You’re standing in a backyard in Texas, and someone asks you to fire up the pit. In Melbourne, they’re telling you to toss a shrimp on the barbie. Over in Tokyo, you're looking for a yakitori grill, but your neighbor in London is just calling the whole thing a "barbecue." It’s funny how a metal box with some fire inside can have a dozen different identities depending on where you plant your feet. Honestly, calling it a "grill" is just the tip of the iceberg.
Language is weird.
If you’ve ever walked into a hardware store and felt overwhelmed by the "smokers," "pellet grills," and "flattops," you aren't alone. We use these terms interchangeably, but a purist will tell you that a barbecue is definitely not a grill, and a griddle is a whole different beast. Understanding another name for grills isn’t just about semantics; it’s about knowing how to cook your food without ruining it.
The Global Vocabulary of Fire
In Australia, the "barbie" isn't just a cliché from an old tourism ad. It’s the standard term. You’ll rarely hear an Aussie talk about "grilling" in the American sense. To them, the hardware is the barbecue.
But move over to South Africa, and you’ll find the Braai. A braai is more than a piece of equipment; it’s a social institution. If you call a braai a "grill," you’re likely to get some side-eye. Traditionally, a braai uses wood—specifically hardwoods like camel thorn—rather than gas or charcoal briquettes. The flavor profile is entirely different because of that wood smoke. It’s rugged. It’s slow. It’s basically the heartbeat of South African social life.
Then there’s the Hibachi. In the West, we often use "hibachi" to describe those small, portable cast-iron grills you take to the beach. But technically, in Japan, a hibachi is a heating device, often round or cylindrical, used for warmth. What most Americans call a hibachi is actually a Shichirin. These are lightweight, often made of ceramic or diatomaceous earth, and designed to hold Binchotan charcoal. This specific charcoal burns incredibly hot and clean, which is why those tiny skewers of meat taste so much better than anything you’ve made on a gas range.
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Is it a Pit or a Smoker?
Down in the American South, especially in places like North Carolina or Texas, you’ll frequently hear people refer to their setup as The Pit.
This traces back to the literal pits dug into the ground, filled with hot coals, and covered with metal grates. While most modern "pitmasters" use offset smokers or large steel barrels, the name stuck. A "pit" implies something heavy-duty. It suggests you’re cooking a whole hog or a massive brisket for twelve hours, not just searing a few hot dogs for lunch.
When people ask for another name for grills, they often stumble into the Smoker category. Is a smoker a grill? Kinda. But the physics are different. A grill uses direct heat—meat right over the flame. A smoker uses indirect heat. If you’re using a "Vertical Water Smoker" or an "Electric Smoker," you’re technically not grilling; you’re barbecuing in the most literal, traditional sense of the word (low and slow).
The Rise of the Plancha and the Flattop
Lately, the word Griddle has been eating the grill’s lunch.
Brands like Blackstone have made the outdoor griddle—or "flattop"—the must-have backyard accessory. In Spain, this is known as a Plancha. Cooking a la plancha means searing food on a flat, incredibly hot metal plate. It’s technically another name for grills in many casual conversations, but the cooking style is different. You aren't getting those charred "grill marks" from a grate. Instead, you get a full-surface crust, or Maillard reaction, across the entire steak or smashed burger.
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Chefs love the plancha because you can cook delicate things like scallops or thin asparagus that would normally fall through the grates of a traditional charcoal unit. It’s versatile. It’s messy in a good way. It’s basically a diner kitchen moved to your patio.
Why Technical Names Actually Matter
You might think I’m being nitpicky. I’m really not.
If you search for "another name for grills" because you want to buy one, using the wrong term can lead to a very expensive mistake. Buying a Pellet Grill (often called a "Pellet Smoker") is a completely different experience than buying a Kettle Grill.
- Kettle Grills: The classic Weber shape. High heat, charcoal-focused.
- Kamados: These are the ceramic "eggs." They’re based on ancient Chinese and Japanese clay ovens. They hold heat like a vault.
- Infrared Grills: These use a ceramic or glass element to radiate heat. No flare-ups.
- Sizzle Zone: A specific term often used by brands like Napoleon to describe a high-heat ceramic burner.
If you tell a professional chef you’re "grilling" a brisket, they might laugh. Brisket is "barbecued." If you say you’re "barbecuing" a burger, well, most people will know what you mean, but technically you’re just "grilling" it. Grilling is fast and hot; barbecue is slow and smoky.
The Cultural Weight of the Word
In the UK and many parts of Europe, the word "grill" actually refers to the heating element inside an oven—what Americans call the Broiler.
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If a British recipe tells you to "place the cheese under the grill," and you head outside to light some charcoal, you’re going to have a very confusing afternoon. In that context, another name for grills is simply the top-down heat source in a standard kitchen range.
Meanwhile, in South America, specifically Argentina and Uruguay, the Parrilla is king. A parrilla is a specific type of grill where the grate can be raised or lowered over a bed of wood embers. It’s all about heat management. The "Asado" is the event, but the "Parrilla" is the tool. The design allows the fat to drain away so it doesn't cause soot-heavy flare-ups that ruin the flavor of the beef. It’s sophisticated engineering disguised as a simple iron rack.
Beyond the Metal Box
We also have the Konro, another specialized Japanese tool used primarily for yakitori. It’s long and narrow, designed so that the meat hangs over the coals but the wooden skewers don’t burn.
Then there’s the Churrasqueira from Brazil. If you’ve ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse (Churrascaria), you’ve seen these. They are rotisserie-style setups where large spits of meat rotate over an open fire. In the domestic backyard version, it’s still often just called a grill by locals, but the mechanics are entirely different from a gas-powered Weber.
Practical Steps for Your Next Cookout
Don't get bogged down in the vocabulary, but do use it to your advantage when shopping or cooking.
- Define your heat source. If you want the flavor of wood, look for a Braai style setup or an Offset Smoker. If you want convenience, you're looking for a Gas Grill or Propane Range.
- Match the name to the food. Buying a Plancha or Griddle if you love smash burgers and breakfast. Stick to a Parrilla or Kettle if you want that classic char on a ribeye.
- Check your region. If you’re looking for recipes online, remember that a "Barbecue" recipe from a UK site might assume you’re using an indoor broiler, while a "Barbecue" recipe from a Texas site assumes you have 12 hours and a cord of oak wood.
- Invest in a Shichirin. If you live in an apartment with a small balcony, stop looking for "small grills" and start looking for a Shichirin or a Tabletop Hibachi. They are more efficient, take up less space, and provide a much more authentic sear than cheap portable gas units.
The world of fire-cooking is massive. Whether you call it a pit, a barbie, a parrilla, or a smoker, the goal is the same: making something delicious with heat and smoke. Understanding the nuances of these names helps you master the equipment and, honestly, makes you sound like you actually know what you're doing at the next neighborhood party. Just don't be the person who corrects everyone's terminology every five minutes. Nobody likes a "well, actually" guy at a cookout.
Focus on the temp, the timing, and the quality of the meat. The name on the box is secondary to the flavor on the plate. Use your knowledge to pick the right tool—a flattop for crust, a smoker for tenderness, and a kettle for the classic sear. That's how you actually level up your outdoor cooking game.