Home FAQs What is the difference between ‘INDIRECT’ and ‘DIRECT’ cooking methods?

Shopping Cart

VirtueMart
Your Cart is currently empty.

Subscribe here!

Receive your FREE PDF recipe
book and other exclusive content
when you subscribe to
our eNewsletter!

What is the difference between ‘INDIRECT’ and ‘DIRECT’ cooking methods?

The differences are explained below:

Indirect Cooking Method
In this method the Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes providing the heat, are placed at the sides of the kettle barbecue. The food being cooked is placed in the centre, with a drip tray underneath in order to collect fats and oils and prevent flare ups.

This method of cooking is ideal for roasts, such as pork, lamb or whole poultry and other large cuts of meat, which may take a longer than half an hour to cook.

When the lid is placed on the kettle and the vents are opened, hot air will circulate around the food and provide even and consistent cooking. There is no need to turn the food. A barbecue using Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes provide a long burning time for the largest of Christmas lunches.

Direct Cooking Method
The direct cooking method requires the ashed over Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes to be placed on the bottom grill directly under the food being cooked. In kettles, direct cooking is used for grilling steaks and also for hotplate and wok cooking. Direct Cooking method is not normally used to cook foods containing excessive fat, such as chops and sausages, as fats dripping from such foods fall directly onto the briquettes and causes excessive smoking and grease build-up inside the barbecue. These meats are usually cooked using the indirect method, BUT this is not necessarily so when using Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes.

Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes allow us to cook such foods the direct way, if we take a lesson from many fine Greek chefs. Fatty foods such as sausages, chops and marinated kebabs can be cooked over direct heat if the favoured method of our Greek friends is used.

If the hot ashed over Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes can be dispersed across a flat solid base tray of the BBQ (ie not on a grill, which would allow air up from below), the BBQ briquettes will remain alight, provide plenty of heat for cooking, and importantly there will be less flare up when fat falls on them.

If you are using the direct cooking method in a kettle, flare up MAY be reduced by closing the bottom vents while cooking (but the lid must be removed).