What is barbecue?

Answer 1

Barbecue, a method of cooking meat over outdoor, open pits of coals, comes from the Spanish word "barbacoa."

It specifically refers "to slow smoking of tough cuts over low, indirect heat for extended periods of time."

Due to the fact that the Weber Grill Company advertised it's charcoal grills as being capable, if properly used, of producing barbecue, such grills were and are referred to worldwide as "barbecue grills." This led to a shift in meaning in some parts of the world, whereby, anything cooked on one of Weber's grills, and eventually any outdoor grill (including gas and electric grills), was referred to as barbecue, regardless of cooking method used.

Since most home grillers only use their grills "to fast cook lean meat over high, direct heat" that meaning is encountered in some places.

Answer 2

To Barbecue is to cook slowly and to Grill is to cook quickly.

Answer 3

A barbeque is another term for a barbecue, a fireplace or pit for grilling food, involving charcoal as the main cooking medium, or a meal or event highlighted by food cooked in such a manner.