Fire up the grill because we’re going to talk about barbecuing today!

In Spanish we use the verb “hacer” or “to make” when talking about a barbecue or “asado”, but in English we say “have a barbecue” or we just use “barbecue” as a verb by itself.

For example, “Let’s have a family barbecue this Sunday!” or “Let’s barbecue next weekend to celebrate the 4th of July.” Here are some common words you’ll hear at a summer barbecue.

The smoking hot grill

Chef: This is the person who is the king or queen of the grill! They grill all of the proteins and vegetables on the barbecue.

· Ask the chef if the food is ready to eat!

· Are there any volunteers to be the barbecue chef?

Grill or Barbecue: Both of these words describe where you cook the food and they’re both used as verbs to describe cooking the food.

· Throw a few burgers on the barbecue! (or grill)

· That smells amazing, what are you grilling? (or barbecuing)

Charcoal: lumps of black carbon residue that you light on fire in order to heat up the grill to barbecue your food

· Will you grab a bag of charcoal on your way over to the barbecue?

· The charcoal is hot enough to cook the hotdogs and burgers now.

Charred: when something is burned slightly or burned to the point that it turns into charcoal.

· I like my burger so cooked that it’s charred!

· The tin foil was really charred after we used it to grill the salmon.

Burnt or Burned: When food is overcooked on the grill. If something is extremely burnt it’s common to say that it’s “burnt to a crisp.”

· I accidentally burned the potatoes, but I think they’re still salvageable.

· They completely forgot about the hotdog buns on the grill, so they were burnt to a crisp.

Lighter fluid: a highly flammable liquid fuel that’s used to help start a fire.

· Throw some lighter fluid on the charcoal so we can get the barbecue going.

· You only need a little bit of lighter fluid to start a fire.

Flame(s): the glowing, gaseous part of the fire.

· When you see flames coming from the grill you know that it’s time to cook!

· You can feel the heat coming from the flames.

Sizzle: A hissing sound that food makes when it’s cooking.

· I’ll flip the burgers when they start to sizzle.

· I love the sound of sizzling hot dogs!

Seasoning: Something you add to food to enhance the flavor. For example, you can season or put seasoning on vegetables, tofu or meat by adding salt, pepper, herbs, spices, etc.

· Sebastian does the best job seasoning the tofu.

· We think the steaks could’ve used a little less seasoning.

Marinate (verb): To soak meat or vegetables in a sauce with spices and oil before grilling it on the barbecue in order to give it a particular flavor.

· Maria Teresa has the best recipes for marinating the chicken.

· Let the sweet peppers and onions marinate over night before grilling them.

Marinade (noun): A sauce you soak meat or vegetables in before cooking.

· I can share my pork marinade recipe with you if you’d like.

· This sweet and sour marinade makes the chicken taste amazing!

Barbecue sauce: A popular sauce to put on barbecued food that’s made out of vinegar, tomato paste, and/or mayonnaise.

· These chicken wings have the perfect amount of barbecue sauce on them.

· My grandpa makes the best barbecue sauce I’ve ever tasted!

Skewer: The metal or wooden stick you put pieces of meat or vegetables on (similar to an “anticucho”, but it can be used for vegetables too. It’s also called a shish kabob).

· Let’s put about six pieces of meat on each skewer.

· Grill the skewer with vegetables over a gentle heat so they don’t burn.

Don’t forget the vegetarians

Obviously, there are lots of people who don’t eat meat, so it’s not uncommon to have a barbecue with alternative protein options like tofu burgers, veggie burgers, bean burgers, and tofu dogs. These are all very tasty options for any non-meat eaters!

For the meat eaters

It’s common for someone to ask “how do you want your steak cooked?” at a barbecue, so here are a few answers you can give them to make sure your meat is cooked to perfection.

· Rare: the meat is lightly cooked and still red/tender in the middle

*Tip: If someone says they want their meat “still mooing” that means they like their meat extremely rare

· Medium rare: it’s more cooked and firmer than rare meat, with the middle being pink

· Well done: The meat is firm and is a brownish, gray color (no sign of pink or red)

· Overcooked: The meat is black and has been burned

Note: It’s also common to say have a “grill out” or “cookout” instead of have a barbecue. Another common spelling for “barbecue” is “barbeque.”