Cooking with fire is one of the great pleasures of the kitchen — or, more accurately, of the back garden. But “grilling,” “barbecuing” and “smoking” are not the same thing, and the right equipment depends on which you want to do. This guide covers the fundamentals so you can choose with confidence.
Grilling vs Barbecuing vs Smoking
- Grilling is hot and fast: high, direct heat for steaks, burgers, chops and vegetables that cook in minutes.
- Barbecuing (true low-and-slow BBQ) uses lower, indirect heat over hours to turn tough cuts like brisket and ribs meltingly tender.
- Smoking adds wood smoke at low temperatures for deep flavour, often over many hours.
Choosing Your Fuel
- Charcoal — high heat and classic flavour. Lump charcoal lights fast and burns hot; briquettes burn steady and long. Learn what to look for in our charcoal grill guide.
- Gas / propane — convenient, controllable and quick to heat, with easy temperature dials. Less smoky flavour, but hard to beat on a weeknight.
- Pellet — burns compressed wood pellets fed by an auger, with thermostatic control; excellent for set-and-forget smoking.
- Can’t decide? A gas-and-charcoal combo gives you both.
Direct and Indirect Heat
The single most useful skill is building a two-zone fire: coals (or burners) on one side for searing over direct heat, and an empty side for cooking through gently by indirect heat. Sear over the hot zone, then move food to the cool side to finish — this is how you cook thick chops or a whole chicken without burning the outside.
Smokers Worth Knowing
- Offset smokers — a firebox beside the cooking chamber; classic BBQ flavour, more hands-on.
- Vertical / bullet smokers — compact and efficient, great for beginners.
- Kamado grills — thick ceramic eggs that hold temperature superbly and both grill and smoke.
- Pellet smokers — the most convenient, with dial-in temperatures.
Wood and Smoke Basics
Smoke is a seasoning, and like any seasoning it is easy to overdo. Aim for thin, wispy blue smoke rather than thick white billows, which make food bitter. Different woods bring different characters: milder fruit woods such as apple and cherry suit poultry and pork, hickory and oak give the classic robust barbecue flavour, and strong mesquite is best used sparingly with beef. Whether you use chunks, chips or pellets, add wood in moderation and let the food breathe.
Temperature, Tools and Safety
A good instant-read thermometer is the most valuable grilling tool you can own — colour is not doneness. Keep a chimney starter, long tongs, a sturdy brush and heatproof gloves to hand, and clean grates while they are still warm. Always cook meat to a safe internal temperature; see our food safety guide for the numbers, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service for grilling guidance.
Fire Safety and Siting the Grill
The other kind of safety gets less attention than internal temperatures and deserves more, because grill fires are overwhelmingly a matter of where the thing is standing and how clean it is. Site the grill on a level surface well clear of the house, the fence, the eaves and any overhanging branches, and never operate one indoors, in a garage, or under a closed awning — charcoal and gas both produce carbon monoxide, which is odourless and does not disperse in an enclosed space. Keep the area around it clear of children and pets while it is lit and while it is cooling, which takes far longer than most people assume.
Grease is the other main culprit: fat building up in the firebox and drip tray is what turns a routine flare-up into a fire, so clean the tray regularly rather than at the end of the season. With gas, check hoses and connections for leaks at the start of the year — soapy water brushed on, looking for bubbles — and light the burners with the lid open so unburnt gas cannot collect. With charcoal, never add lighter fluid to coals that are already lit, and dispose of ash only when it is completely cold, in a metal container. The National Fire Protection Association publishes the detailed guidance.