Exploring Outdoor Cooking Techniques: Smoking, Barbecuing, and Grilling

Smoking, barbecuing, and grilling are all common ways to cook outdoors. What is the difference between these three methods and if so, is there a time when one should be used over the others? While they all use the same piece of equipment (a grill- gas or electric), the placement on the cooking surface is what makes the difference.

Grilling occurs when the food (usually thinner single serving meats such as burgers, brats, or hot dogs or sliced vegetables) is placed directly over a hot flame. When you grill, you cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for less than an hour. Thicker meats like pork chops, ribeye steaks, strip steaks and T-bones should be grilled at 450-500 degrees to be cooked properly in less than an hour. Grilling at these temperatures preserves the tenderness and keeps the meat from being overcooked. When grilling a flaky item such as fish and some vegetables (such as asparagus), place a cast iron or other flame- resistant skillet on the grates to keep the food from falling through the grates.

Barbecuing is cooking using indirect heat. This is a longer and slower process ideal for larger cuts of meat, such as roasts, hams, ribs, whole fish, and whole chickens or turkeys. Barbecuing requires low temperatures, between 190- and 300-degrees Fahrenheit for several hours. This will require adding new coals once an hour or setting the gas grill to low. Because you want indirect heat, a basket off to the side is an excellent way to keep the coals contained and the pan of water in the center of the grill.

Smoking is the most advanced method of cooking with fire (to produce smoke). Instead of using charcoal briquettes, the starter is chunks or chips of hickory, mesquite, apply, or cherry wood. With temperatures at only 125 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit, it is not uncommon for cooking times to approach 24 hours. If done correctly, when you slice into the meat, you will have a ¼ inch smoke ring just beneath the surface crust of the meat. To prepare the meat for smoking, brush or spray the meat with a flavorful liquid that is not overly acidic, such as a pale ale beer, beef broth, chicken broth, or mushroom broth. Acidic liquids like lemon juice will prevent the smoke ring from developing.

With all three methods, make sure your meat or vegetables are not dripping in marinade when you place them on the grates. Either pat the food down with a paper towel or let it sit out on a plate uncovered for a couple minutes. This can cause flare-ups and if you don’t move the meat quickly to the side (or completely off the grill depending on the size of the grill and flame). Keep your fire hydrant and water nearby.

Whatever cooking method you choose, beef, veal, and lamb steaks should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, hamburger, pork, and egg dishes cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now that you know how each cooking method differs from the others, play around with using each method with your favorite foods and see which one wows the crowd the most. At Bagley Farms Meat Market, we have all your favorite cuts of meat (custom cuts available), veggies, charcoal and wood chips to speed up your cookout shopping.