Hickory BBQ Smoking ChipsThere is a huge difference between barbecuing and smoking wood, but the one thing they have in common is how the meat’s flavor is affected by the type of wood used.

Generally speaking, smoking involves allowing the meat to be exposed to low heat as smoke from smoldering wood becomes impregnated with the taste and smell of the wood.

Grilling is when the meat is cooked over a hotter fire, gas charcoal or wood, usually flavored artificially, or served with its natural flavor.

BBQ Grill Flavor SpraysThose who enjoy unique flavors of barbecue are finding an inexpensive alternative to wood chips and chemical flavor enhancers by using grilling flavor sprays.

Available in most grocery stores, especially during the areas’ grilling season, they come in a wide range of flavors and are healthier than many sauces typically used on barbecued meat. Some of the more popular flavors include mesquite, apple wood and hickory.

Cooking over an open flame is the oldest know method of cooking and despite the numerous recipes for barbecuing, there are three basic tenets that recipes usually do not explain.

They are the heat of the coals, the proximity of the food to the heat and how long it needs to cook. Unfortunately, many outdoor grillers have had to learn by experience, wasting a lot of time and food before becoming the renowned grill expert they claim to be.

Since before the colonial years in America, people have been grilling food. The idea probably originated with the Arawak people who roasted meat on a wooden structure that was referred to as a barbacoa in Spanish. For quite a while the phrase was used to describe the structure on its own rather than the process of grilling.

You can find two principal ingredients and various minimal ones in charcoal. One of the principal ingredients is char and it really is what we all know as traditional charcoal. Its primary purpose is to make the briquettes painless to light and for creating the wood-smoke flavor that is so significantly preferred.

There are a multitude of ways you can barbecue today, with gas fuels, wood chips and propane trying to overtake the number one spot on the bbq fuel lists.

However, because of its popularity due to the accessibility and low cost, charcoal is one of the most common means of fuel used for barbecues throughout the United States. That’s why it has become synonymous with the term ‘barbecue.’

Barbecuing can be one of the most fun and tasty activities you can do in the summertime, and it’ll be here before you know it. Whether you’re smoking some ribs, cooking a steak directly on the barbecue or just warming up some hot dogs, barbecuing gives you the chance to enjoy your meats with all sorts of flavors and options.