People often use the term barbecue when referring to foods that are grilled, but barbecuing and grilling are two completely different processes.

Barbecuing

• Barbecuing refers to foods that are cooked with a long, slow process using indirect, low-heat generated by smoldering logs or wood chips that smoke-cook the food.

• The fuel and heat source are separate from the cooking chamber, but the cooking chamber contains enough heat to properly cook the food over a long period of time.

• The cooking chamber fills with smoke, giving the food its characteristic smoked flavor, which varies depending on the type of wood that is used for the fuel.

• The best temperature for barbecuing is between 200°F and 300°F. If the temperature rises above 300°F, it is considered grilling.

Grilling

• Grilling refers to foods that are cooked quickly and directly over high heat.

• Grilling temperatures typically reach 500°F or more, but any temperature above 300°F is considered a grilling temperature.

• The high heat of grilling sears the surface of meat, sealing in the natural juices and creating a flavorful crust.

This is a question that is asked by many, but not widely known or understood. A lot of the confusion lies in the fact that people often use the same piece of equipment for grilling as they do for barbecuing. The two are very different.

Barbecuing lies at the opposite end of the temperature spectrum from grilling. It is a long, slow process, indirect, low-heat method that uses smouldering logs or charcoal and wood chunks to smoke-cook the food. Barbecue temperatures are usually between 95°C and 150°C. This low heat generates smoke, and the smoke gives barbecue its characteristic flavour. The heat source is often separate from the cooking chamber, which contains the actual food. This method of cooking is suited to large pieces of meat such as whole pigs. It is also perfect for cuts with lots of tough connective tissue, like brisket and spareribs. In fact barbecue was traditionally associated with the poorer people of southern US, who could not afford the better cuts of meat.

Grilling is cooking at high heat. Food is cooked directly over the coals, it is usually ready in minutes. Grilling temperatures are around 200°C to 260°C, this depends on the food being cooked,the food is cooked near the heat source. The high heat chars the surface of the food, this seals in the juices and creates a smoky caramelised crust. Grilling is one of the oldest and most widespread forms of cooking. rich and poor men alike do it all over the world, and it's also one of the most forgiving methods of cooking.

Recently a hybrid method of cooking, Indirect Grilling, has become very popular. This method bridges the gap between barbecue and grilling. Like barbecuing the food is not cooked directly over the coals. But the actual cooking takes place in the same chamber as the heat source, and temperatures usually range between 150°C and 210°C degrees. Wet wood chips or chunks are placed on the heat source to generate smoke for the flavour. Indirect grilling effectively makes your Barbecue grill into and outdoor smoke oven, which is perfect for cooking larger cuts of meat.

Indirect grilling gives you the best of both grilling and barbecuing. The charcoal flavour from grilling and the tenderness and smoky flavour from barbecuing. The flavour of real barbecuing is difficult to beat, Indirect grilling comes a close second.

Perhaps we love to cook over fire so much because it goes back to our early days when we all lived out in nature...whatever the reason, barbeque and grilling are a major method of food preparation in our culture.

There is a difference between barbeque and grilling.

Grilling is cooking food directly over a heat source. The food is cooked for just a few minutes on a hot, open, grill. Thin cuts of meat, fillets, kabobs, and vegetables are good to grill.

Barbeque is cooking "low and slow" over indirect heat, with lots of smoke. Once started, coals are pushed to the sides of the grill, leaving a place in the middle to cook at about 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). The lid is closed, and the cooking times are longer. Indirect heat is used for larger pieces of meat, such as thick steaks, roasts, ribs and whole fish.

Some years back there was some confusion about barbecued foods containing a cancer-causing substance called benzo(a)pyrene. Studies showed that the cooking temperature, type of fuel used, and the fat content of the meat all affect the amount of benzo(a)pyrene that is formed. The most benzo(a)pyrene is the result of charcoal grilling and gas grilling, when the gas flame is below the meat, grilling closer to the heat source, grilling meats with more fat and grilling for a long period of time.

So, conversely, the safest way to grill is to use thin cuts of lean meat, poultry, or fish, and grill them quickly and not too close to the heat.

University of Hawaii researchers have found you can reduce the dangers of carcinogens in grilled meat by eating lots of green vegetables--the chlorophyll in vegetables binds with the carcinogens during digestion, limiting their absorption.

Traditional barbeque has no such problems because the meat is cooked over indirect heat, proving once again that the old ways are often the best ways.

Remember, you can also grill vegetables and fruits, too.

Understanding the Difference Between Direct and Indirect Grilling

The first step towards achieving master grillsmanship is to understand the difference between direct grilling, indirect grilling, and smoking.

Direct grilling:

This is what most of the world means when it talks of grilling: the food is placed and cooked directly over the fire. Direct grilling is a high heat method used to cook relatively small or thin pieces of food quickly. Typical foods that are direct grilled include steaks, chops, chicken breasts, fish fillets, vegetables, and bread.

How to set up your grill for direct grilling:

There are two ways to set up your grill for direct grilling. In the first, the coals are spread in an even layer to make a single zone fire over which the food will be grilled. (On a gas grill, you'd simply light the appropriate burner.) This method is fine for cooking a small amount of food, say a steak or chicken breasts for one or two.

You'll get better heat control if you build a three zone fire, consisting of a hot zone, medium zone, and cool or "safety" zone. On a charcoal grill, rake half the coals into a double layer over one third of the fire box (the bottom of the grill). Rake the remainder into a single layer in the center. Leave the remaining third of the firebox without coals. Use the hot (double coal) zone for searing, the medium (single coal) zone for cooking, and the cool zone for warming or as a safety zone if the food starts to burn.

To set up a gas grill for three zone grilling, on a two burner gas grill, set one burner on high and one burner on medium, using the warming rack as your safety zone. On a three or four burner gas grill, set one burner on high, one or two burners on medium, and leave the last burner off.

Indirect grilling:

Indirect grilling is designed to cook larger or tougher foods that would burn if direct grilled. As the name suggests, the food is placed next to, not directly over the fire. The grill lid is closed to hold in the heat, turning the grill into a sort of outdoor oven. Indirect grilling is used to cook large pieces of meat, like pork shoulders and whole chickens. It's also used to cook tough cuts of meat, like brisket and ribs, that require long, slow cooking at a low or moderate heat. Indirect grilling allows you to work over a more moderate temperature (275 to 350 degrees) and makes it easy to introduce the flavor of wood smoke. This is the method used to cook ribs, pork shoulders, briskets, whole chickens and turkeys, and other large pieces of food.

How to set up your grill for indirect grilling:

To indirect grill on a charcoal grill, light the charcoal in a chimney starter (see below), with an electric starter, or with lighter fluid. When the coals glow red, dump or rake them in two piles at opposite sides of the grill. (Some grills come with special side baskets for this purpose.) Place a foil drip pan in the center of the grill, between the mounds of embers. Place the grate on the grill and cook the chicken in the center of the grate over the drip pan. If using wood chips for smoking (see below), toss _ cup soaked wood chips on each pile of coals to generate smoke. Keep the grill covered, adjusting the top and bottom vents to obtain the desired temperature (usually medium, 350 degrees). Add 12 fresh charcoals or a corresponding amount of lump charcoal after 1 hour. Leave the grill uncovered for a few minutes until the coals ignite.

Always open the lid before lighting a gas grill.

To indirect grill on a gas grill, if you have a two burner gas grill, light one side on high and cook the food on the other. If you have a three burner gas grill, light the front and rear or outside burners and cook the food in the center. If you have a four burner gas grill, light the outside burners and cook the food in the center. Adjust the burner knobs to obtain the desired heat. To smoke on a gas grill, click here.

Note: make sure you have at least 1/3 of a tank of gas before you start grilling. It's a good idea to have an extra full tank as a spare.

A word about charcoal:

For charcoal grilling I prefer natural lump charcoal-made from pure wood and recognizable by its irregular shaped chunks-to briquettes. This is a natural product, containing no additives or fillers. Look for it at grill shops and natural foods stores

Of course, the vast majority of Americans use charcoal briquettes, which in addition to raw wood, often contain furniture scraps, coal dust, borax, and petroleum binders. This may sound off-putting--it is off-putting--and partially lit briquettes give off a strong acrid smoke flavor. The truth is that if you let the briquettes burn down to glowing coals, these impurities burn off and the food will taste pretty much the same as when cooked over lump charcoal. I prefer lump charcoal and use it whenever I can. But I also want to go on record reporting that most of the competition barbecue champs use briquettes.