Indirect Grilling: High Heat and Wood Smoke

[Steve Petrone]

Grill marks? Nope. Loss of flavor, Nope!
My most recent cooks of large bone in, skin on breasts have been all high heat indirect and just plain wonderful. I personally get much better texture and great flavor by using some long cigar shaped hickory and pecan in my fire. Get the flavor from wood not marks.
I tried some 6 oz 80-20 burgers indirect as well. Same results.

Now many of you may be able to judge your meat better than I and can get great grill marks and not get tough meat...but it seams very easy to me to get great results doing a high heat indirect cook.

Anybody else?

 

[Claude M]

I get the same results. If you want marks go for a reverse sear.

 

[K Kruger]

Ditto. I like grill marks but not enough to fuss over. I do poultry indirect (for poultry I could not care less about marks); roasts, indirect; steaks, a combo of the two. What I do not like is black char. Some deep caramelization is one thing - the look and flavor of black char, no.

 

[Mike F.]

I cook almost all of my bone in chicken indirect, unless I want to be a firefighter for a day. Then maybe roadside chicken.

 

[Another Bob B]

I have to agree with Kevin 100% with Chicken. I even do my Roadside Chicken with High Heat and Indirect. Bob

 

[JimK]

Most of my chicken is done high heat indirect as well with the exception of BSB.

 

[Steve Petrone]

Quite frankly, I am surprised I liked the big burger cooked indirect too.

 

[John09]

Anymore I generally use my grill with indirect high heat and smoke wood for most cooks. For things like steak or chicken I'll stop short of being done, take the lid off and let the coals get inferno hot and do a quick sear. Burgers I usualy start over the coals with the lid on for like 8 minutes a side then move to indirect, sometimes saucing.

 

[Bill C. (Cappy)]

All of my burgers and dogs are done indirect now. The dogs slow cook for about 10-15 min. before I take the burgers off.I tried it last summer adding a nice 1/2" thick 3x3 chunk of Hickory or Mesquite to give it a great smoke. As a matter of fact my grill is fired up right now with 6 thick burgers seasoned and ready to go!!! Gotta go!

 

[Ernie D]

I like to fill the bottom quarter of my chimney with wood chunks and k, lump, or both above that. The wood chunk coals taste great, and are a nice heat source. The high heat indirect always makes delicious Q for me.