THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BARBECUE, GRILLING AND SMOKING
Ever had a heated debate with your pals on whether the meat you cooked on the grill was smoked, barbecued or grilled? Even though they all demand an outdoor condition, these cooking styles differ in many ways. Unless you are an expert in BBQ cooking, you may not be familiar with all the science and intricacies that differentiates smoking, barbecuing and grilling.
So, to help you understand the differences between barbecuing, grilling and smoking, we will try to educate you about them. Also, we’ve enlisted some of the fire magic grills that will enhance your cooking skills by leaps and bounds. So let’s dive right in.
What Is Smoking, Barbecuing And Grilling?
Smoking:
- Smoking is a process where you cook your food with smoke at much low temperature. Smoking is all about the meat. Here, your big and tough cuts of meats turn meltingly tender and come up with their full flavour. It is a complex process that requires a lot of patience and a good amount of high-quality meat.
- Many people misunderstand smoking with throwing smouldering chunks or chips over hot coals and smoking just the outside of their briskets. This is not completely true as according to experts, this process may take hours or even days because the true smokiness must penetrate the entire piece of meat and not just the outside of it.
Barbecuing:
- Barbecuing is like the mild version of smoking. In this process, you cook large cuts of meat especially tougher meats like whole pork shoulders, beef briskets, slabs of ribs, rib roasts and even a whole turkey at a very low temperature.
- Since cooking big pieces of meat is involved in the process, Barbecuing also takes several hours. For a good barbecue session, just stick to the key phrase “slow and low” and you’ll have the tenderest and delicious meat that will almost fall right off the bone.
Grilling:
- Now, unlike smoking and barbecuing, grilling is a fast process. Grilling is a popular method of cooking food over a high and direct heat or hot fire. The strong heat is directed above, below or from the side of the food for a very short period of time.
- Grilling is better suited for soft meats like chicken, pork chops and hot dogs because cooking them quickly is the best way to prevent their overcooking and drying out. It is done in a way that the juices of the food don’t completely separate out so that you get a delicious and flavourful piece of meat.
What Are Differences Between Smoking, Barbecuing And Grilling?
Now that you have some good knowledge about each cooking style, the question still stands, “What are the differences between smoking, barbecuing and grilling?” Here are some points to answer the same:
Temperature:
- There is not much difference in temperature between barbecuing and smoking, but in grilling, you’ll witness a major temperature variation.
- Barbecuing is done over a low heat at a temperature range of 190°F to 275°F. While there exist two temperature ranges in smoking. When you perform cold smoking, you cook the food at 68 – 86°F and it reaches to 300 – 450°F while hot smoking. Grilling is done over high temperature that ranges from 325 – 550°F.
Time:
- Barbecuing is performed under very low heat conditions; hence it takes several hours to complete.
- Whereas cold smoking which is often used with meats like salmon, steak, pork chops and chicken breasts, takes 12 hours to a day to cook. In hot smoking, you need to cook the meat for a few hours to break the collagen down in the meat to tenderize it.
- Grilling is the fastest cooking style where you can enjoy your flavoursome meat in less than 30 minutes.
By keeping these points in mind, you will quickly decide which method to switch while cooking your favourite meat dishes. Despite all the differences, these methods also share something common. So, let’s have a look at that.
Grilling: the most important part of all Three
Your cooking process revolves all around the type of grill you use and this makes grill arguably the most important part.
Hence, owning the finest outdoor grills can elevate your cooking session by multiple times. That’s why we highly recommend Fire Magic’s Echelon Diamond Grills. These grills are the top of the line and an ultimate combination of beauty, design and performance. Known for their sleek design, Echelon Diamond Grills come with a unique contoured face and state-of-the-art features.
Moreover, here at Barbecue Parts Depot, you’ll also find barbecue parts from all most trusted brands including fire magic. One such product is Fire Magic’s A430i Grill Parts where you’ll discover many useful barbecue parts like Rotisserie Spit Prongs, Infrared Burner, Grill Light, Burner Heat Shield Kit and many more.
Benefits of Having an Outdoor Grill
- Grills provide you an ultimate opportunity to socialize yourself. You can invite your relatives and friends over and enjoy a plethora of delicious delights while having a fun chat.
- Since grills are an outside setup, you can prevent your home from all kind of cooking smells and reduce unwanted indoor heat.
- Most important advantage you have while grilling is that you consume not only a tasty but also a healthy meal. Note that you’re not frying your food in the fat, you’re having your food barbecued where unhealthy fat tends to drip away.
Parting Notes
Upgrade your outdoor cooking experience by knowing about the dissimilarities among these cooking styles and wow your family and friends at your next BBQ party with your new knowledge. If you’re interested in buying more such outdoor grills and their products, Barbecue Parts Depot is your best bet to find them all at one place and that too at a reasonable price. Be the ultimate backyard grill master with our fire magic grilling components.
For more information, kindly visit our website or contact our knowledgeable staff. We’ll be happy to assist you.