Do you know the difference between barbequing and grilling?

Most people use these words interchangeably. Most people used the term barbeque when referring to a social gathering that occurs when food is being cooked.

So what is the difference?
Grilling is anything that is cooked quickly and over a direct flame like burgers, hotdogs, sausages, steaks, chicken, pork chops...I think you get the idea.

Barbequing is anything that is slow cooked using indirect heat or low-level heat like, brisket, ribs, chopped pork...Are you getting hungry yet?

With grilling, it typically takes about 15 minutes to cook a steak. Barbequing takes all day to fully cook.

Here are some common mistakes that I have personally made or seen other make. By not doing the things below you will have a better barbequing experience.

1. Make sure the meat is completely thawed. Trying to cook the inside of a still frozen piece of meat is next to impossible without burning the outside.

2. Quit lifting the lid to check the meat! Every time you lift the lid, it lowers the temperature of your cooker. Use the temperature gauge, that is why it is there.

3. Don't put the cooked meat back on the same plate as the raw meat. Mixing the cooked with the raw is a safety hazard and someone could get very sick.

4. When using charcoal, start the fire without lighter fluid. The lighter fluid taste will get into your meat the same as smoke. Use a chimney starter to easily start you fire.

5. Never poke the meat with a fork after the cooking has begun. This is probably the most common mistake. When you poke the meat, the juices run out causing the meat to be dry and less tender. Use tongs to turn the meat.

6. Keep the heat low. People will try to increase the heat so the meat will cook faster. This will only cause the outside to be done before the inside is done.

7. Don't cut into the meat directly after removing it from the cooker. The juices will all run out. Wait about 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into the meat.

Of course, there are many other mistakes that people make while learning how to barbeque but the above are the most common mistakes.

If you can minimize the mistakes listed above, you will eliminate many of the things that cause barbeque failure. Even if you do make some mistakes, don't give up. Remember, even the best of us made mistakes when we where first starting out.

One of the key things to think about when barbequing is how much flavor from the wood do you want in the food?

Here is a list of woods and their characteristics.

Alder - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness
Apple - Slightly sweet, fruity flavor
Cherry - Slightly sweet, fruity flavor
Hickory - Bacon-like flavor. The most common wood used.
Maple - Mildly smoky, somewhat sweet flavor
Mesquite - Strong earthy flavor
Mulberry - Similar to apple
Oak - Heavy smoke flavor
Peach - Slightly sweet, woodsy flavor
Pear - Slightly sweet, woodsy flavor
Pecan - Similar to Hickory but not as strong.
Plum - Milder and sweeter than hickory
Walnut - Very heavy smoke. Should mix with lighter woods. Can be bitter if used alone.

The best thing you can do is to try several different kinds of wood for a particular cut of meat and find out which you like best. I recommend starting with Hickory.

Part of the fun of learning how to barbeque is experimenting. You'll find that you like some of the woods better than others, but I can guarantee you'll still enjoy the process of eating your experiments!

Just a side not: I really, really like Pecan.

Yes, you can barbeque during the winter...you have my permission. I don't want to hear your whining about it is too cold in the north the barbeque in the winter. To me barbequing in the winter before a Saturday or Sunday football game is the best. Again, barbequing is about having fun and spending time with family and friends.

If you are a true lover of barbequing then you have to barbeque all year 'round. If I don't barbeque during the winter months, I go crazy and get those strong cravings for barbeque.

Go ahead; it's okay to barbeque in the winter.