Fire burners: the fuzzy boundary between smoking and grilling

[bluewhisper]

Where do you make a distinction? At direct vs. indirect? Or at cooking time/temperature? Or method?

The kettles are good for open grilling, but they're also good for choked-flow smoking if stoked with wood. They are the perfect vehicle for exploring this area.

All of my smoking experience was direct until I got the offset. I love the indirect, but I still run the old Weber sometimes.

I've done open grilling over wood (basically a contained campfire) so that's getting some smoke flavor without any kind of cooking chamber. My very first smoking was chicken breasts over maple in a choked kettle. I was convinced. But that's a perfect example of the fuzzy boundary - if I took the lid off, I'd have a grilling fire, but with the lid on, it's a smoker.

 

[mdboatbum]

I've never really worried about the distinction. If you cook a steak directly over coals, but add a couple chunks of smoke wood and put the lid on for a few minutes, is that grilling or smoking? What about a reverse sear? What about cold smoke followed by sous vide followed by a direct sear? See what I mean? If we spend too much time worrying about labels and semantics it kinda gets in the way of making delicious food and spending time with family and friends.

 

[noboundaries]

I agree that it really doesn't matter what you call it.  Figure out all the ways you can use your cooking gear and get creative with direct and indirect heat, plus fuel.  I do a lot of what I call "smoky grilling" on my Kettle, using charcoal and aged oak from the tree in m backyard and a combination of direct and indirect heat.  My WSM is basically a smoky oven.   Even the Kettle can be used that way.

I can't remember the last time I grilled on my gasser except to do a quick reverse sear.