Should You Grill With the Lid Up or Down?
Should You Grill With the Lid Up or Down while grilling? What does the grill cover actually do? When will the lid be closed and when will the lid not be closed? This article will discuss these aspects.
Covered Means Convection
When we grill, we all want food to have a crusty, slightly burnt exterior and a moist and soft interior. Whether it's cooking thin flank steaks or thick ribeyes, we all hope to get this result. We want it when we roast thin asparagus and roast potatoes. However, although the destination is the same, the journey of light food and heavy food is different.
When you close the lid of the grill, you are creating convection. That is, hot air from a heat source (gas or charcoal) is trapped by the lid and cannot escape, moving around in the chamber you created. Therefore, the closed lid helps the inside of the meat to be cooked, just like an oven.
Open the Lid Means Scorching
For thinner foods, if you put a lid on—allowing convective heat to transfer to the food from above, below, and around—the center of the food will be cooked before the outside turns brown and caramelized. When you cook with the grill open, you will more effectively obtain a crispy, perfect Maillard reaction caramelization on the outside of the meat without over-cooking the center.
However, food with a thickness of more than 3/4 inch actually has more middle to cook. Therefore, they can support the heating chamber created by the lid. In fact, the lid will help thicker meat or vegetables cook more evenly. You will avoid the undercooked center, the outer skin is excessively brown and crusty.
When to Leave the Lid On, and When to Go Without It
※ Usually, the thickness of the meat you cook determines whether it is best for you to open or close the lid.
※ For cuts of 3/4 inch or thinner, do not cover the lid to avoid overcooking the middle of the meat.
※ Meat chunks 1 inch or thicker are best cooked with a lid. This ensures that they are always cooked correctly.
Kamado Charcoal Grill-Grilling with the lid up
When you leave the lid of the kamado grill charcoal, the temperature will soar. This is because coal can now get a lot of oxygen.Of course, a lot of heat will be lost, but the heat reaching the surface of the meat will be very strong. This means you will get a nice brown appearance, which is the result of the wild duck reaction.Again, this grilling method is best for cooking thin pieces of meat that you don't want to overcook inside.
Kamado Charcoal Grill- Grilling with the lid down
The key to controlling temperature on a covered best ceramic grill is to manage the vents. By opening the vent, you can get a temperature start, allowing you to use direct and indirect heating for cooking.In this case, cooking with a lid on charcoal can be used for grilling, roasting, and a mixture of direct and indirect cooking.When grilling, open all vents and spread coal evenly under the grate. You need to be vigilant when turning the meat.
To bake or roast, open the vents and push the coals to the sides of the cooking zone. Put a drip tray filled with water in the middle. Place the food above the drip tray in the middle of the cookware.To use direct and indirect cooking at the same time, open all vents. Push all the coal to one side of the cooking zone and place a drip tray filled with water on the other side.Put any food you want to cook at high temperature on coals, and when you want to finish cooking with indirect heating, slide it over the water tray.