Good, flavorful barbecue is the result of three basic ingredients: tender meat, slowly cooked; flavorful, slow-burning wood; and a tasty rub or sauce (or both). The best barbecue restaurants strike a harmonic balance of the three, and are always striving for perfection.

It's hard to say where the term for slow-smoked, sauced meat came from, but there are three basic theories: the Taino Indian term the Spanish translated as "barbacoa"; the Romanian for roast mutton, which is "barbec"; and the French term "barbe a queue," which means "whiskers to tail." All make sense, so you'll have to choose your favorite!

Many grills these days run off propane gas, which is fine if you're looking for quick grilling action in the backyard. It's not acceptable at a barbecue restaurant, where the whole point is in enjoying flavorful, wood-smoked meat that took hours to cook.