The Thick of It

Once the temperature is right, put the food on the grill, directly over the hottest part of the fire, and sear it really well on both sides. Don’t hurry this part of the process, because a good, strong sear is what gives grilled food much of its ineffable flavor. The time required will vary according to the size of what you are cooking, but it will generally be in the neighborhood of 8 to 12 minutes, turning once. If any flare-ups occur during searing, just move the food over a bit—don’t be tempted to close the cover or, even worse, to squirt the flare-up with water, since that sends up a plume of ash that will get on the food and give it (logically enough) an ashy flavor.

After the food is well seared, use your tongs to slide it across the grill until it’s just along the line between coals and no coals, but has no coals directly underneath it. What you are doing is switching from direct to indirect cooking, just as you would if you took a sauté pan off a burner and put it into the oven. Now cover the food with the aluminum pan and, turning it once, cook it until it is done to your liking.

Remember, too, that when cooking things this large, you need to let them rest a bit after they come off the grill. Don’t worry that they will cool off; carryover heat will continue to cook them, and covering them loosely with foil will keep them warm. If you are using a thermometer to check doneness, which is a good idea with larger items, remove the food from the heat when the thermometer registers about five degrees less than you want the final temperature to be.

Even if you are only a modest fan of grilling, we recommend you lay in a supply of disposable pans. Depending on the size and shape of what you’re cooking, you might need a big pie plate, a small rectangular pan, or even one of those giant roasting pans. The best idea is to keep some of each on hand. Your total bill, after all, will still be less than the cost of a contraption for cooking multiple hot dogs.

Perfect Timing