Barbecuing

Barbecue, (also spelled barbeque, or abbreviated BBQ) is a method of cooking food with indirect heat and smoke, or the end-result of cooking by this method. It is usually cooked in a covered environment heated by an outdoor open flame of wood, charcoal, natural gas or propane. Restaurant barbecue may be cooked in large brick or metal ovens specially designed for that purpose.

The word 'barbecue' is often used to refer to a casual party, usually outdoors or with an outdoor theme and usually with food that has been barbecued or grilled. For this reason many people consider any outdoor cooking, including grilling, as barbecue, which is frowned upon by purists. The device used for cooking barbecue can usually be used for both barbecuing and grilling and is often called a 'Barbecue grill', thereby adding to the confusion.

As a cooking method grilling is almost always a fast process over high heat and barbecue is almost always a slow process near indirect heat. For example, in a typical home grill with two separately controlled burners, grilled foods are placed over both burners, while if barbecuing, one burner is turned off and the food is placed over the cold burner and heated from the side. The meat is turned one or more times to ensure complete cooking.

This method of cooking breaks down the collagen in meat and turns tougher cuts into easy eating.