Back in the late 1800s, in the American South, if a politician wanted to go out and get the voters to vote for him, he held a Bar B Q. It usually involved digging a huge pit, filling it with aromatic wood and then topping it with a whole pig that would slowly cook over the course of the afternoon.
In time, a simpler method was developed, that involved taking charcoal or charcoal briquettes (which are made of compressed and formed ground charcoal) and filling a small barrel with them, lighting them and then placing a grill over the hot coals to cook the meat.
Today- there are as many options for cooking a Bar B Q as there are variations on the Bar B Q sauce you make to go with it. Just as you can base your Bar B Q sauce on either vinegar, mustard or tomatoes, so too you can choose between traditional Char broil grills, little portable grills for tailgate parties or picnics, steel gas grills that come in their own carts to wheel around the yard or the full blown stainless steel electric grills that could easily replace a kitchen and are often the centerpiece of an outdoor entertainment area that rivals those of any roadside Bar B Q restaurant.
As with anything, the type of grill and grate you choose will depend on what you need. I love to take my little hibachi-style grill with me when I go camping because it is easy to carry, sets up fast and since I usually camp alone (ah the quiet!) it is sufficient for my needs. On the other hand, a friend of mine lives in a loft above his workshop and loves to put on a Bar B Q show for the neighborhood on Sunday afternoons. He has a giant gas Bar B Q that could cook ten chops and veggies to go with them and still have room left over. The aroma of steaks grilling will bring every artist within a mile, case of beer in tow, to partake of Todd's Sunday Grill Fest.
Smokers, on the other hand, are a whole different approach. Any kind of Bar B Q usually includes a certain amount of smoking of the meat; it is what gives it that special flavor. In fact, you can change the flavor just by changing the type of wood you use. Mesquite gives an earthly flavor, apple adds a sweetness, hickory gives you that classic bacon-like flavor, grape (used in Europe mostly) adds a delicacy, and pecan gives a smooth but nutty flavor to poultry in general and turkey in particular. Smokers come in every shape from the huge closet-sized aluminum smokers to the newest and very popular ceramic "egg". My sister in Seattle bought one several years back and constantly sings it praises.
In the end, it doesn't matter whether you choose to Bar B Q in a pit, smoke your meat in an egg or grill it on a kettle-style backyard grill. Summer has become so connected with the idea of Bar B Q or grilling that it feels like you have missed summer if you don't get out and grill at least once. And with the variety of grates and grills to choose from, you are bound to have one tasty dinner!
