Hi Liz, bpy did you as a question

I understand that in Britain, barbecuing is typically a fast cooking process directly over high heat, while grilling refers to cooking under a source of direct, high heat (which is known in the US as broiling). In the US, however, grilling refers to a fast process over high heat while barbecuing refers to a slow process using indirect heat and/or hot smoke.

Most here in the southern US consider barbecue to include only relatively indirect methods of cooking over charcoal, with the more direct high-heat methods to be called grilling (with charcoal or propane gas). BBQ also uses woods mixed in with the charcoal. Woods commonly selected include mesquite, hickory, maple, pecan, apple and oak depending on the flavor you prefer.

Each Southern area has its own particular variety of barbecue, particularly concerning the sauce. The Carolinas, for example, tend to prepare tangier vinegar based sauces. Barbecue in Georgia and Tennessee is almost always pork or chicken served with a sweet tomato-based sauce. Popular in Memphis is the pulled pork sandwich served on a bun and topped with cole slaw. Pulled pork is prepared by shredding the pork shoulder after it is barbecued. In some Memphis establishments meat is rubbed with dry seasoning (dry rubs) and smoked over hickory wood and without sauce. The finished meats are then served with the sauce on the side, hence the term dry BBQ (my favorite dry ribs).

In Texas, home of beef barbecue, the meat is often eaten with no sauce at all so as not to distract from the natural flavor of the meat in question.

Here in Memphis The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is held annually during the Memphis in May festival. The Championship BBQ Contest has people here from around the world. This year, we had entries from 49 states and 8 foreign countries.

So you see, it is truly a lifestyle!