The Difference Between Barbecuing and Grilling
We tend to use the term barbecuing and grilling and interchangeably but the Economist sets us straight.
In reality, most people these days grill rather than barbecue--and the difference between the two could not be greater. Grilling takes minutes rather than hours, and is done directly over the heat at moderately high temperatures (220ºC or more), making it ideal for thinner pieces of meat such as hamburger patties, racks of lamb and beef steaks no more than an inch thick. Serious chunks of meat, whether mutton, pulled pork or beef, need to be cooked low and slow over indirect heat--that is to say, at around 90ºC for the better part of a day. That is what proper barbecuing is all about. It is surprisingly hard to do well.
