Direct vs. indirect heat

Built in gas grills offer an incredible diversity of cooking settings that will change the way you think about food. There is an elegance and precision to it that is really quite stunning. Both the chef and the guests are in for a very enjoyable experience. The social possibilities here are also quite endless, as this is not the typical solitary preparation, but a public event. It’s a good idea to get a little deft as some of your techniques, but a lot of this is improvisation, and that’s where the fun is.

Still, there are some basics that are good to know before setting out to cook for a large party. It won’t take long before you can either know what you’re doing and show it, or before you can fake it really well! Some basics, though, can’t be faked, and one of these is knowing the difference between direct and indirect grilling. Direct grilling, in a nutshell, simply refers to putting the meat directly on the heat. This is where most conceptions of the “All-American Grill” come from. One thinks of hot dogs and burgers sizzling on the grill in the middle of summer, with happy kids and the smell of sun tan lotion. There are some grill purists who might shudder at the notion, but it’s where our inspirations live, or where they come from. But direct grilling can refer to any kind of meat or vegetable cooked directly over the hot spot. To be precise, have the flames set to different temperatures so you can control the amount of heat while cooking.

For indirect grilling, there are more considerations. This is where smoking and barbecue-like techniques can come into play, and give more subtle flavors to the meats. Indirect grilling is where the food is placed near the heat source, so the temperature can work through the meat, but not directly on it. As you might guess, this technique is used for larger cuts of meat that need a longer cooking time. With your built in gas grill, this technique is easy to execute (but practice, practice, practice…). Heat the elements around the center, and place the meat here. This way, the heat will penetrate it from all sides. Also, use the cover, of course, to lock in both temperature and flavor. A little bit of practice on these will buy you some lovely moments where you can show off your more successful experiments!

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Direct vs. indirect heat

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