Here's The Difference Between Direct And Indirect Grilling

With the warm weather in full swing, it feels ridiculous to not break out the grill. Whether we love cooking up steaks, burgers, vegetables, or anything else under the sun, we have to figure out the proper way to cook our desired meals. Certain spaces on the grill elicit the coveted grill-marks on our burgers and steaks, while other areas have a lower temperature and can slow-cook your proteins to perfection (via Taste of Home). These different temperature zones end up producing either direct heat or indirect heat. 

With indirect heat, your food comes into contact with flames and cooks very quickly. Indirect heat zones usually sit in the outer portions of your grill and have less flame contact, making them cooler. Knowing what meats to cook on indirect or direct heat can make or break your cookout. According to Between Carpools, you want to use direct heat for steaks, burgers, vegetables, and even fish. The higher cook times mean the items end up finishing faster, but watch out — if you leave them in these high heat zones for too long, you could easily dry out your meal or burn it to a crisp.

Once you master direct heat grilling, you now have the challenge of tackling indirect heat. According to The Kitchn, you want to use indirect heat to cook up anything that requires a well-done interior. This means potatoes wrapped in foil, barbecue ribs, grilled chicken, and anything you potentially smoke in your charcoal grill needs indirect heat. You can also feel free to mix up heat styles by cooking an item over high heat to get some grill marks for a few minutes, then moving it to indirect heat. This method makes amazing grilled cabbage and you can even cook fruit with this method.

Once you master the art of using direct and indirect heat, no food can stand in the way between you and the perfect cookout. With the weather getting better each day, you don't have any excuses to not break the grill out and start practicing your cooking techniques. When the day comes for you to show off your skills, you'll be sure to impress everyone with your grilling prowess by using the right heat for the right meal.