BurgersCharcoal Smash Burgers
A smash burger is a crust delivery system. That needs a flat, screaming hot surface, which means a griddle or cast iron pan set directly over the coals rather than the bare grate.
SteakPicanha Skewers Over Charcoal
The Brazilian churrasco cut, bent into a C on a skewer so the fat cap faces out and bastes the meat as it renders.
SkewersYakitori Over Binchotan
Small skewers, a narrow bed of coals and no lid. Yakitori is charcoal cooking reduced to its essentials, which is exactly why the fuel matters so much.
Whole fishWhole Fish Grilled Over Charcoal
A whole fish over coals is the simplest good thing you can cook, and the skin sticking to the grate is the only real obstacle.
ShellfishCharcoal Grilled Octopus
Octopus needs two entirely different cooking processes: a long gentle simmer to tenderise, then a violent short char. Skip either and you get rubber.
ShellfishGarlic Charcoal Prawn Skewers
Prawns take about four minutes and are ruined by five. Shell on, skewered flat, over a hot bed, and off before you think.
ChopsLamb Chops Straight Over the Coals
Fat, bone and a fierce fire. Lamb chops are one of the few things that genuinely benefit from the flare-ups everyone else spends their time avoiding.
VegetablesCharcoal Grilled Corn, Elote Style
Corn over charcoal, then rolled in mayonnaise, cheese, chilli and lime. The char is not decoration, it is a flavour the vegetable cannot produce any other way.
SausagesSheftalia, Cypriot Caul Fat Sausages
Minced pork and lamb wrapped in caul fat, which melts as it cooks and bastes the meat from the outside in. There is nothing else quite like them.
CheeseGrilled Halloumi, Properly
Halloumi is squeaky and dull when it is done badly and genuinely excellent when it is done properly. The difference is thickness and heat.
SkewersGreek Pork Souvlaki
Small cubes of pork, a short marinade of oil, lemon and oregano, and a fierce fire. Souvlaki is about the char on the edges, so keep the pieces small and the heat high.
SkewersAdana Kebab, Turkish Lamb Skewers
Hand-minced lamb with tail fat and red pepper, moulded onto wide flat skewers. The fat content is not negotiable and it is why this tastes like nothing you can buy.
Short ribKorean Galbi, LA-Cut Short Ribs
Short ribs cut thin across the bone so they cook in minutes. The marinade uses pear, which genuinely tenderises rather than just flavouring.
Short ribAsado de Tira Over Embers
Argentinian cross-cut short ribs cooked slowly over embers rather than flame, seasoned with nothing but coarse salt. Patience is the entire recipe.
SteakGrilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
Skirt is the most flavourful cheap steak there is, and it wants one thing: a screaming fire and about two minutes a side.
SkewersGrilled Lamb Koftas
Spiced minced lamb moulded onto skewers, the Middle Eastern cousin of the Turkish kebab. The trick is kneading the mince until it is tacky so it grips the skewer.
FilletsSeared Tuna Steak on Charcoal
Tuna is a steak that happens to come from the sea. Treat it like one: a fierce fire, ninety seconds a side, and a raw ruby centre.
SteakCarne Asada, Mexican Grilled Steak
Mexico's great grilled beef: thin steak marinated in lime, orange, garlic and chilli, seared hard and chopped for tacos. Bright, smoky and fast.
Whole fishCharcoal Grilled Sardines
The cheapest, most Mediterranean thing you can put over coals. Whole sardines, salt, fierce heat and lemon, eaten with your fingers.
CheeseHalloumi and Vegetable Skewers
Halloumi is the one cheese that holds its shape on a skewer, threaded between peppers and courgette and charred until it squeaks and softens.
SkewersShish Taouk, Lebanese Chicken Skewers
Yoghurt-and-garlic marinated chicken skewers from across the Levant, tangy and tender, served with toum, the fierce garlic sauce that defines them.
VegetablesGrilled Pineapple with Rum and Lime
Fire does something remarkable to pineapple: the sugars caramelise and the fruit turns almost savoury. A pudding that cooks on the dying coals.
ShellfishGrilled Garlic Prawns, Gambas Style
The Spanish tapas classic taken outside: prawns cooked in garlic, chilli and olive oil on a plancha over the coals, the oil catching the smoke.
VegetablesCharcoal Grilled Flatbread
A live fire is the best oven a flatbread will ever meet. Two minutes over the coals and it puffs, blisters and takes on a smoke you cannot fake indoors.
ShellfishGrilled Lobster Tails with Garlic Butter
Lobster sounds intimidating and is genuinely easy over coals. Split the tails, baste with garlic butter, and cook flesh side down then up. Ten minutes, no boiling pot.
SausagesGrilled Chorizo with Peppers
Cooking chorizo releases its smoky paprika oil, and over charcoal that oil crisps the skin and coats whatever it touches. Grill it with peppers and mop it up with bread.
Whole fishWhole Grilled Mackerel
Mackerel is oily, cheap and sustainable, and its richness stands up to fierce heat and sharp flavours better than almost any other fish. Score it, grill it, hit it with something acidic.
ShoulderAl Pastor Pork Skewers
Mexico by way of Lebanon: spit-grilled pork marinated in dried chillies, achiote and pineapple, the Middle Eastern shawarma technique that Lebanese immigrants brought to Mexico City.
VegetablesGrilled Asparagus
Asparagus over coals is one of the quickest, best things you can do with the fire while it is hot. A little oil, a fierce heat, and lemon and parmesan at the end.
CheeseProvoleta, Argentinian Grilled Cheese
A thick disc of provolone grilled in a pan until the outside crusts and the inside goes molten, scattered with oregano and chilli. The way an asado begins in Argentina.
VegetablesCharred Corn Ribs
Quartered corn cobs curl into rib shapes as they grill, char at the edges and eat off the cob like a rib. The most fun you can have with sweetcorn.
Food straight over the coals, usually with the lid off. Fast, fierce and finished before the inside has time to overcook, which is exactly right for anything thin and exactly wrong for anything thick.
The judgement is entirely about when to take it off. Direct heat gives you no margin, so stay at the grill and use a thermometer rather than a timer.
At a glance
| Recipe | Method | Grill temp | Cook time | Pull at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charcoal Smash Burgers | Direct heat | 290°C (550°F) and above | 10 min | 70°C (160°F) |
| Picanha Skewers Over Charcoal | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 20 min | 55°C (130°F) |
| Yakitori Over Binchotan | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 15 min | 75°C (165°F) |
| Whole Fish Grilled Over Charcoal | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 16 min | 55°C (130°F) |
| Charcoal Grilled Octopus | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 1 hr 15 min | Tender |
| Garlic Charcoal Prawn Skewers | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | 50°C (120°F) |
| Lamb Chops Straight Over the Coals | Direct heat | 290°C (550°F) and above | 8 min | 55°C (130°F) |
| Charcoal Grilled Corn, Elote Style | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 12 min | Charred |
| Sheftalia, Cypriot Caul Fat Sausages | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 20 min | 75°C (165°F) |
| Grilled Halloumi, Properly | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | Charred |
| Greek Pork Souvlaki | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 12 min | 65°C (145°F) |
| Adana Kebab, Turkish Lamb Skewers | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 10 min | 70°C (160°F) |
| Korean Galbi, LA-Cut Short Ribs | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 8 min | Cooked through |
| Asado de Tira Over Embers | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 50 min | Cooked through |
| Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri | Direct heat | 290°C (550°F) and above | 8 min | 55°C (130°F) |
| Grilled Lamb Koftas | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 12 min | 70°C (160°F) |
| Seared Tuna Steak on Charcoal | Direct heat | 290°C (550°F) and above | 3 min | 45°C (110°F) |
| Carne Asada, Mexican Grilled Steak | Direct heat | 290°C (550°F) and above | 8 min | 55°C (130°F) |
| Charcoal Grilled Sardines | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | Opaque |
| Halloumi and Vegetable Skewers | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 10 min | Charred |
| Shish Taouk, Lebanese Chicken Skewers | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 12 min | 75°C (165°F) |
| Grilled Pineapple with Rum and Lime | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 10 min | Caramelised |
| Grilled Garlic Prawns, Gambas Style | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | 50°C (120°F) |
| Charcoal Grilled Flatbread | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 12 min | Puffed and charred |
| Grilled Lobster Tails with Garlic Butter | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 10 min | 60°C (140°F) |
| Grilled Chorizo with Peppers | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 15 min | 70°C (160°F) |
| Whole Grilled Mackerel | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 10 min | Opaque |
| Al Pastor Pork Skewers | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 20 min | 70°C (160°F) |
| Grilled Asparagus | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | Tender-crisp |
| Provoleta, Argentinian Grilled Cheese | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 8 min | Molten |
| Charred Corn Ribs | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 10 min | Curled |
Techniques used
Direct heat. Food straight over the coals. Fast, fierce, and finished before the inside overcooks.
Cookers these suit
Asado grills. Drum smokers. Foukou rotisseries. Kamado grills. Kettle grills. Korean table grills. Portable grills.