What does charbroiler mean?
A charbroiler is a grill or cooking appliance that uses glowing charcoal to sear and smoke food. In ordinary American English, the word usually refers to the equipment—a backyard barbecue unit or the charcoal-cooking part of a larger setup—rather than to the food or the act of grilling. A cook might say that burgers were prepared on the charbroiler or describe a restaurant meal as charbroiled, though the latter form more directly belongs to the verb charbroil. The term is more specific than grill and should not be confused with a broiler, an appliance whose heat comes from an overhead element or other fuel. Charbroiler is also more specific than barbecue, which can name the food, the cooking method, the social event, or the appliance. The word is useful because it identifies both the cooking apparatus and, by implication, the smoky, high-heat flavor associated with charcoal.
nounA barbecue grill or cooking appliance that uses radiant heat and smoke from glowing charcoal to cook food.
- A grill or cooking appliance that prepares food with the heat and smoke of glowing charcoal.
"We waited for the charcoal to turn gray before putting the steaks on the charbroiler."
"The ribs came off the charbroiler with a charred crust and smoky aroma."
"The restaurant's new charbroiler handles the outdoor dinner crowd."
The plural is uncommon because the word usually refers to a single barbecue unit.
"The outdoor area has two charbroilers."
A charbroiler delivers the intense sear and unmistakable smoke of charcoal that an ordinary indoor broiler can only approximate.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does charbroiler come from?
Charbroiler was formed in English by adding the device-making suffix -er to charbroil. Charbroil itself combines char, a short form of charcoal, with broil, an English term for cooking food over direct heat. The related word broiler comes from the same broil element but ordinarily denotes a different kind of cooking apparatus or heat source.
Related word forms
How charbroiler is actually used
The term is chiefly North American and usually denotes the equipment rather than the food, cooking method, or social event.
Easily confused with charbroiler
A charbroiler cooks food over glowing charcoal, whereas a broiler generally uses an overhead heat source in an oven or grill.