The History of Grilling

The history of grilling starts just after the domestication of fire, which was some 500,000 years ago. The practice of grilling in one’s backyard is much more recent. Till the 1940s, grilling happened mostly at campsites and picnics. It was not until well after World War II, as history of grilling reflects that the middle class was seen moving to the suburbs. By the 1950s, backyard grilling had become a rage.

Although man has been known to grill since the Stone Age, he had to wait for a good long time before he actually got his first taste of 'barbecue.' Just how long is a matter of debate in the history of grilling. But the word's etymology has been traced back to Spanish. There is a mention of the use of the word by the Arawak people of the Caribbean, who used a wooden structure to roast meat.

It was in suburban Chicago, that George Stephen, who was a metalworker by trade became frustrated with the flat, open brazier-style grills which were common at the time. Once he came into controlling interest in the Weber Bros. Metal Spinning Co, best-known to make harbor buoys, he thought of bringing a modification to the buoy. He cut the buoy along its equator, added a grate and used the top as a lid. Hr then cut vents to control the temperature. The Weber grill was thus born! And the backyard cooking was never the same in the history of grilling.

Barbecue was common way back in 18th-century colonial America, especially among the settlements along the Southeastern seaboard. The pit barbecue was popular then and pit cooking was by no means new at this point in history of grilling or specific to any particular region of the world.