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Core Methods

Direct Heat, Deep Crust

Char-Grill

PTby Pitmaster Tripp

Cooking over live coals, close to the fire, where the heat is high and the sear is the point. Char-grilling is how you get a crust on a chop, blistered skin on wings, and the smell of dripping fat hitting hot charcoal. It is fast, it is unforgiving, and it is the method most people think they already know.

Direct, 450–600°F at the grate; a two-zone fire with a cool sideHeat
Wings, chops, steaks, sausage, spatchcocked birds, vegetablesBest For
A charcoal grill with a lid and adjustable vents, lump charcoal or briquettes, a chimney starter, long tongs, an instant-read thermometerGear
5–45 minutes, depending on the cutCook
IntermediateSkill

When to use it

  • Thin cuts and small pieces that cook through before they dry out
  • Anything that wants a hard sear and a little char
  • Finishing a low-and-slow cook with crisp skin or crust
  • Weeknights, when you have an hour and not a day
  • Vegetables, bread, and anything that benefits from a lick of flame

Not the move when

  • Big collagen-heavy cuts like shoulder, brisket, and ribs; they need hours the fire will not give them
  • Sugary rubs and glazes early in the cook; they burn before the meat is done
  • Bone-in pieces thicker than an inch and a half without a cool zone to finish on
  • Windy, wet nights when you cannot hold a lid temperature

The Method

How It’s Done

  1. Build a two-zone fire

    Light a full chimney of charcoal and let it burn until the top coals are ashed over, about 15 minutes. Dump it on one side of the grill only, banked two coals deep. The empty side is your cool zone, and you will use it more than you think. Put the grate on, close the lid, open the vents wide, and give it five minutes to heat.

  2. Clean and oil the grate

    Scrape the hot grate with a brush, then wipe it with a folded paper towel dipped in high-heat oil, held in tongs. A clean, oiled grate is the difference between grill marks and a chicken thigh that leaves its skin behind.

  3. Season and dry the meat

    Pat everything dry before it goes on. Wet meat steams instead of searing. Salt it at least 30 minutes ahead if you can, or a full day if it is a thick cut (see Dry-brine). Keep sugar out of the rub until the end, or it will go black before the inside is done.

  4. Sear over the coals

    Lay the meat over the hot side and leave it alone. Turning early tears the crust off. Give a chop or steak three to four minutes a side; wings and sausage a couple of minutes a side, turning as they color. Flare-ups from dripping fat are part of it, but if flames are licking the meat for more than a few seconds, slide it to the cool side until they die down.

  5. Finish on the cool side

    Once the outside is where you want it, move everything to the cool zone, close the lid, and let the trapped heat carry it to temperature. This is where thicker cuts and bone-in pieces get done without burning. Vents half open holds the lid around 350–400°F.

  6. Check with a thermometer, not a timer

    Pull chicken at 165°F in the thickest part, pork chops at 140°F for a rest to 145°F, steak by your preference. An instant-read takes three seconds and saves the cook. Rest everything five to ten minutes before you cut.

From the pit

Pitmaster Tips

Avoid these

Common Mistakes

  • Crowding the grate so the meat steams instead of sears
  • Turning too early and tearing the crust off
  • Cooking everything over the coals with no cool zone to escape to
  • Saucing at the start and burning the sugar
  • Cutting into a chop to check doneness instead of using a thermometer
  • Leaving the lid up and wondering why the thick pieces never cook through

Gear for this method

What You'll Need

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