Indirect Heat on an Electric Grill

Indirect heat is grilling without the food sitting directly over the heat source — the heat surrounds the food via convection inside a closed grill, more like an oven than a flame. It's the right move for anything thick or whole that needs to cook through without burning the outside: bone-in chicken pieces, pork tenderloin, whole birds, ribs, and any roast over 2 inches thick. On a charcoal kettle, you set up coals on one side and cook on the other. On a gas grill, you light burners on one side only.

On an electric grill, you need either a dual-zone unit (where one zone runs hot and the other runs cool) or you use a low temperature setting across the whole grates with the lid down. The Current Model G+ is the cleanest implementation of true indirect on electric — independent zones with independent thermostats — but the bigger Ninja Woodfire models do the job too by combining a low setpoint with the lid closed for convection. The technique rewards patience and a probe; rushing indirect ruins it.