Gas grill open or closed for steaks

When it comes to grilling tips, I always wonder: Should I lower the lid on the grill, or not? It seems like such a simple question. But, unlike the perfect method for boiling an egg or the ideal strategy for cooking a steak indoors, the grill-lid conundrum is one that neither your grandmother nor the vast expanses of Google can ever seem to answer. The result? Every summer, we all stand in front of the grill in a state of wretched uncertainty, not sure which path leads to perfectly cooked food.

Luckily, in his book Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling, Meathead Goldwyn offers up a simple rule of thumb.

Check the thickness of the food

It's simple. If the food you’re grilling is ¾ inch thick or less, don’t put the lid down. If it’s over ¾ inch—you guessed it—cover that sucker up.

Closed lid means convection

When we’re grilling, we all aim for food with a crusty, slightly charred exterior and a moist, tender interior. We want that result whether we’re cooking a thin flank steak, or a thick slab of ribeye. We want it when we grill wispy asparagus, and also when we grill hearty potatoes. But, though the destination is the same, the journey is different for thin foods than thick ones.

When you close the lid to the grill, you’re creating a convection. That is, the hot air coming from the heat source (gas or charcoal), trapped by the lid and unable to escape, moves around in the chamber you’ve created. Thus, the closed lid helps the interior of the meat cook through, much like an oven does.

Open lid means searing

With thin foods, if you close the lid—allowing the convection heat to come at the food from above and below and all around—the center of the food will cook through before the outside is browned and caramelized. When you cook with the grill open, you’ll more effectively get a crispy, perfect-Maillard-reaction caramelization on the outside of the meat without overcooking the center.

Foods thicker than ¾ of an inch, though, literally have more middle to cook. So, they can hold up to the heat chamber the lid creates, and in fact, the lid will help thicker cuts of meat or vegetables cook more evenly. You’ll avoid an undercooked center with an overly browned, crusty exterior.

Are there any exceptions to the rule?

Even though she didn’t teach you the rule about your grill lid, your grandmother probably taught you that the rules of life are rarely black and white. Sometimes you’ll want to employ both techniques to get the perfect balance of caramelized crust and perfectly cooked middle, especially on those cuts that are towing the ¾-inch line. Here you can employ a combination approach, says Meathead—just another one of his genius grilling tips. You’ll first sear the meat directly over the flame and get a good char going. Then, you’ll move it away from the direct heat source to the side with indirect heat (you did set up a two-zone grill, didn't you?), turn down the lid, and let the center cook through. Or do the opposite: Cook the meat with the lid down until the center is perfectly cooked, then open the lid and move the meat over direct heat (BBQ gurus are big fans of this "reverse sear" strategy).

If you've ever had trouble getting your grilled food to come out just right, and trying to figure out the intricacies of whether or not you should have the lid up or down feels more like rocket surgery, then this is the blog for you.

It may seem like something that requires an advanced degree, but knowing when it's alright to keep the lid open or closed when cooking on the grill isn't that complicated. There are a few factors that will change the way you need to cook your food on the barbecue, and they will dictate whether or not to keep the grill lid up or down.

Cut of meat

If you are working with thin cuts of meat, then it may be best to leave the lid open. The heat doesn't build up and intensify the way it would if the lid was down. Thin pork chops, shrimp, and burgers tend to cook quickly. Leaving the grill lid up will slow the cooking process by reducing the temperature around the meat. For thicker cuts, you want to close the lid to keep the temperature high and even. Large steaks, chicken, and roasts have much more depth for the heat to penetrate, and closing the lid will give the heat time to sink in and cook the meat through in much the same way an oven does.

Type of grill

If you have a charcoal burning grill, then you want to keep the lid closed while you cook. The purpose of the charcoal is to emit heat that will circulate within and around the meat or vegetables that you cook. When you open the lid, this heat escapes and the meat takes longer to cook, often drying out thanks to the temperature fluctuations.

Preparation of the meat

No matter the type of grill, flare-ups can occur and alter the cooking of your meat. When fat onto the flames, they ignite or flare. These flare-ups add bursts of intense heat that will add that smoky flavor that you crave from grilling - if there are moderate amounts of them. Too much fat on your meat and these flare-ups occur too often overcooking your meat on the outside. Leaving the grill lid closed can reduce the amount of flare because there is less venting to ignite the fat drippings.

Like the Dalai Lama said, "Know the rules so you can break them effectively," and the same goes for grilling. If you know the general rules that your meat and your personal barbecue follow (because every grill has its own personality) then you can make an educated decision on whether or not the lid should stay up or down. It all depends on what you are grilling; you can always use your big gas grill for something low and slow and use your charcoal grill for searing some delicious shrimp, even if everyone else does it the other way around.

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