Barbecue varies by the type of meat, sauce, rub, or other flavorings used, the point in barbecuing at which they are added, the role smoke plays, the equipment and fuel used, cooking temperature, and cooking time.

The meat may be whole, ground (for hamburgers), or processed into sausage or kebabs. The meat may be marinated or rubbed with spices before cooking, basted with a sauce or oil before, during or after cooking, or any combination of these.

Africa

South Africa

In South Africa, a braai (plural braais) is a barbecue or grill and is a social custom in much of Southern Africa. The term originated with the Afrikaners, but has since been adopted by South Africans of many ethnic backgrounds. The Afrikaans word braaivleis (; ) means grilled meat. The word vleis is Afrikaans for meat, cognate with English flesh.

Braai is regarded by some as another word for barbecue, in that it serves as a verb when describing how food is cooked and a noun when describing the cooking equipment, such as a grill. The traditions around a braai can be considerably different from a barbecue, even if the method of food preparation is very similar. While wood was formerly the most widely used braai fuel, in modern times the use of charcoal, briquettes and gas (gas braai) has increased due to their convenience, as with barbecues elsewhere in the world. There has, however, been a renewed interest in the use of wood after the South African government started its invasive plant species removal programme. Many households now own both a gas and wood or charcoal braai. A portable charcoal or wood braai is called a braai stand.

Similar to a potluck party, braais are casual and relaxed social events where families and friends convene at a picnic spot or someone's home (normally the garden or veranda) with their own meat, salad, or side dish in hand. A braai typically includes boerewors, sosaties, kebabs, marinated chicken, pork and lamb chops, steaks, sausages of different flavors and thickness, and possibly even racks of spareribs.

Fish and rock lobster, commonly called crayfish, are also popular in coastal areas, particularly on the west and southwest coasts, and prawns are also braaied.

"Bring-and-braai" is a braai to which guests bring food (usually including meat) and drinks (in other braais, the host usually organises the meat and guests contribute side dishes and drinks).

The other main part of the meal in some regions of the country is pap (). Pap is made from finely ground corn/maize and may be eaten with a tomato and onion sauce, a monkey gland sauce, or a more spicy chakalaka at a braai.

Sometimes this activity is also known as a dop en tjop (dop being Afrikaans slang for an alcoholic drink, literally meaning "cap" or "bottle top", and tjop being the informal Afrikaans term for lamb chop) when significant amounts of alcohol are involved.

A braai is a social occasion that has specific traditions and social norms. The meal is subsequently eaten outside by the braai stand, since these gatherings are normally hosted during the long summer months.

General Motors South Africa used the term braai in the 1970s in its localized jingle "Braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies, and Chevrolet" to advertise their cars in South Africa—equivalent to the slogan "baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet" in the US and, to a lesser extent, "football, meat pies, kangaroos & Holden Cars" used in Australia.

Shisa nyama Shisa nyama, also spelled chisa nyama or chesa nyama, is a term used in many townships to describe a barbecue or braai where friends or families come together to grill meat over an open fire (usually near a butchery). The site is usually provided by the butcher owner, and only people who bought meat from the butcher are allowed to use the free facility. Shisa nyama is a Zulu phrase and, literally, means to "grill meat".

National Braai Day Braai Day is a celebration of South Africa's rich cultural heritage and its unique national pastime, the braai. It aims to unite all South Africans by encouraging them to engage in an activity shared by all demographic groups, religious denominations, and body types. It is celebrated annually by South Africans across the world on 24 September (South Africa's Heritage Day).

The event was initiated by the Mzansi Braai Institute in South Africa in 2005 and, since 2008, has been promoted under the Braai4Heritage banner, a non-profit initiative. On 5 September 2007, Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu (now deceased) was appointed patron of National Braai Day (now called Braai4Heritage). The initiative received the endorsement of South Africa's National Heritage Council (NHC) in 2008.

Zimbabwe Similar to South Africa, the term braai is also used by Zimbabweans to refer to a barbecue. Other terms used are kugocha in the predominantly Shona North or chesa nyama in the South. Usually, a variety of different meats are prepared, including beef, pork and chicken. There are always several salads to accompany, including potato salad, beetroot, chakalaka and coleslaw. The popular sadza is also served during a braai, as well as rice.

Kenya Nyama choma is the name used by Kenyans to refer to a barbecue. It is a social occasion with specific traditions and social norms. Wood and charcoal are the most widely used fuel for making Nyama choma. Ugali and kachumbari is often served as a side dish.

East Asia

China, Hong Kong, and Macau

Chuanr are small pieces of meat on skewers roasted over charcoal or, sometimes, electric heat. Chuanr originated in Xinjiang and in recent years has spread throughout the rest of the country as a popular street food, most notably in northern China.

Chuanr was traditionally made from lamb (yáng ròu chuàn, 羊肉串), which is still the most common, but now, chicken, pork, beef, and various types of seafood can also be used. In busy tourist areas, chuanr can also be made with various insects, bugs, birds, and other exotic animals.

Barbecue can also be found in night markets and in some restaurants, often sold on skewers. Some restaurants allow customers to barbecue at their own table; many of these are all-you-can-eat chain restaurants.

In the Cantonese-speaking regions, pork barbecue is made with a marinade of honey and soy sauce, and cooked in long, narrow strips. This form of barbecue is known as char siu, and is commonly eaten and is a common street food.

In addition, outdoor barbecues (usually known simply as BBQ) are popular among residents on short trips to regional parks in the countryside. These are invariably charcoal-fired, with marinated pieces of meat, usually beef, pork, sausage or chicken wings, cooked using long, hand-held forks. Honey is brushed on near the end of cooking. At the same time, foil-wrapped pieces of corn and sweet potato are placed on the hot coals; these take a long time to cook, so they are usually eaten at the end of the barbecue.

Unlike Western barbecues, everyone gathers around the fire and cooks their own food, so the atmosphere is closer to that of a fondue or a hot pot.

Korea

Bulgogi (불고기) is thinly sliced beef (sometimes pork or chicken) marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and chili pepper, and cooked on a grill at the table. It is a main course and is therefore served with rice and side dishes such as kimchi. Bulgogi literally means "fire meat". The more common Korean BBQ is called galbi, which are marinated ribs.

Japan Barbecuing is popular in Japan as an outdoor social activity, as well as encompassing popular styles of food preparation and presentation indoors. Soy sauce and mirin- or sake-based sauces and marinades are commonly used, such as in teriyaki. As a preparation descriptor, yaki (焼き or 焼) refers to cooking with direct heat. While it can encompass baking or pan/stir-fried on a griddle or pan, but the names of many styles of preparation use it as an affix for grilling or broiling.

Many meats are prepared by grilling or broiling. Spare ribs, chicken, steak, and pork are common staples, as well as Jingisukan (mutton), and horumonyaki (beef or pork offal). Vegetables and seafood are heavily incorporated in many Japanese barbecue styles as well.

Some popular examples are:

Robatayaki (炉端焼き; "fireside-cooking"), often shortened to robata (ろばた), is a communal style of Japanese barbecue, cooked over Binchōtan (white charcoal). It developed first in Hokkaido, where fishermen used traditional irori sunken hearths to cook and keep warm. Today, irori or raised dais are typically used, and the style is popular throughout Japan and abroad.

Kushiyaki (串焼き) is a broad, formal term for food items prepared on a skewer (kushi) and grilled (yaki). While yakitori refers specifically to chicken (or, regionally, when the same marinade is applied, as in Muroran to pork), the term is often informally used interchangeably with kushiyaki. Kushiyaki seasonings are primarily divided among two categories: salty or salty-sweet.

Yakiniku refers broadly to grilled meat and vegetables cooked on gridirons or griddles over a flame of wood charcoals carbonized by dry distillation (sumibi, 炭火) or a gas or electric grill, typically in bite-sized pieces. While yakiniku originally referred to western "barbecue" food in the late 19th century, the origin of contemporary yakiniku is considered to be Korean barbecue.

Mongolia

Nomadic Mongolians have several barbecue methods, one of which is khorkhog. They first heat palm-sized stones to a high temperature over a fire and alternate layers of lamb and stone in a pot. The cooking time depends on the amount of lamb used. It is believed that it is good for one's health to hold the stone used for cooking.

Another way of cooking is a boodog (boo means "wrap" in Mongolian). Usually marmot or goats are cooked in this way. There is no pot needed for cooking boodog, after slaughter and dressing, the innards are put back inside the carcass through a small hole, and the whole carcass is cooked over the fire.

The Mongolian barbecue often found in restaurants is a style of cooking falsely attributed to the mobile lifestyle of nomadic Mongolians. Originating in Taiwan in the mid to late 20th century, the so-called "Mongolian barbecue", a popular dish in American and Canadian Chinese restaurants, consists of thinly sliced lamb, beef, chicken, pork, or other meat, seasonings, vegetables, and noodles, or a combination thereof, which is quickly cooked over a flat circular metal surface that has been heated.

Southeast Asia

Satay is popular in several Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. It consists of pieces of meat skewered on bamboo sticks marinated in a mixture of spices similar to a curry mix and pulverised peanut.

Most common meats are chicken, lamb, and beef, and in non-Muslim enclaves one will also find satay made from pork and animal offal.

Satay is a mainstay of most Malaysian, Indonesian, and Singaporean barbecues. Traditional satay uses only chicken thigh meat cut into strips before they are skewered. Other types of satay include pork, mutton, and beef.

After the meat has been cooked over a charcoal flame, it is served with a thick, gooey dipping sauce made from the same mixture as the marinade for the meat, a peanut-tasting, curry-like mixture.

In the mountainous regions of North Borneo, the local Kadazan people's specialities are chicken satay and snake-meat satay, though the latter, as of 2007, is only available under exceptional circumstances.

Before 1990, it was possible to get satay of animals like tapir, elephants, flying fox, goannas and wild boar. However, these animals are now rare or endangered and their use in this manner is prohibited.

Philippines