Hot spots

Fill the kamado about three-quarters full with charcoal. This means up until 4 inches (10 cm) below the level of the heat shield.

The distance from the grill grid to the charcoal should be small because the glow is an important factor in browning the food, aside from the contact heat from the grid itself. If you’re only grilling one or two pieces, you can make a single hot spot in the middle of the fire box. That allows you to create a specific grilling area with minimal use of charcoal. When grilling more elaborately, for more people, we like to create a triangle of heat by lighting charcoal in three places. That way you have a place on the grid outside of the triangle to gently cook the food after the initial hot contact with the grill, without any flare-ups.