Barbecue grill
The Arawak people of South America roasted meat on a wooden structure called a barbacoa in Spanish.
[3] For centuries, the term barbacoa referred to the wooden structure and not the act of grilling, but it was eventually modified to "barbecue".
Barbecue was originally used to slow-cook hogs; however, different ways of preparing food led to regional variations.
[4] Over time, other foods were cooked in a similar fashion, with hamburgers and hot dogs being recent additions.
Kingsford noticed that Ford's Model T production lines were generating a large amount of wood scraps that were being discarded.
Stephen was tired of the wind blowing ash onto his food when he grilled so he took the lower half of a buoy, welded three steel legs onto it, and fabricated a shallower hemisphere for use as a lid.
He took the results home and following some initial success, started the Weber-Stephen Products Company.
The gas grill was invented in the late 1930s by Don McGlaughlin, owner of the Chicago Combustion Corporation, known today as LazyMan.
[8] McGlaughlin invented the first built-in grill from the successful gas broiler called BROILBURGER.
These first Lazy-Man grills were marketed as "open-fire charcoal-type gas broilers" which featured "permanent coals", otherwise known as lava rock.
[9] In the 1950s, most residential households did not have a barbecue, so the term broiler was used for marketing purposes to commercial establishments.
McGlaughlin's portable design was the first to feature the use of the 20-lb propane cylinders, which previously were exclusively used by plumbers as a fuel source.
Barbecue purists would argue that to get a true smoky flavor (and smoke ring) the user has to cook low and slow, indirectly and using wood or charcoal; gas grills are difficult to maintain at the low temperatures required (~225-250 °F), especially for extended periods.
Users of all-natural lump charcoal emphasize its subtle smoky aromas, high heat production, and the lack of binders and fillers often present in briquettes.
In English, however, "hibachi" often refers to small cooking grills typically made of aluminum or cast iron, with the latter generally being of a higher quality.
Owing to their small size, hibachi grills are popular as a form of portable barbecue.
Alternatively, "hibachi-style" is often used in the U.S. as a term for Japanese teppanyaki cooking, in which gas-heated hotplates are integrated into tables around which many people (often multiple parties) can sit and eat at once.
The chef performs the cooking in front of the diners, typically with theatrical flair—such as lighting a volcano-shaped stack of raw onion hoops on fire.
In its most common form, the hibachi is an inexpensive grill made of either sheet steel or cast iron and composed of a charcoal pan and two small, independent cooking grids.
[citation needed] The original and often-copied Weber kettle grill was invented in 1952 by George Stephen.
[17] The shichirin, a Japanese grill traditionally of ceramic construction, has existed in its current form since the Edo period however more recent designs have been influenced by the mushikamado, a traditional Japanese cooking appliance, which gained recognition among Americans during World War II.
A tandoor is used for cooking certain types of Iranian, Indian and Pakistani food, such as tandoori chicken and naan.
A commercial barbecue typically has a larger cooking capacity than traditional household grills, as well as featuring a variety of accessories for added versatility.
End users of commercial barbecue grills include for-profit operations such as restaurants, caterers, food vendors and grilling operations at food fairs, golf tournaments and other charity events, as well as competition cookers.
The category lends itself to originality, and many commercial barbecue grills feature designs unique to their respective manufacturer.
At the other end of the venturi is the gas valve, which is connected to the control knob on the front of the grill.
A metal screen covers the fresh air intake of each venturi to keep spiders from clogging the tube with their nests.
They are typically made of: Cooking grates used over gas or charcoal barbecues will allow fat and oil to drop between the grill bars.
In an attempt to combat this problem, some barbecues are fitted with plates, baffles or other means to deflect the dripping flammable fluids away from the burners.
