10/12/2019
What’s the Difference Between Barbecuing and Grilling?
Although barbecuing and grilling both refer to cooking food outdoors over a heat source, they aren’t interchangeable terms for the same cooking technique. The most important factors that differentiate the two are the type of heat used and the total cook time.
What is Barbecuing?
The term barbecuing refers to cooking meat low and slow, either on a grill or a smoker. The meat - often large, bone-in cuts - is cooked over indirect heat (away from the flame) for at least a few hours and often the entire day, until very tender and falling off the bone.
What is Grilling?
Grilling is what you’re likely doing more often on your grill: cooking food quickly over direct heat at high temperatures. Whereas barbecuing is low and slow, grilling is hot and fast, and gives food a quick sear. If you’re cooking seafood, steak, hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, pork chops, or boneless chicken breasts, chances are, you’re grilling. Vegetables and fruits are also popular foods to grill. At-home grilling is most often done over a gas or charcoal grill.
