When To Keep The Lid Open And Closed When Grilling

There are plenty of essential grilling tips and tricks, but one thing we still struggle with is knowing how to properly use the lid of the grill. The lid may not seem all that useful, but it actually plays a very important role in how your food turns out. To better understand the ins and outs of the matter, we reached out to Silvio Correa, Private Chef and Brazilian Grill Master, to talk about it.

Before we get into the specifics, it's important we understand how the two grilling styles affect the food. "Grilling with the lid open places food under direct heat," Correa told Tasting Table. "This method creates a good sear and caramelization on the outside while maintaining a juicy interior." But isn't closed-lid grilling also placing food under direct heat? Sort of. "Closing the lid creates an oven-like environment, allowing for more even cooking and infusing smoky flavors into the food," Correa explained.

We can think of grilling with the lid closed as being similar to a convection oven, where the meat is surrounded by ubiquitous heat, whereas grilling with the lid open is more like cooking on the stovetop, where the heat is coming from one direction. If you want to master the grill, you need to understand why you should choose one over the other. Although there are some exceptions to this rule, the primary reason why you open or close your lid is how thick your meat is.

"Use the open-lid method for thinner cuts of meat," says Correa. "Or foods that cook quickly, such as fish filets, vegetables, or thin steaks." He recommends grilling with the lid open for burgers and sausages, too, since they are also quick-cooking.

"Opt for the closed-lid method for thicker cuts of meat that require more time to cook, such as pork chops, roasts, or whole chickens," Correa went on. That's because when the lid is closed, "the temperature inside the grill is higher, reducing the cooking time for thicker cuts." It also helps meat retain moisture over long periods of time, which is why "for slow-cooked dishes that benefit from smoke and heat, like ribs, keep the lid closed."

The last thing to keep in mind concerns smoking or grilling with wood chips. "If you are adding wood chips to flavor the smoke, closing the lid helps capture the essence," said Correa. Thankfully, these guidelines aren't all that complicated. Thin cuts of meat that only stay on the grill for a few minutes should be grilled with an open lid, while thick cuts of meat that need to cook for long periods of time should be cooked with the lid closed. It's really that simple.