The Taíno people, indigenous to the Caribbean used a wooden framework called a barbacoa to suspend meat over a smoky, indirect fire. This "low and slow" method preserved the meat and kept it tender. When Spanish explorers (including Christopher Columbus) arrived in the late 15th century, they adopted this technique. The first written record of the word "barbacoa" appeared in 1526 in the writings of Spanish explorer Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes.
While people had been cooking over open pits for centuries, the iconic "backyard grill" we recognize today was invented by George Stephen. In 1952, Stephen was a welder at Weber Brothers Metal Works in Chicago. At the time, most people used flat, open brazier grills that often left food covered in ash or ruined by rain. The "Aha!" Moment: Stephen took a metal harbor buoy (which his company manufactured), cut it in half, added legs to the bottom, and used the top half as a lid to control the temperature and protect the food. The Legacy: His neighbors initially laughed at the "spaceship-looking" device (jokingly calling it Sputnik), but once they tasted the steak it produced, it became a sensation. This was the birth of the Weber Kettle Grill.
Invention Inventor Year Significance Charcoal Briquettes Ellsworth Zwoyer / Henry Ford 1897 / 1920s Henry Ford popularized them using wood scraps from Model T production. The Gas Grill W.G. Wepfer & Melton Lancaster 1960s Created to help gas companies sell more propane/natural gas for home use. Infrared Grilling Bill Best 1980s Uses ceramic burners to cook food more evenly and faster. Electric/Fat-Reducing Grill Michael Boehm (George Foreman) 1994 Revolutionized indoor, health-conscious "grilling."
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