Whatever the origin of the term, barbeque, barbecue, or BBQ in the United States has come to mean anything from slow cooking with heat and smoke (the traditional way), to grilling over an open fire, to the gathering itself where grilled or smoked meat is served.he Oxford English Dictionary states that the word barbeque was derived from the Spanish word barbacoa which itself was taken from a Haitian word barbacoa, meaning a framework of sticks set upon posts..