So many people nowadays interchangeably use terms “grilling” and “barbecuing.” For instance, if someone has invited some guests over for a barbecue party, they sometimes serve just the grilled hot dogs and burgers. But if you get into technicality, grilled food is not actually a barbecue.
Difference Between a BBQ and a Grill
While a BBQ and a Grill both are the terms for outdoor cooking over a specific heat source, they are not used interchangeably for the same method of cooking. The vital factors that distinguish the two are the total cooking time and the type of heat source used for cooking.
What Is a Grill?
A grill is a cooking technique that is done in two major ways: indirect heat or over direct heat. This method of cooking is usually suitable for thinner meat cuts, such as chops, chicken, hot dogs, and burgers, over direct heat. One can cook the food direct over a heat source to sear their food rapidly. This heat is also great to for preparing grilled vegetables and fruits.
Also Read: How long to BBQ a Turkey?
How about indirect heat? It is a technique when you cook foods one low to medium heat. In this technique flames or coals are off to just one side. This method is ideal for cooking heavy cuts of meat, like ribs, roasts, and whole chickens. The indirect heat grilling is also suitable for baking on a grill.
What Is a BBQ?
While the grilling is quite a quick technique, a BBQ cooks food slowly over indirect heat. Generally, smokers are go-to for barbecuing. However, a grill can also work for this technique. The temperature plays a major role in barbecuing.
Typically, cooking temperature lies between 225° and 275°F when it comes to barbecuing. Another major BBQ characteristic that many people look for is a smoky aroma and flavor. Conventionally, such meats are prepared on a fire with added flavor of wood and smoke at the time of cooking.
Ways to Master Grilling and Barbecuing
Here are few helpful tips to ensure you get good results while grilling and barbecuing every time:
Use a clean a grill: Foods sticking on the grill grate is a huge pet peeve for many grillers. One of the major reasons for this is unclean grill grate. Therefore, always keep your grill clean after cooking the food. You can scrape off the bits of food and sauce using a wire brush.
Put the fork down: You may know those long, beautiful forks that are available with various grilling kits. You can use those to toast marshmallows, however, don’t use them on a grill. These are best suited for removing and turning foods from your grill. The forks are also good to piece meat, making all the juices come out.
Resist urge to flip too quickly: We have seen many people toss the steaks and burgers on a grill while keep moving them around. But you need to avoid doing that. The best thing to do is place a steak on a grill while let it sit alone unless it naturally release from a grate. After that, flip it over an area on your grill where there was no food before. When shuffling food around your grill, the food cooks unevenly and is most likely to stick on the grate.
Check the heat: One major mistake that most people make while working over a too hot fire. They often end up with a food that gets charred on the outside, whereas its interior remains underdone. Therefore, it is best to cook food on medium to medium high heat for almost all grilled or barbecued foods.
