate over a direct heat source.  But I'll try to look it up in LG soon.

You're right, BBQ is not a device, but a "BBQ grill" is.

Lump charcoal is the only way to go for me.  TJ's sells "Cowboy" brand at good prices.

When the 2 feet of snow melts maybe I'll drag the old girl back out!


----------



## marmalady

Rainee, I think the term 'BBQ' is one of those 'crossover' terms I was talking about in another topic. 

Yes, you're absolutely right in your definition of 'low and slow', but I think it's just become common use to say 'let's BBQ some hot dogs Sunday' !


----------



## Raine

However, cooking on a bbq grill, doesn't make it BBQ.


----------



## Raine

Marm, that is because the term got diluted.  From people looking to take short cuts, or companies trying to make a buck and enlarge their customer base.

That is exactly why I think we need to clear it up.


----------



## jennyema

Not necessarily, true, but it could be, right?


BTW ... being from NC, do you have a good mop sauce for pulled pork?


----------



## Raine

depends on what you cook, and how you cook it.

Like I said, it is a method.

We don't mop, but probably can come up with a couple.


----------



## jennyema

Maybe what I want isn't a "mop" but a vinegar-based sauce that you sorta mix with the meat or squirt on after.


----------



## htc

I'm probably in the minority here, but when I use the term BBQ, it's a reference to a outdoor party at my place or my brother's place. What we cook and how we cook can vary drastically, depending on the day.

I rarely use the term "grilling", even though I have a gas grill and that's probably the correct term to use for the foods I cook on it. Bottom line: whether it's a grill or BBQ, just tell me where and when, and I'm there.


----------



## Raine

In the South that social event would be called a pig pickin'. Of course, a whole hog would have been cooked(bbq), and everybody would show up the next day and eat.  So, if you say you are having a bbq you'd better be serving bbq, or you will have some PO'd guests.

Grilling is refered to as cook out. Cook out means, hamburgers, hotdogs, steaks, etc


----------



## Raine

We are a little leary of cowboy lump. It hasn't gotten very high marks from the competition circle and other bbq fans.


check out this site on the different brands of lump.

lump


----------



## Raine

test... it didn't insert the picture


----------



## Alix

marmalady said:
			
		

> Rainee, I think the term 'BBQ' is one of those 'crossover' terms I was talking about in another topic.
> 
> Yes, you're absolutely right in your definition of 'low and slow', but I think it's just become common use to say 'let's BBQ some hot dogs Sunday' !


 
I am with you on this one marmalady. I know Rainee doesn't agree with me and that is just fine. If I used the word "grilling" or the term "cook out" here, well people would think I was nuts. If I said "Come over for a BBQ" everyone would know what I was talking about. I am well aware of what the term means to many of you south of the border, but we are more flexible about it here. I am so glad we have a "Cross Over Term" thread going, I think this one is a perfect example.


----------



## Raine

Bet if you started they would catch on.


----------



## Michael in FtW

LOL ... guess I wont start a discussion on that disgusting yellow glop they call BBQ sauce in the Carolina's and Florida as compared to what the rest of the world considers as BBQ sauce.


----------



## Hungry

*Bbq*

Just for kicks I just GOOGLED "BBQ" 

Only 5,790,000 hits:!: 

Interesting site was redwood.com.
Neat displays but very slow loading with a dial up connection.  Probably faster with broadband?

Here is a blurb on a contest someon may be interested in:

http://bbq.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.RedwoodCreek.comhttp://www.RedwoodCreek.com

Beginning May 1st through June 15th 2005, amateur outdoor cooking aficionados can go to RedwoodCreek.com to enter their best campfire recipe. Five finalists will be selected to participate in the Campfire Classic in the New York City, July 2005. The best campfire chef will take home a $10,000 adventure grant plus a $5,000 donation to the national park of their designation.

Enjoy,
Charlie


----------



## marmalady

Jenny - look in'sauces' - I posted hubbie's family recipe for NC vinegar sauce!


----------



## Raine

Have never tasted a mustard sauce we like.


----------



## kitchenelf

Michael - don't you put that yellow gloppy stuff off on us!!!!! LOL Isn't the mustart stuff more Kansas City?

We do a vinegar based sauce here.


----------



## jennyema

Marm and Rainee -- thanks for the recipes!!

I have been told that my pulled pork is very good but I am always experimenting.

Also, Rainee, thanks for the link regarding lump charcoal.  The thing is ... it is actually not that easy to find up here.  And i have never seen any of the brands in the link, except for Cowboy and Whole Foods.

Maybe Andy M or GB have seen any of those other brands around????  If you have, let me know where because I am dying to try them!


----------



## Raine

Mustard base is SC style.
KC is thicker, sweeter, tomato, possibly hotter style.


----------



## GB

jennyema said:
			
		

> Maybe Andy M or GB have seen any of those other brands around????  If you have, let me know where because I am dying to try them!


I have not, but I will keep my eyes open for you!

I have to admit that I use a gas grill (gasp). I do prefer charcoal, but convenience won out when I went to buy my grill. I still have a charcoal kettle, but I have not touched it once since I started using my gas grill.


----------



## kitchenelf

LOL GB - I understand the convenience thing - I got a charcoal grill (big sucker) last year and use my gas grill to set my chimneys on while my charcoal gets hot! lol  I had to get 4 chimneys because my grill is so big.  I've got to get some kind of aluminum pan (haven't found one quite big enough yet) to only heat up a smaller area of the grill.  20 minutes and the coals are good to go - so it's not too bad.


----------



## The Z

Interesting topic... I always accepted "Barbeque" as one of those oddities of our language that was simply interchange-able... Never thought it had an actual and singular definition (Low and Slow Method)... interesting.
 
Learn something new every day I guess.
 
More information on the subject from Wikipedia;
*Etymology*

The word varies in spelling; variations include *barbeque*, *BBQ*, and *Bar-B-Q*. Smoky Hale, author of _The Great American Barbecue and Grilling Manual_ traces the word back to its Caribbean roots in Taíno (one of the Arawak family of languages). In one form, _barabicoa_, it indicates a wooden grill, a mesh of sticks; in another, _barabicu_, it is a sacred fire pit. Traditional _barbacoa_ implies digging a hole in the ground putting some meat (goat is the best, usually the whole animal) on it with a pot underneath (to catch the concentrated juices, it makes a hearty broth), cover all with maguey (cactus) leaves then cover with coal and set it in fire. A few hours later it is ready.


----------



## Raine

Barbecuing pork shoulders for Lexington, NC political rally, early 1930's.  Open pit cooking.


----------



## GB

That is a VERY cool picture. i love how they are wearing suits


----------



## Raine

Pit cooking whole pigs near Rocky Mount, NC 1944


----------



## Raine

Don't know how they came out so dark. Lighten them up and reposted them. Hope you can seee them better now.


----------



## Andy M.

Jen:

Alas, I too have fallen prey to the evil "convenience" troll and use a gas grill.  I keep thinking I should get a kettle and switch but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.

However, I have smoked some ribs and a pork roast on my gas grill with a tray of hickory chips.  I got a great smokey flavor but I know it was a compromise.

Maybe the place to try would be a real grill/barbeque shop.  One that has *ALL* the gear.


----------



## Raine

Go with a weber, you can't beat 'em for the money.
Kettle for grilling
WSM for smoking


----------



## Raine

Stamey's Lexington, NC


----------



## RPCookin

This seems to fit right in with this discussion. It is a quote from one of my cookbooks, "How to Grill" by Steven Raichlen. It is part of the intro to the book.

"The word _barbecue_ means different things to different people, depending on where you live. On the East and West Coasts of the United States and in the Frost Belt and Canada, it describes any sort of live-fire cooking outdoors. In Texas, the South, and parts of the Midwest, it refers to a specific kind of meat that's slow cooked and heavily smoked, usually via the indirect method. Thus, to a North Carolinian, barbecue means pulled pork; to a Texan, beef brisket. Elsewhere, barbecue may refer to a piece of cooking equipment (the barbecue grill), a social gathering (for example, a church barbecue), or simply a meal outdoors."

Until I started getting into the subject, grilling and barbecue were interchangeable terms. For most of people I've known where I've lived (Minnesota, Montana, and Colorado), they still are. In these regions, only the purist makes a distinction. You can do barbecue fast (grilling), or slow (barbecue or smoking), but it's still covered under one generic term. 

Sort of like my grandmother always called all cameras "Kodaks", regardless of the actual manufacturer. It's one of those terms that has taken on a colloquial meaning that varies greatly from region to region.


----------



## Andy M.

RPCookin said:
			
		

> ...Sort of like my grandmother always called all cameras "Kodaks", regardless of the actual manufacturer. It's one of those terms that has taken on a colloquial meaning that varies greatly from region to region.


 
Please pass the kleenix, the xerox machine is broken!  I guess I'll go make some jell-o and munch on some life savers until it's fixed.


----------



## GB

Are you going to wash that jell-o down with a coke?


----------



## mikegeorge

Jennyema,

Here is a link to sauces and the best info about barbecue on the net. (notice the spelling of BBQ, there are many ways to spell it also)

Finishing Sauces 

Barbecue


----------



## Insty-Grill

I am curious Raine, for all the NC pics you posted, Is wood the exclusive fuel used?


----------



## heavyG

Lump charcoal is the only way to go... However on screen we use gas half the time, just because the camera is rolling and we are under that time constraint thing.

Those briquettes have never entered my yard.

G.


----------



## Bacardi

Raine said:


> This is a term and technique that is way too often misundertood or been diluted.
> 
> BBQ no matter how you spell it is a method of long/slow cooking over wood coals.
> 
> It is not a device you cook on.
> 
> It is not sauce.
> 
> Grilling is cooking high heat and fast, no matter what the heat source.


 
Are you a NC native?  NC is the most guilty for called their method/meat/spiced/sauced BBQ.  I'm from New England I can still remember when I went to NC being asked if I wanted BBQ, my answer was always "BBQ what?".


----------



## Alix

Folks, Raine has been inactive here for some time so its unlikely she will answer any of these questions. Sorry.

Edit: Also please note the date this thread was started...200*5, *stuff gets resurrected once in a while, I just don't want to see anyone disappointed if they don't get any answers.


----------



## lulu

Interesting.  Of course I know that the demographic here is by far the majority N. american, but I plead you to be merciful with those of us who aren't from N. America to whom a BBQ is indeed the device upon which we cook!  In Uk and some of the other commonwealth countries grilling is what you guys call broiling.  I try and remember to give both terms when posting here, as I say, I'm concious we are in the minority, but it is still correct for some of we users of this forum!


----------



## QSis

Those of us who regularly cook low and slow over coals and/or wood use the word "barbecue" as either a verb to describe that action, or a noun to describe the food produced by that method. Not in the same sentence, however.

"I can barbecue a great brisket" or "I cook great barbecue".

Before I learned how to barbecue, I, too, used the word to describe grills, cook-outs and burgers and dogs.

Hearing the word "misused" (if you will) is like fingernails on the chalkboard for us bbq'ers. But I've learned that people REALLY don't like being corrected, when everyone around them, all of their lives, has called a gas grill a "BBQ". So I cringe and keep my mouth shut.

Bacardi, I believe that North Carolinians generally limit their use of the noun "barbecue" to barbecued pork, and more specifically, pulled pork butt. Not sure if that's the same in Tennessee, but the Memphis in May competition circuit is all pork.

Lee


----------



## Alix

Lee, I know how it makes some of you cringe. Raine and I had a rather long and involved discussion about this on another board several years ago. Its one of those things that you just have to accept as having more than one meaning. In certain circles and locales it means one particular thing, and in others its something very different. Neither is right, and neither is wrong. We just all have to accept the different meanings a term has. Its wonderful that on a board with so many diverse cultures on it we can all learn to use words interchangeably so that we are all understood.


----------



## Jeekinz

Hey Lee,

I'm gonna barbecue a brisket in my oven.




(nudge, nudge)


----------



## QSis

Alix said:


> Lee, I know how it makes some of you cringe. Raine and I had a rather long and involved discussion about this on another board several years ago. Its one of those things that you just have to accept as having more than one meaning. In certain circles and locales it means one particular thing, and in others its something very different. Neither is right, and neither is wrong. We just all have to accept the different meanings a term has. Its wonderful that on a board with so many diverse cultures on it we can all learn to use words interchangeably so that we are all understood.


 
Whoa!  

Looks like I'll be taking the high road on this one!  

Lee


----------



## GB

Websters says (a) barbecue can be any of the above, including a gathering where people eat barbecued food or the "portable fireplace" that the food is cooked over.


----------



## buckytom

so, a i'd guess a bbq'd prawn has about 15 different meanings...


----------



## Bacardi

How about this sentence...

I'm going to my friend's BBQ to BBQ BBQ on his BBQ.

Translation: I'm going to my friend GATHERING to COOK LOW and SLOW - MEAT on his SMOKER.


----------



## QSis

Bacardi said:


> How about this sentence...
> 
> I'm going to my friend's BBQ to BBQ BBQ on his BBQ.
> 
> Translation: I'm going to my friend GATHERING to COOK LOW and SLOW - MEAT on his SMOKER.


 
LOL!  Close enough!

Lee


----------



## camp_cookie

In my opinion, barbecue is meat cooked low and slow and with smoke and typically in an indirect manner.  Meat that is directly cooked over hot coals or gas is grilled.

The social event is a cookout.  If the term "barbecue" is used for the social gathering, it should be centered around barbecue as the main course and not grilled items such as steaks and burgers.

One of my former coworkers was invited over to a new neighbor's house for a "barbecue".  The main course was grilled chicken breast that had been marinated in Italian dressing.  The new neighbor was from "up north".


----------



## Alix

Camp cookie, speaking as someone from even further "up north" I'll just say that makes perfect sense to me. Making my point once again that terms have many meanings, often regional ones.


----------



## camp_cookie

Alix said:


> Camp cookie, speaking as someone from even further "up north" I'll just say that makes perfect sense to me. Making my point once again that terms have many meanings, often regional ones.



Even if you accept the term "barbecue" as low and slow with smoke, different parts of the country think of said barbecue being something different.  The competition circuit and internet forums are breaking down some of the regional walls slowly, for better or worse.


----------



## Marko

Grilling or broiling infers high bottom heat transferred via a metal grill.  BBQing is a long, slow process involving smoke.  Sauteeing, Jennyema, involves jumping in a pan at high heat and it also involves moisture in most cases.  Microwaving would be more similar to roasting than grilling.  You are correct in your logic.


----------



## Alix

I think (as I have said before in this thread and others) that we all need to be tolerant of the way people use terms in different parts of the world. There is no need to insist that your definition is the "right" definition for one particular term. Insisting you are right just leads to folks getting upset at one another. Just be aware that people use terms differently in different places. Another example is "pudding". Ask someone from the UK what that means and you will find it is significantly different from the definition used in North America.


----------



## Marko

Sorry Alix:

I was approaching this in a technical way and giving information as I was taught in culinary school.  I am a professional chef and assumed the terminology was universal.

Marko


----------



## Alix

Understood Marko, and no offense intended. Just trying to head off a disagreement that has no resolution. Seen this particular one several times.


----------



## AllenOK

Alix said:


> I think (as I have said before in this thread and others) that we all need to be tolerant of the way people use terms in different parts of the world. There is no need to insist that your definition is the "right" definition for one particular term. Insisting you are right just leads to folks getting upset at one another. Just be aware that people use terms differently in different places. Another example is "pudding". Ask someone from the UK what that means and you will find it is significantly different from the definition used in North America.



Here here!

Folks that hail from Austrailia and New Zealand, don't have anything remotely like what Americans, especially those from the South, call "Barbeque".  What the people in those countries call "Barbeque" is what most Americans call "Grilling".

I know I've mentioned this in at least one other thread somewhere, but I am always looking for, and learning, slang terms for food and cooking, as well as the different names and/or terms, used to describe food and cooking, that are used in other countries besides the USA.  Since I collect recipes, and really like recipes from other parts of the world, I have to know what terms mean.

It's really tricky, reading a title of a recipe, and once you get into the instructions, suddenly realize that this is a British recipe, or an Austrailian recipe.  Once I realize that, I can usually picture what the end result is.

Since this is an International forum, I usually try to keep in mind where a particular member is from, to help understand the post.

That said, there are also huge differences in terminology within the US as well.  My MIL thinks "Barbeque" means hot dogs, hamburgers, and steaks, all cooked on a grill, high heat, quick cooking.  She's from Michigan.  I'm from Oklahoma, and I always associate "Barbeque" will slow-cooked, smoked meat products.


----------



## Ask-A-Butcher

AllenOK said:


> That said, there are also huge differences in terminology within the US as well.  My MIL thinks "Barbeque" means hot dogs, hamburgers, and steaks, all cooked on a grill, high heat, quick cooking.  She's from Michigan.  I'm from Oklahoma, and I always associate "Barbeque" will slow-cooked, smoked meat products.



Here is a link to more BBQ terminology that some of us in the south use
Addicted To BBQ - Terms and Definitions


----------



## Maverick2272

I am pretty loose with my terms as well, until I was corrected by the neighbor across the alley who is from Oklahoma. So now I know I mostly grill and sometimes BBQ.

But sometimes, I just like to throw a shrimp on the Barby and enjoy


----------



## bpjake

*Real BBQ*

I grew up my whole life in Texas, and understood the difference between grilling or cooking out, and bbq-ing.  However, because Texas is so flooded with people from other parts of the country, I was never surprised to go to someone's house for a bbq, and get grilled food (maybe dissapointed, but not surprised).  But I never went to a BBQ restaurant and did not get what I came for.

With that said, that is why I am posting.  Just got back from a trip with my wife and my sister and her husband (all Texas natives) from a trip to the California wine country.  After a few days, we were all missing food from home and decided to go to a well recommended "BBQ" restaurant.  We were very upset to find more CA yuppie food.  Again, an infused grilled steak or grilled vegetables IS NOT BBQ.  Also, real bbq does not cost $40 an entree.  Anyways, point being I don't mind when my neighbor or friend does not know the difference between grilling and BBQ, but any chef or restaurant owner should.


----------



## Alix

I see this thread come up every so often, and every time it does my eye starts to twitch. I'm going to just lock it up and we can all read it and agree to disagree. None of us is going to convince the other side to change their minds so we all just need to realize that what means one thing in one place may mean something else someWHERE else. BBQ means different things in different places, and biscuit and chips and a whole slew of other terms mean different things in different parts of the world. If you asked for a biscuit in England you sure wouldn't get something you'd sop up your stew with!


----------

