As we continue our week-long focus on BBQ, I wanted to take the time to answer a very common question about the subject. What’s the difference between grilling and BBQ? Are they actually different? Let’s dig in!
What is BBQ?
Let’s start off with BBQ. To answer one of the questions I posed, there is an actual difference between grilling and BBQ. So what is BBQ?
BBQ typically involves tougher cuts of bone-in meat. Things like ribs, briskets, pork shoulders, etc. These cuts usually contain a lot of fat and connective tissue which creates amazing flavor.
The problem with tough, bony, fatty meat is that it takes a while to cook. In order to make the meat edible, you have to cook low and slow. If you’ve never heard that term before, it means you will be cooking at a lower temperature for a longer period of time.
Do you know what goes great with BBQ? My easy potato salad recipe!
As an example, at one of the restaurants I worked at we served pulled pork from Boston Butts. We cooked the 4-5 pound butts for 16 hours at 190 degrees. Typical temperatures range from 225 all the way up to 275.
Our pulled pork was also smoked, which is another characteristic of BBQ. Different types of woods are used to impart different aromatic flavors. Common woods include hickory and mesquite.
If you want to try smoking meats, but don’t want to deal with gas, check out this affordable electric smoker by Masterbuilt on Amazon.
The type of heat is also distinct between the two cooking types. BBQ utilizes indirect heat to get the low and slow effect.
What is Grilling?
Though BBQ is the more common term, grilling is what most people are actually doing. Unlike BBQ, grilling is done hot and fast. Good examples of grilled foods include steaks, burgers, and hot dogs.
When grilling, you want temperatures of at least 350 degrees, but the hotter the better. Meats like steak cook much better with higher temperatures. The broilers at some of the fancier steakhouses can reach temperatures of over 1,000 degrees.
Depending on the thickness of your meat, a steak will cook in as little as 5-10 minutes. The same goes for hamburgers. Hot dogs take even less time.
Smoking is not usually utilized in grilling. The meat is not on the grill long enough for the smokey flavor to be absorbed by the meat.
Unlike BBQ, grilling uses direct heat to cook food. You place grilled meats right over the open flame or hot coals.
Similarities
We’ve established that grilling and BBQ are different. However, there are a lot of similarities between the two as well. There’s a reason they get mixed up so much!
Contrary to popular belief, BBQ sauce is not the big differentiator between the two. Putting sauce on something doesn’t change your grilling session to a BBQ.
Both grilling and BBQ generally involve the use of an outdoor grill. Though there are specialized pieces of equipment for BBQ such as smokers, there are plenty of grills that can do both. The configuration of the heating elements and the placement of the meat is what determines whether you are grilling or BBQing.
The difference between grilling and BBQ comes down to time and temperature. When you grill something, you cook it quickly on high heat. When you BBQ, you cook at a low temperature for a longer period of time.
Now you know the difference between grilling and BBQ. I hope you find it helpful this summer!
