Barbecue vs. Roast — What's the Difference?

Often associated with social gatherings and outdoor cooking.

Ideal for cooking tender cuts of meat and vegetables.

Often cooked in a smoker or on a grill.

Often served during formal meals or occasions.

Uses rubs and sauces to add flavor to meats.

A cooking method using high, dry heat in an oven or over a fire.

A method of cooking food over low heat and smoke.

Cooks food evenly by surrounding it with high heat.

Suitable for tougher meat cuts that require tenderizing.

Requires less preparation time than barbecue.

Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK and US, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods which use live fire and smoke to cook the food. The term is also generally applied to the devices associated with those methods, the broader cuisines that these methods produce, and the meals or gatherings at which this style of food is cooked and served.

Cook (food, especially meat) by prolonged exposure to heat in an oven or over a fire

A meal or gathering at which meat, fish, or other food is cooked out of doors on a rack over an open fire or on a special appliance

Criticize or reprimand severely

Cook (food) on a barbecue

(of food) having been roasted

A grill, pit, or outdoor fireplace for roasting meat.

A joint of meat that has been roasted or that is intended for roasting

A whole animal carcass or section thereof roasted or broiled over an open fire or on a spit.

A banquet at which the guest of honour is subjected to good-natured ridicule.

A social gathering, usually held outdoors, at which food is cooked over an open flame.

To cook with dry heat, as in an oven or near hot coals.

Meat or seafood cooked in or served with barbecue sauce.

To dry, brown, or parch by exposing to heat.

To roast, broil, or grill (meat or seafood) over live coals or an open fire, often basting with a seasoned sauce.

To expose to great or excessive heat.

A fireplace or pit for grilling food, typically used outdoors and traditionally employing hot charcoal as the heating medium.

(Metallurgy) To heat (ores) in a furnace in order to dehydrate, purify, or oxidize before smelting.

A meal or event highlighted by food cooked in such an apparatus.

To ridicule or criticize harshly.

Meat, especially pork or beef, which has been cooked in such an apparatus (i.e. smoked over indirect heat from high-smoke fuels) and then chopped up or shredded.

To honor at or subject to a roast.

(dated) A hog, ox, or other large animal roasted or broiled whole for a feast.

To cook food in an oven.

A floor on which coffee beans are sun-dried.

To undergo roasting.

(obsolete) A framework of sticks.

Something roasted.

To cook food on a barbecue; to smoke it over indirect heat from high-smoke fuels.

A cut of meat suitable or prepared for roasting.

To grill.

The act or process of roasting.

A framework of metal or brick, usually with a grill on top, in which a fire is lighted and on which food is cooked, usually outdoors; - also called a barbecue grill.

The state of being roasted.

A social entertainment, where people assemble, usually in the open air, at which a meal is prepared on a barbecue grill.

Harsh ridicule or criticism.

A floor, on which coffee beans are sun-dried.

A facetious tribute, as at a banquet, in which the honoree is alternately praised and insulted.

A hog, ox, or other large animal roasted or broiled whole for a feast.

Roasted

To dry or cure by exposure on a frame or gridiron.

To cook food by heating in an oven or over a fire without covering, resulting in a crisp, possibly even slightly charred appearance.

To roast or broil whole, as an ox or hog.

To cook by surrounding with hot embers, ashes, sand, etc.

Meat that has been barbecued or grilled in a highly seasoned sauce

To process by drying through exposure to sun or artificial heat.

A cookout in which food is cooked over an open fire; especially a whole animal carcass roasted on a spit

To heat to excess; to heat violently; to burn.

A rack to hold meat for cooking over hot charcoal usually out of doors

To admonish someone vigorously.

Cook outdoors on a barbecue grill;

To subject to bantering, severely criticize, sometimes as a comedy routine.

(metalworking) To dissipate the volatile parts of by heat, as ores.

A cut of meat suited to roasting; meat that has been roasted.

A meal consisting of roast foods.

The degree to which something, especially coffee, is roasted.

An instance of being severely admonished, criticized, roasted.

A comical event, originally fraternal, where a person is subjected to verbal attack, yet may be praised by sarcasm and jokes.

(North America) A social event at which food is roasted and eaten.

(slang) A creative insult as a response to something someone said.

Having been cooked by roasting.

(figuratively) Subjected to roasting; bantered; severely criticized. en

To cook by exposure to radiant heat before a fire; as, to roast meat on a spit, or in an oven open toward the fire and having reflecting surfaces within; also, to cook in a close oven.

To cook by surrounding with hot embers, ashes, sand, etc.; as, to roast a potato in ashes.

To dry and parch by exposure to heat; as, to roast coffee; to roast chestnuts, or peanuts.

Hence, to heat to excess; to heat violently; to burn.

To dissipate by heat the volatile parts of, as ores.

To banter severely.

To cook meat, fish, etc., by heat, as before the fire or in an oven.

To undergo the process of being roasted.

That which is roasted; a piece of meat which has been roasted, or is suitable for being roasted.

Roasted; as, roast beef.

A piece of meat roasted or for roasting and of a size for slicing into more than one portion

Negative criticism

Cook with dry heat, usually in an oven;

Subject to laughter or ridicule;

(of meat) cooked by dry heat in an oven

Tougher cuts like brisket or pork shoulder are ideal for barbecue.

This depends on the preparation; both methods can be part of a healthy diet.

Roasting a chicken can take about 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on the size.

Yes, indirect grilling on a barbecue can simulate roasting.

A grill or smoker and various woods for smoking are essential for barbecuing.

Yes, both methods can cook vegetables, but the techniques and flavors will differ.

A beef roast or whole chicken are excellent starting points for beginners.

Experimenting with different rubs, marinades, and types of wood can enhance flavors.

Tossing vegetables in oil and seasoning before roasting will yield crispy, flavorful results.

Woods like hickory, mesquite, and apple wood are popular for their distinct flavors.

Barbecue imparts a smoky flavor, while roasting enhances the natural flavors.

Roasting beef is best at temperatures around 350°F to 375°F.

Yes, rubs can add flavor to a roast, much like with barbecue.

Basting can help keep meats moist during roasting, but it's not always necessary depending on the recipe and meat type.

Use a meat thermometer to ensure it reaches the safe internal temperature.