In the U.S. the concept of "barbecue" has significant regional variations in meaning. The ingredients, the kind of meat, and the nature of the place where it is eaten are different in, say, the Southeast and the west coast.
In different places, people will talk about barbecues differently. To me, in the southeast, it sounds natural to say
"let's order some barbecue"
because almost nobody makes their own. Do do so, you need special equipment. For us, "barbecue" is more a food than an event. It's something you eat. On the west coast, it is synonymous with "grilling".