I'm by now a pretty experienced sous-vide cook, and 99% of the proteins in this house get cooked sous vide before ever seeing any other type of heat source. Recently, we moved into a house that finally allowed me to obtain a charcoal grill (something I've wanted for many years, but couldn't do in an apartment). Having only finished my meats on a pan, I'm now in a completely different world that seems to be traditionally dictated on "experience," "gut-instinct," and "feeling."
I have many questions, but since recently I've been cooking burgers, steaks, and kalbi (short ribs LA kalbi style), I'll keep it concentrated to that topic. I begin all my "grilling" sessions with meat that is already fully cooked sous vide. My questions begin when it comes to finishing it on the grill. Because the grill is acting as my searing step, I assume that what I need is a direct grilling scenario, where my food is placed directly over the hot charcoals. I typically light my LUMP charcoal in a chimney starter until ready, then dump into my temporary, tiny grill (think 14.5" diameter). I layer them in a single layer and then here's where my questions start.
Weber, and many grilling aficionados on the Internet, claim that whether grilling directly or indirectly, after lighting the coals, one should put the cover on the grill and keep the vents wide open for maximum airflow. However, others say that in order for maximum radiant heat from the charcoals, one should keep the lid off, as more oxygen to the coals = more burning and more heat radiating upwards.
I understand Weber's intentions, as most people who grill aren't cooking the meat sous vide first, and thus, the convection effect from closing the lid would indeed lead to higher heat INSIDE THE KETTLE. BUT! Am I correct in presuming that the actual heat hitting the surface of food at the grate level would be lower than if the lid is off? Or, does the chimney effect from the holes in the bottom and top of the kettle actually produce more heat? Since I'm only using my grill for searing at the moment, I just want to know the best way of obtaining the absolute highest heat hitting the underside of food. My instinct tells me that the lid off creates the best heat for searing, but without the ambition or knowledge to research further, I'm left at reading more anecdotes and personal feelings by others.
It is obvious that having the lid on creates better convection and a higher in-kettle temperature, but again, I'm unsure whether this also includes a higher grate level temperature.
Can anybody offer any insight as to how I should be doing things?
