The Direct Cooking Method - Weber Spirit E-310 Manual

Your Spirit barbecue is designed to cook sensational barbecues – steaks, chicken, chops and sausages –
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but with Weber's lid down cooking system, your barbecue can also produce amazing roasts, pizzas, slow
roasted food and even desserts, all with incredible flavour. There are two cooking methods you'll use
on your Spirit – direct cooking and indirect cooking. An explanation of the two methods follows. When
cooking anything on your Spirit, you'll use either direct or indirect cooking (or a combination of both).
Whether you are using the direct or indirect method, it is always important to preheat your barbecue
before use and always cook with the lid closed.

The direct cooking method

The direct cooking method is what you might
think of as traditional barbecuing. Food is cooked
directly above a heat source. On your Spirit, that
means cooking directly above a lit burner. When
using the direct method we recommend that you
turn your food once, half way through the cooking
time. The direct cooking method can be used with
the burners on high, medium or low, depending on
the level of heat required for the recipe.
Direct cooking is used for searing meat, cooking
traditional barbecue food like lamb chops,
sausages and steak, and grilling chicken, seafood
or vegetables. The direct method should also be
used when using the hotplate supplied with your
barbecue for cooking food such as eggs, pancakes
and onion rings.
The direct cooking method will sear and brown
(or caramelise) food, giving a characteristic
barbecued appearance, texture and flavour. This
is what happens when your food comes in contact
with the hot grill or hotplate.
The two Weber cooking methods
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The indirect cooking method is similar to roasting
or baking, but with a barbecued texture and
flavour you can't get in an oven. Food is not cooked
directly above a heat source.
For most indirect cooking (roasting and baking)
we recommend that you cook with the left and
right burners on and the centre burner off. Food
is placed over the centre burner and cooked by
the indirect heat produced by the left and right
burners. Heat rises and reflects off the lid of the
barbecue, and hot air circulates to cook food
evenly on all sides, so there's no need to turn your
food when using the indirect cooking method.
Indirect cooking is best used for roasting thick cuts
of meat, poultry or whole fish. It is also the cooking
method to use for baking desserts, bread or pizza.
Slow cooking can also be achieved on your Spirit
by using the indirect method (see 'Low and slow
cooking').
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The indirect cooking method