Grilling/BBQ question

[CdnCarrie]

Maybe its a Canadian/USA thing or just regional language.

Do you say BBQ, grilling or cookout when referring to cooking on a BBQ.

I only hear BBQ up here. Never hear grilling or cookout.

Memorial Day question for all you Americans!

 

[gmi3804]

I say grilling.

 

[mgarbowski]

All of the above when speaking casually.
But when distinguishing:
barbecue or BBQ means low and slow cooking with smoke
grilling means cooking on a grill over open flame
cookout can mean either

 

[porschegrl]

If we're making dinner outside, I say we're grilling. But if there's a party involved, I say we're going to a cookout.

 

[PalmettoPath]

It depends on the circles you travel in

BBQ often refers to smoked meats, like ribs, brisket, pulled pork and virtually anything similar over wood-fired smoke.
Grilling is more high heat cooking on a grill. But yes, it's a barbecue grill and many units can be used for both. So it can get confusing. I have multiple smokers and grills so I do differentiate personally between grilling and barbecue (and the brick oven, for that matter). For example, I grill a steak, but brisket is BBQ.

There's no question that the terms get mixed and matched a lot in our area.

 

[wenrob]

We use our grill and smoker almost weekly throughout the year (a perk of living in the desert) so I don’t really refer to it as an event like “We’re having a BBQ/cookout and you’re invited.” It’s more like, “DH is throwing a Tri Tip on the grill if you want to stop by.” If you’re coming to my house we’re feeding you and 90% of the time it will be on the grill because it’s fast and easy. So “other.”

 

[Southernmiss]

In our house-southern US

Do you want to grill something? Is our common statement.
Dh grilled a turkey this spring it was delicious.

BarBQ is different. Usually something with a tangy sauce. Like pulled pork or beef.


Dh has a friend who goes to grill, BBQ, smoked meat competitions. Often, in the weeks leading up to his competitions, he tries out his recipes and shares with us. He uses many different methods and flavor combinations.

 

[_19disnA]

I think they tend to be regional terms. Cooking food using smoke seems to be more of a southern/western thing. Some make a distinction between foods cooked at a low temp for a long time with smoke vs cooking rapidly over an open flame. Honestly, I don't think it is that big of a deal and all of those terms can be used interchangeably as they refer to using some sort of outdoor appliance to cook the food. BBQ is also the name of the device used to do the cooking. Friends/relatives might 'invite you over for a cookout' which to me implies making the food outside and perhaps eating outdoors on the patio as well.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Having/going to a cookout (for a party), if DH decides to throw some meat on the grill just for my fam we’re grilling

 

[nw6675]

We say cookout or grilling. Never BBQ, although we will eat the mess out of some Eastern NC pork BBQ with hot vinegar sauce.

 

[loves to dive]

Not only is it regional as far as parts of the country, it gets down to regional within the regions. We are from Georgia which is the southeast region, specifically northeast for me and south for hubby. If we cook anything on the grill the act is grilling. What comes off the grill is just what came off the grill - hot dogs, hamburger, sausage, etc. If something goes into the wood fired smoker, we are smoking meat or firing up the smoker. What comes off the smoker is often BBQ but might be smoked turkey, or ribs, etc. BBQ is a noun not a verb to us, we don't BBQ, we eat BBQ. We go get BBQ, 80% of the time that is pulled pork that has been smoked but could be ribs that have been smoked or chicken that has been smoked, always smoked though, never grilled. I don't know that we have ever invited anyone over for a cookout but if we did it would mean we were throwing stuff on the grill and most likely eating outside. We usually say "Want to come over and we will throw some steaks, or chicken, or hamburger, etc. on the grill?" Or "We are firing up the smoker, why don't you come over for some butt or ribs or sausage, etc." Hubby will say want me to throw something on the grill tonight? Or why don't we go get some BBQ? (which for him is smoked ribs and pulled pork, for me smoked chicken). Firing up the smoker is an almost full day thing, ours is huge and usually there are at least 2 butts, 3 racks of ribs and 4 packages of sausage or it's not worth firing it up.

 

[Pooh2]

Cookout!

 

[AppleDumpling]

To me, grilling refers to the act of cooking anything on a grill. Typically meat, such as burgers, hot dogs, steak, chicken, fish, sausage, etc. But we also sometimes grill corn on the cob and other vegetables.

While a barbecue or cookout is an outdoor gathering/party that you attend or host, typically where grilled food is served. Those two can be used interchangeably, however in these parts, barbecue is more common. I do also use barbecue for a specific type of southern food, things like pulled pork or brisket.

 

[BrianL]

Yeah, down here we say grilling if that's what we are doing- i.e. burgers, hot dogs, etc. We say barbecue if we are smoking some meat or having such things like pulled pork, ribs, etc. When I was a kid visiting my datd in RI I was told we were going to a barbecue - I was shocked to find that there was no barbecue actually there, only beurgers and dogs. Reminds me of this:

 

[luvnwdwgal]

Normally I just say grilling. If we were having a bunch of people over then I’d say we were having a cookout. I never say BBQ.

 

[Southernmiss]

Yeah, down here we say grilling if that's what we are doing- i.e. burgers, hot dogs, etc. We say barbecue if we are smoking some meat or having such things like pulled pork, ribs, etc. When I was a kid visiting my datd in RI I was told we were going to a barbecue - I was shocked to find that there was no barbecue actually there, only beurgers and dogs. Reminds me of this:

I love their sketches and humor.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Maybe its a Canadian/USA thing or just regional language.

Do you say BBQ, grilling or cookout when referring to cooking on a BBQ.

I only hear BBQ up here. Never hear grilling or cookout.

Memorial Day question for all you Americans!

BBQ

 

[dizneegirl]

We grill here at home. We go out for barbecue. And a party with grilled food is generally a cookout.

 

[Wendy31]

Yes, BBQ is very, very different from grilling or a cookout.

Grilling is what we do on the grill - hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, fish, vegetables, etc.

BBQ refers to a style of meat that is slow-cooked & often smoked w/ some kind of dry rub and/or sauce.

A cookout is usually a gathering of people - more than just your immediate family. We‘ll either host or attend a cookout where there will be food grilling. There might also be some BBQ & other smoked meats at a cookout.

In our house, over the weekend, on Friday, we grilled hot dogs & brats, &, on Saturday, we grilled chicken breasts. Last night, we grilled hamburgers.

But, today, we’re smoking a pork butt & ribs in the smoker all day long for pulled pork BBQ sandwiches for dinner tonight. (We’re grilling corn to go w/ the BBQ sandwiches.)

And there are southern regional differences to BBQ - St. Louis, Memphis, Carolina, Alabama, Texas… In my area, BBQ is most often pulled meat (pork, beef, or chicken) or something like ribs or brisket w/ a tangy, tomato-based BBQ sauce.

 

[sethschroeder]

The cross over occurs because people call it a BBQ pit because that is where they make BBQ so now they talk about using the BBQ (dropping the pit) when talking about any cooking that occurs on that surface.

It would be like saying lets do a smashburger when I really mean lets cooking something on the flat top and could be meaning pancakes and sausage.