How to master your charcoal barbecue (without scorching your dinner)
In the previous post, we talked about how to light a charcoal barbecue without any drama. Today, we’re moving on to the next level:
OK, so you’ve got the coals lit… now what?
This is where the magic of building the fire properly comes in:
- Direct heat for searing.
- Indirect heat for slow cooking.
- Mixed heat for feeling like a master barbecue chef.
You can do all this with the charcoal barbecues we work with at Barbecue World:
Weber, Napoleon, Kamado Joe, Masterbuilt, Imor, Char-Griller, Ofyr… and many more that you will find at barbecueworld.es.
Direct heat: the “rock and roll” of barbecuing
Direct heat is when you place the food directly above the coals.
What is it for?
- Sear meat quickly (chops, steak, burgers, etc.).
- Grill vegetables.
- Sear chorizo, bacon, kebabs, etc.
- Anything that cooks quickly.
How to set it up
- In a Weber or Napoleon kettle:
Create an even bed of embers in the centre or across the entire base. - In a Kamado Joe kamado:
Place the charcoal evenly distributed just below the grill, without deflectors. - In rectangular barbecues such as Imor, Masterbuilt or Char-Griller:
Spread the charcoal in a layer 1–2 briquettes high under the cooking area.
👉 Quick tip: if you hold your hand about 10–12 cm above the grill for less than 3 seconds… that’s very lively direct heat.
Indirect heat: the ‘oven’ mode
Indirect heat is when the embers are on one side… and the food is on the other, or with a deflector in between.
What is it for?
- Whole chicken.
- Slow-cooked ribs.
- Large cuts (loin, round, roast, etc.).
- Stuffed vegetables, whole fish, etc.
- In short: anything you don’t want to burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside.
How to set it up
In a kettle (Weber, Napoleon, Imor, Char-Griller, etc.)
Three simple options:
- Two side piles
- Food in the centre.
- Half cube
- Embers on one side only.
- Food on the other side, with no embers underneath.
- Very practical for long roasts.
- Charcoal baskets (Weber, Napoleon, etc.)
- Using the charcoal baskets that you can also find in our shop, place the coals inside and leave the centre or one side free.
- Neater, easier to control.
In a kamado Kamado Joe
Here, everything is finer:
- Place the charcoal in the centre of the basket.
- Put the ceramic deflectors in place and then the grill on top.
- You have turned your kamado into a charcoal oven perfect for low & slow cooking.
In rectangular barbecues (such as Masterbuilt, Imor, etc.)
- Simply move the charcoal to one side and place the food in the area without embers.
- If you have a tray or griddle, you can use it as a ‘screen’ to soften the heat.
Mixed heat: direct + indirect = happiness
Mixed heat is the winning combination:
- One side with powerful embers (direct).
- The other side without embers (indirect).
What is it for?
- First sear over direct heat and finish cooking over indirect heat.
- Have a ‘fast lane’ and a ‘slow lane’ depending on how things are going.
- Survive those meals where there are steaks, vegetables, chorizo, garlic bread, and everything else all at once 😅
How to set it up (on almost any charcoal barbecue)
Weber / Napoleon / Char-Griller / Imor round or rectangular:
Place the charcoal on one half only.
Kamado Joe:
You can use the Divide & Conquer system with a deflector on one half moon and the other without a deflector:
- Half moon without deflector → direct.
- Half moon with deflector → indirect.
With the charcoal barbecues and kamados we have at Barbecue World, mixed fire is almost mandatory when you have guests and lots going on.
What works best in each zone
To make it crystal clear:
Direct heat zone
- Burgers.
- Chops, steaks, sirloin, tenderloin… (sear first).
- Thin vegetables (asparagus, green asparagus, small peppers).
- Toasted bread, garlic bread, chorizo, butifarra.
Indirect heat zone
- Whole chickens, large thighs.
- Ribs (especially if you want a more smoky/slow cook).
- Whole pieces of meat (loin, round…).
- Whole fish and recipes that include stuffing or cheese.
How to play between the two
- Sear directly.
- Finish indirectly.
- If you see that it’s not quite done, return to direct heat for a moment and you’re done.
It’s like having à la carte cooking but over hot coals.
Things that make your life easier (and that we have in store)
In addition to the barbecue, there are accessories that make this much easier:
- Weber / Napoleon / generic charcoal baskets:
to organise the embers and create well-defined direct and indirect zones. - Ceramic deflectors (Kamado Joe, compatible kamados):
essential for turning your kamado into an oven. - Grill plate or stone
on many barbecues, you can use a grill plate or pizza stone in the indirect zone for more delicate recipes (fish, cheese, dough, etc.). - Thermometer
to know the actual temperature inside the barbecue and the meat.- Note: it saves you more arguments than many tongs.
You can find all this on our website in the accessories sections, filtering by brand: Weber, Napoleon, Kamado Joe, Masterbuilt, etc.
Common mistakes (that we want you to avoid)
- Setting up direct heat across the entire grill and then complaining that ‘everything burns’.
- Placing a whole chicken where you would cook a 2-minute steak.
- Not leaving an indirect area ‘just in case’.
- Turning the meat every 3 seconds ‘out of nervousness’.
Magic solution:
ALWAYS leave a section of the grill without embers. Always.
Even if you think you won’t use it… you will.
And what about barbecue maintenance?
The good thing about setting up the fire properly is that it also helps your barbecue last longer:
- If you cook low & slow or use a lot of indirect heat, less fat drips onto the coals and you generate fewer flare-ups.
- Spread the coals out, don’t always pile them in the same place, so you don’t damage a single area.
- When you’re done, let the coals burn out, empty the ashes and give the grill a good clean.
With a Weber, Napoleon, Kamado Joe, Masterbuilt, Imor, Ofyr… well cared for, you will have a barbecue for many years (and many stories around it).
In summary
- Direct: fire underneath, fast and powerful.
- Indirect: embers on one side, food on the other, cook slowly.
- Mixed: a little of both, to feel like the god of the embers.
And best of all: you can do all this with the charcoal barbecues and kamados available at barbecueworld.es, with the help of chimneys, electric lighters, briquettes, charcoal baskets and deflectors.
