grill
Cook outdoors over direct heat, or the cooker you do it on.
Also called grill out, cook out.
Updated September 24, 2026
grill pronunciation
/GRILL/
Meaning
In redneck talk, grill is what you do in the yard when the weather's decent: burgers, dogs, chicken, a cheap steak. Hot and fast over coals or gas, not the low-and-slow pit smoking folks call real barbecue. As a noun, the grill is that black box by the shed, usually crusted with last summer's grease and still the pride of the cookout.
How folks use it
- “Fire up the grill, I'm bringin' the burgers.”
- “Daddy's out there grillin' chicken like he owns the neighborhood.”
Origin and etymology
Comes from the metal grate (the grill) used to cook over an open fire. Backyard gas and charcoal grills took off mid-1900s across America. In the South, folks still keep grill separate from barbecue: one is quick backyard heat, the other is smoked meat that took all day.
Frequently asked questions
Is grilling the same as barbecue?
Not around here. Grilling is hot and quick. Barbecue means meat smoked low and slow. Call a burger cookout a barbecue and somebody will correct you.