How to Grill with Direct Heat

DIRECT GRILLING WITH LID CLOSED

With direct grilling you place the food directly over the fire, exposing the bottom of the meat or food to the highest cooking temperatures. This fast cooking method uses the intense heat from the flame to brown the outside of foods, while using the high “oven” temperature from the closed lid to cook foods all the way through. This method of grilling gives the food a nice smoky flavor. Direct grilling works well for burgers and foods with low-fat content, such as well-trimmed steaks and chops.

DIRECT GRILLING WITH LID FULLY OPEN

Opening the lid leaves the bottom of the food exposed to high temperatures, but eliminates the smoke and the high “oven” temperature within the grill. This slower method of direct grilling is suitable only for foods that cook quickly —bacon, hot dogs, fish fillets, thin steaks or chops, hors d’oeuvres, vegetables, and kabobs.

Grilling with the lid open provides the least “barbecue” taste. For obvious reasons, it is not a good method when the weather is cold or windy.

DIRECT GRILLING WITH LID PROPPED OPEN

Propping open your Broilmaster’s lid allows you to direct grill at high temperature, while still capturing much of the smoky flavor. This method also maintains sufficient “oven” temperature to quickly reach the desired internal temperature for the food. This is the most popular direct-grilling method, and requires just a little experience to do well.

DIRECT GRILLING TAKE-AWAYS

• Be careful not to over-char or over-cook your food.
• To reduce grease flare-ups, adjust your cooking grids to a high position or reduce the heat.
• Choose lean cuts of meat because high-fat foods can cause flare-ups.
• If a flare-up does occur, do not spray water to put it out. Move the foods away from the flare-up and close the lid to smother the flames. If flare-ups persist, remove the food from the grill and let the grease burn off. After the flames subside, return the food to the grill and continue grilling.