As the video on charcoal has pointed out, the charcoal flavor comes from fat drippings vaporizing on the hot coals and the resulting smoke being absorbed into the meat. However, if one is grilling indirectly (i.e. bank of coals on one side of the grill, no coals on the other), how can one infuse that same flavor into the food when there are no coals underneath the food for the drippings to vaporize onto?
For instance, chicken, with its longer cook times, does well with an indirect grill. But, because of this, I don't see how it's possible for the chicken to take advantage of the charcoal because it's spending most of its time sitting on the cooler side of the grill, away from the coals.
Is there a way to get the fat from the chicken to vaporize onto coals without subjecting the chicken to direct heat? Keep in mind that even if I were to do a short, high-heat sear on the coal side after the chicken is brought up to temperature, it does not spend nearly enough time over the coals to absorb any significant flavor from the coals.
