Quiz: So How Much Do You Really Know About Grilling?

The unmistakable sizzling, smoking, and smells of a cookout tells the neighborhood that summer is here. You know how awesome grill marks look on a perfectly cooked steak, you know that everyone is certain that their rub recipe is the best, and you know that Amazon makes it impossible not to stockpile accessories and gadgets especially for barbecuing — but how much do you really know about grilling? Let's find out. 

Related: From Barbacoa to Yakitori: 25 Barbecue Styles From Around the World

A. 1855
B. 1897
C. 1917
D. 1923

In 1897, Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer secured the first patent for charcoal briquettes, but Henry Ford stole his thunder when he created Kingsford Products in 1921. Ford didn't care about cookouts. The venture was merely a way to make money off the sawdust and wood scraps from his Model T assembly lines.

A: The Great Depression
B: The rise of skyscrapers
C: Victory in World War II
D: The moon landing

Related: 31 Unusual Backyard Cooking Gadgets That Are Actually Useful

The expansion of the suburbs in the postwar boom years fueled the rise of the backyard cookout as an American tradition. In the late 1940s, most cookouts featured open brazier grills, the most basic kind of grill consisting of a cooking grid over a charcoal pan, which is also the least efficient and least predictable. Meat that was burnt on the outside and raw on the inside was common — as was a whole lot of ash.

A. True
B. False

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Unlike Henry Ford, George Stephen had a passion for barbecue, and he made the brazier grill obsolete when he invented the closed kettle grill in 1952. Back then, it was called Weber Bros. Metal Works, a sheet-metal shop in Chicago. Stephen, who was running the company, cut a buoy in half, attached legs to the bottom and a handle to the top, and the covered kettle grill was born. With the addition of a vent to regulate air intake and temperature, the Weber grill launched barbecue into the modern era and made Weber the biggest name in grilling.

Related: 26 Barbecue Recipes and Tricks From Celebrity Chefs

A. True
B. False

Gas grills were and still are more expensive to buy but easier to use, but that wasn't important to the duo who invented them. In the 1960s, Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co. employees William G. Wepfer and Melton Lancaster developed the propane grill as a way to get more people to buy more gas. It worked. Gas grills now account for 64% of grill sales in the United States. 

A. Africa
B. China
C. Spain
D. The Americas

The Arawak Indians on the Island of Hispaniola used the word "barbacoa" to describe the process of cooking strips of meat over grates made from wood. The Spanish co-opted the word, which was then co-opted by the English, who changed it to its current form, "barbecue."

A. "Living large"
B. "Upper crust"
C. "High on the hog"
D. "Lap of luxury"

Although it's not certain when exactly the term came into the language, "high on the hog" is both a metaphor and a literal phrase. It indicates the preferred cuts of meat from the top part of a pig — the shoulder and upper leg. Those were reserved for the wealthy elite. The peasantry ate cuts lower down on the hog, such as trotters and pork belly.

Related: 11 Inexpensive Meats for Summer Grilling

A. Rib-eye
B. Porterhouse
C. Tenderloin
D. Chuck roast

Taken from the smaller end of the tenderloin, filet mignon is one of the most famous and most expensive cuts of beef you can buy. Since it contains almost no fat, barbecue chefs should always make sure never to overcook it. When done right, you can cut through it with a fork. 

A. London broil
B. Skirt steak
C. Brisket
D. Porterhouse

Similar to a T-bone, which is cut from the front of the loin and contains less filet mignon, Porterhouse steaks are cut from the back. One of the most prized cuts of meat on the menu, the porterhouse is distinguished by the T-bone that separates the large strip steak from the smaller tenderloin.

A. Turkey
B. Israel
C. Pakistan
D. Indonesia

You can stick chunks of just about anything on a skewer and toss it on a grill, although most shish kebabs feature a combination of meat and vegetables. The word comes from the Turkish "şiş kebap," which means "skewer" and "roast meat."

Related: 25 Weird, Surprising, and Over-the-Top Foods on a Stick

A. Alabama
B. Kansas City
C. East Texas
D. Memphis

Kansas City's status as a meatpacking hub gives it a long tradition of barbecue greatness. The hallmarks are thick, syrupy sauces and slow, low cooking over hickory wood. The style's signature dish is burnt ends, which come from the fatty ends of brisket.

A. Pork
B. Chicken
C. Beef
D. Shrimp

Made with a dry rub cooked in a large pit, Memphis-style barbecue is all about pork. Usually served with a tangy sauce, Memphis-style ribs can be served on the bone, but the signature dish is pulled pork.

Related: 15 Fantastic Regional Rib Recipes

A. Keep the mouth open to let gas escape
B. Smoke the apple
C. Balance the pig's head as it turns
D. Make it look less ghoulish

The classic apple in the pig's mouth is purely for aesthetics at firehouse pig roasts. Although there are many misconceptions and myths surrounding the origin of the tradition, the reality is pretty simple. The apple prevents the pig's mouth from tightening into a painful-looking grimace.

Related: Essential Barbecue Dishes Every Meat Eater Should Devour

A. True
B. False

The common practice of pressing burgers with a flipper as they cook is all wrong, according to many barbecue aficionados. Not only does it not do anything to improve the meat, but it squeezes out all the juices and fats that give the burger its flavor.

Related: The Surprising History of the Humble Hamburger

A. Ancient Rome
B. Ancient Greece
C. Ancient China
D. Ancient Mesopotamia

In 239 B.C., Chinese chef I Yin used dramatic and flowery language to describe the use of sauces to improve the flavor of cooked meat. He wrote a passage in "Master Lù's Spring and Autumn Annals" about the harmonious blending of ingredients that were salty, pungent, bitter, sour, and sweet.

Related: 25 Finger-Licking Barbecue Sauce Recipes

A. 24%

B. 54%
C. 64%
D. 84%

Nearly two-thirds of American adults own a grill or smoker, according to a report from Grand View Research. The majority of them are gas grills, followed by charcoal, which are distantly followed by electric grills. The grill industry was worth $5.1 billion as of 2019. 

A. 100 pounds
B. 1,000 pounds
C. 5,000 pounds
D. 4 tons

In 2015, a man from Texas, not surprisingly, bought the world's largest barbecue pit for $350,000. The "Undisputable Cuz" stretches 75 feet, can be mounted on a semi-truck, weighs 40 tons, and has seven smokestacks, 24 doors, and a walk-in cooler for beer kegs.

A. 1 million
B. 10 million
C. 50 million
D. 100 million

Boxing legend George Foreman had nothing to do with inventing the grill that bears his name, but he did prove to be one of the greatest pitchmen in sports marketing history. In the 1990s, the Salton company's small electric grill was just another gadget on the home goods market. In 1997, George Foreman was actually still fighting professionally in the heavyweight division at the age of 48. When the two joined forces, however, marketing magic happened, the Foreman Grill went global, and Foreman made upward of $200 million on more than 100 million units sold.

A. The Fourth of July
B. Memorial Day
C. Flag Day
D. Labor Day

About 73% of Americans barbecue on Independence Day, according to the Hearth, Patio, & Barbecue Association. The next biggest cookout holidays are Memorial Day (60%) and Labor Day (58%). Mother's Day and Father's Day rank high, too, but the tradition isn't limited to only the warm months. About 23% of the country barbecues during the Super Bowl, which takes place in February. About 10% hold cookouts on Christmas or Hanukkah. 

Related: Best Hole-in-the-Wall BBQ Joints Across America