Direct and indirect heat - the two zones
The most important move on the grill is the two-zone setup. How to build it on any device type and when to use each zone.
Anyone who knows only one heat level burns the outside and leaves the inside raw. The trick good grillers use is simple and powerful: two zones on one grill - a hot one for searing, a mild one for cooking through.
Direct heat
Direct means the food sits immediately above the embers or the burner. Very hot, ideal for roasted flavour, steaks, sausages, vegetables with bite. Anything that finishes quickly and needs a crust belongs here.
Indirect heat
Indirect means the heat source sits next to the food and the lid is closed. The grill becomes an oven. Large roasts, whole poultry, anything with a core above 60 °C cooks through gently here without charring outside.
Two zones by device
- Gas grill: one row of burners full, the other off or low.
- Charcoal/kettle: pile the coals on one side, leave the other clear.
- Kamado: insert the deflector stone, then almost everything is indirect.
- Pellet/smoker: built for indirect, even heat anyway.
- Plancha/electric: zones through different temperature settings.
The classic sequence
Sear hard over direct heat first, then move to the indirect side and bring it to core temperature with the lid closed. That gives you crust and an evenly cooked core - exactly the combination for which Glutkern provides zone hints per device type.