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By Root 1040 0

make a split charcoal bed by splitting the coals on opposite sides of the firebox and leaving a large, empty space in the middle. Or you can rake the coals to one side and leave the other side empty. We find that a split charcoal bed provides more even heating because the heat surrounds the food. But if your grill is small, you may get a larger unheated area (for larger roasts) by raking the coals to one side instead of two. Either way, put the food over the unheated part of the grill and close the lid. The indirect heat of the coals becomes trapped in the grill, surrounding the food and slowly cooking it, similar to the way roasting works in a conventional oven.

For fatty cuts of meat, like brisket and pork shoulder, it helps to put a disposable aluminum drip pan under the food between the coals, to catch dripping fat and minimize flare-ups. When indirectly grilling lean or low-moisture foods like skinless poultry roasts or pork tenderloins, we sometimes pour flavored liquid into the pan, such as beer, wine, stock, or citrus juice mixed with seasonings. As the liquid heats, the rising steam keeps these foods moist and infuses them with subtle flavors.

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If your grill doesn’t have a lid but does have an adjustable grill grate (as on a flat charcoal grill or open wood-burning pit), set the grill up for indirect grilling by raising the grill grate 1 to 3 feet above the coals. You won’t be able to trap heat or smoke, so plan on increasing the cooking time and losing some smoke flavor.

A single chimney starter (see page 27) full of coals will burn out after 45 minutes to 1 hour of indirect grilling. Add fresh coals by lighting a new batch of coals as the old ones begin to die down. Pour the new hot coals right over the old ones and continue cooking. If you don’t have a chimney starter, put fresh unlit coals over the old hot coals and leave the lid off the grill until the new coals begin to ash over.

Many charcoal grill grates come with hinged sides, so you can easily add fresh coals to each side. If your grate doesn’t have hinges, lift off the entire hot rack and the food with well-insulated or heatproof grill gloves. Put the hot rack of food over foil on the ground or another heatproof surface, add your fresh coals, and then return the racked food to the grill.

Indirect grilling is similar on a gas grill, except that you light some of the burners but leave the others off. If your gas grill has two burners, light one burner and put your food over the unlit burner. If your grill has three or more burners, light the outside burners and put the food over the middle unlit burners. When using indirect grilling for fatty cuts of meat on a gas grill, make sure the grease catcher is empty or put a drip pan beneath the roast.

The grill lid is a key element of most indirect grilling. It traps heat and smoke, increasing the temperature inside the grill and infusing food with smoke flavor. Keep the lid down as much as possible. Every time you lift the lid, heat escapes, lowering the temperature inside the grill and lengthening the cooking time. See the Indirect-Grilling Guide on page 41 for a summary of setting up charcoal or wood grills for various levels of indirect heat.

03. Rotisserie Grilling

A form of indirect grilling, rotisserie cooking positions food on a spit above or in front of the heat, where the food slowly rotates. This method produces incomparably moist and evenly browned whole birds, roasts, and ribs. As the meat turns, the external fat gradually melts and rolls around the meat, basting the meat and keeping it moist. Rotisserie-grilled meats are, in effect, self-basting; but if you notice any dry spots on the meat, brush a little oil over the area to ensure even browning.

Rotisseries are available for most gas and charcoal grills. Each one works a little differently; set yours up according to the manufacturer’s directions. In most cases, that means sliding the food onto the spit of the rotisserie and then securing the food with the rotisserie skewers. Be sure to push the skewers firmly into opposite