If it had just been the cooking odor, I'd have said there wasn't much you could do. But actual smoke is another matter. There are health concerns for one thing.

For another, if there's that much smoke that it is getting into apartments several units away from the one producing the smoke, then I have to wonder about the smoke alarms in that unit. The tenant must have disabled them in order to cook this way.

I'd play a little dumb about which unit it is. Contact the management or landlord and tell them that smoke is getting into your unit, and how often--daily, 4-5 times a week. You are concerned about 2 things--how this is affecting your health is one. And the second is that you are worried that so much smoke is being produced and no smoke detector is going off. Make it clear that you think something is wrong with the smoke alarms and that you are worried that in case of a real fire, the alarms won't sound.

That should bring management out in a hurry. Most leases have clauses about maintaining an operating smoke detector in the apartment, so this other tenant could well be in violation of the lease. And while I don't usually care if other tenants follow all the rules or not, in this case, it directly impacts your safety and I think you have a right to complain.

"I do not live next to this neighbor or above or below."
If the smoke is traveling across the courtyard or alleyway (?) you should ask other neighbors if they are encountering the same problem. Maintenance should be notified. Your building should have carbon monoxide alarms, tell maintenance what the reading is. Maybe they are not actually BBQing but cooking at a high heat under the broiler ? I know I have filled up my kitchen with smoke when using the broiler(my error, too much oil). I use pungent spices all the time but once the window is open it doesn't travel throughout the complex. Maybe the neighbor upstairs smells it...but they cook with the same spices.
The last time we all had smoke(soot) was due to a boiler malfunction in our corner of the complex a very dangerous thing indeed.

its now happening to me from apt below, was told moving in no grills, called building manager twice and just left a message ... what next health dept? or maybe building owner...mad again

I’ll join your rant. This morning, it started raining. It’s cool also after a sweltering summer. I opened the windows, delighted for fresh air and the smell of fall leaves and rain. Then...gag...I smell smoking meat. It’s overwhelming. I shut the windows and doors and am now running the exhaust fans. This is the 2nd time this week. It will go on ALL DAY.

I know they have every right to do it, but I would never subject the neighbors to smoke all day long, multiple times a week in a neighborhood where houses are so close to each other. I hope it’s a phase and they get bored with their smoker soon. I wish they’d just do something on the grill and get it over with.

I also know I need to move to a place where the neighbors aren’t so close. Now I understand why, when I used to live in a condo, the rules said no barbecuing.

This just happened to me. My unit had such heavy smoke that my apt. Manager was surprise my smoke alarms didn't go off. It's now been 3hrs and it still smells like charcoal in my apt but the smoke has cleared. A unit on the other side of my 6 unit building had a BBQ and the smoke got sucked into my AC intake and flooded into my apt. To say I am annoyed would be a huge understatement.

Good ideas and comments here....

I'm having a similar issues with a condo unit directly below me. These people are a pain in the ass...and frankly just dumb. Who buys a baby grand piano for a 800 SF condo with ceramic tiles throughout. The sound from the piano picks up so much echo from their poor acoustics and just sounds terrible. I found it helpful to run my air purifier at maximum speed to muffle the sound.

The other issue is they cook on the bbq 4-5 times a week so I'm thinking of installing a smoke detector on my balcony and also purchase a heavy duty industrial fan, 5000-10000 CFM, whcih would sound and feel like a small prop plane sitting above their balcony to serve a couple purposes...

1. Blow that nasty ass bbq smoke outward and;

2. Give them a dose of a sound and vibration from the turbo fan everytime they bbq.

Any other ideas?