Direct heat
Food sits directly over the coals, cooked by fierce radiant heat from below. It is fast and it browns hard, and it is right for anything thin enough to cook through before the outside burns: steaks, burgers, chops, prawns, vegetables. Direct heat gives you crust and char, but no margin for error.
Indirect heat
Food sits away from the coals, with the lid on, cooked by hot circulating air like an oven. It is gentle and even, and it is right for anything thick that needs time to cook through: whole birds, roasts, ribs, low and slow barbecue. Indirect heat cooks the inside without burning the outside.
The two-zone fire combines them
Bank the coals to one side and you have both at once: a hot direct zone over the coals and a gentle indirect zone beside them. That single arrangement covers almost all charcoal cooking. Start thick food on the indirect side to cook it through, then finish over the direct side for crust. That is the reverse sear, and it is the correct order for anything thick.
| Use direct heat for | Use indirect heat for |
|---|---|
| Thin steaks, burgers, chops | Whole chickens and roasts |
| Prawns, squid, thin fish | Ribs and low-and-slow barbecue |
| Vegetables, halloumi | Anything over about an inch thick |
| Searing and grill marks | Cooking the inside gently |
The one thing to remember
Thick things want indirect first and direct last. Thin things want direct only. Almost every charcoal cooking decision comes back to that.
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