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Mastering Meat 2

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The art of indirect barbecue cooking

What is the indirect method?
The indirect barbecue cooking technique basically means that you turn your barbecue into
an oven. With this method, the meat doesn’t come into direct contact with the coals. Rather,
the heat generated by the coals circulates inside the barbecue and cooks the meat. This
gives it the best of both worlds: delicious oven-cooked crispness but also with amazing
smoky barbecue flavours too. The indirect method of cooking on a barbecue is best suited

to larger cuts of meat like whole birds, pork bellies or racks of ribs.

Setup is key
For best results, face the handle of your barbecue into the wind and set up a bank of coals
on either side. This will ensure that as the wind blows through the barbecue, the coals heat

up evenly. If you set up your barbecue incorrectly, with one section of coals facing the wind,
the coals on one side will flare up and become hotter, causing your meat to burn on one
side and be undercooked on the other.

Know your heat source

Think about what you are about to cook and how much heat it might need. If you’re cooking
a whole bird or a large piece of meat that involve a lengthy cooking process, keep an eye on
the coals as you go. You may have to top up with some hot coals halfway through the
cooking time.

Keep the heat constant
A chimney starter is a really useful tool for adding hot coals to an already hot fire. This
means that you don’t slow down the cooking time of your meat while waiting for the new

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