Talk:Barbecuing

I do not understand the difference between direct and indirect heat. Could an example be given here?

Very good question. Is it better now? Ortolan88

This is almost the same as the barbecue article. Is there a reason not to merge them? Rmhermen 22:09, 4 Aug 2003 (UTC)

I was going to try merging the two articles, but I think I'll leave it for a while if not indefinitely. Here's what I found in my research:

Three definitions of the term with different explanations of the origin and using different methods.

Grilling meat over charcoal or open fire. Done since mankind tamed fire.
Cooking an entire carcass over open fire or in a pit (the Hawaiian luau is an example not mentioned in either article). Numerous origins given for this one.
Cooking meat using indirect heat in a process that seems to be a cross between or a combination of baking and smoking.

Three different explanations of the origin of the word.

The brand of a Texas ranch, the Bar-BQ.
From the french barbe-a-que meaning from snout to tail.
Barbecoa or barbacoa from an Indian word via Spanish. The Indian origin is variously attributed to Arawak (Barbecue article), Nahuatl (Barbecuing article) and Taino (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language fourth edition). There are probably more that I haven't come across.

More variations and disagreements (POV) on the theme.

Varieties of yaki in Japan with subvariety teriyaki and disagreement as to whether it originated in Hawaii or Japan.

What kind of meat is used in a "true" barbecue.

Should the meat be wrapped in aluminum foil or leaves? If leaves, what kind is best.

There's enough material for a book. It would be quite a challenge to summarize and put it all into one article, at least for me. CyberMaus 12:12, 14 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Broiling in the USA is cooking under a flame or electric coils in an oven. Grilling in the USA is generally considered the same as barbecuing, cooking outdoors with a gas, wood or charcoal fire. I recommend merging the articles (Grilling and Barbecue) and having a separate section under Barbecue for grilling. To some, barbecuing is cooking by indirect heat with smoke. However, the common useage for 'barbecue' now includes hot smoking and grilling. [(User:Bill Wight Editor BBQ List FAQ)]

– Grilling in the UK refers to something entirely different to barbecueing, as mentioned in the grilling article. This does not come under barbecueing.