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.
LegButterflied Leg of Lamb Over Charcoal
Boned and opened flat, a leg of lamb goes from a three hour roast to a forty five minute grill, with far more surface for char and a built-in range of doneness for people who disagree about it.
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.
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.
Thighs and legsChicken Gyros on a Charcoal Spit
Stacked marinated thighs turning slowly over charcoal, shaved off in layers as the outside crisps. A foukou or a rotisserie ring turns this from a restaurant dish into a garden one.
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.
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.
Greek grilling splits into two halves that get confused constantly. Souvlaki is small cubes on short skewers over fierce direct heat, finished in minutes. Gyros is a stacked vertical rotisserie shaved in layers. Both end up in pitta, which is why people use the names interchangeably.
The seasoning logic is consistent throughout: olive oil, lemon, garlic and dried oregano, applied briefly rather than overnight. Lemon juice is acidic enough to firm the surface of meat, so it belongs in a short marinade or squeezed over at the end.
At a glance
| Recipe | Method | Grill temp | Cook time | Pull at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Butterflied Leg of Lamb Over Charcoal | Two-zone cooking | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 45 min | 55°C (130°F) |
| Lamb Chops Straight Over the Coals | Direct heat | 290°C (550°F) and above | 8 min | 55°C (130°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) |
| Chicken Gyros on a Charcoal Spit | Rotisserie | 135 to 175°C (275 to 350°F) | 1 hr 30 min | 80°C (175°F) |
| Grilled Lamb Koftas | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 12 min | 70°C (160°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 |
Techniques used
Direct heat. Food straight over the coals. Fast, fierce, and finished before the inside overcooks. Rotisserie. Constant rotation, constant self-basting, no hot side to fight. Two-zone cooking. Coals banked to one side: a searing zone and a gentle zone in one grill. The single most useful technique in charcoal cooking.
Cookers these suit
Drum smokers. Foukou rotisseries. Kamado grills. Kettle grills. Korean table grills. Portable grills.