The words barbecuing and grilling are used interchangeably all the time when it comes to outdoor cooking. However, there is a difference between the two outdoor cooking techniques and it is important to understand the difference.

Grilling is usually done over direct and high heat. This is ideal for tender cuts of meat with less fat. If you cook these pieces of meat to long, you lose a lot of the juices over time and will end up with a tough piece of meat. Some of the more typical meats for grilling are steaks, pork chops, and chicken.

Barbecuing is done with a low heat and with smoke. Generally most barbecuing is done around 225 degrees with tough large pieces of meat. Cooking times vary, but the larger pieces of meat can take 12 plus hours to cook to the desired temperature to make it tender and juicy. Some of the more popular cuts of meat for barbecuing are brisket, boston butts, and chicken.

As you may have noticed chicken is listed for both grilling and barbecuing and this is because it actually comes out great for both methods of outdoor cooking.