Get a Better Sear With a BBQ Brick

I don’t know how to build anything with them, but I do keep a few bricks around for cooking reasons. Foil-wrapped bricks are super useful in the kitchen, especially when you need things to be flat and keep still. Bricks are also very useful in my new outdoor kitchen (which is comprised of a single Weber Kettle), only now I’m using them to lift things — well, one thing — up.

It’s a simple hack based on a simple premise: If I can get the charcoal closer to my food, I’ll get a really excellent sear. By placing a few bricks under my charcoal grate, I am able to lift it up a few inches. It’s simple. It’s elegant. But that’s a brick for you, baby.

If you would also like to create an excellent golden crust on your next steak through the clever use of bricks, follow these simple instructions:

Start by piling 4-5 bricks into the bottom of your charcoal BBQ, making sure you arrange them to allow plenty of air flow.

Next, place your charcoal grate on top of the bricks.

Finally, light your charcoal, get it nice and ashy, and dump it on one side of the charcoal grate. Cook your food as you usually would.

Yesterday was my first time attempt at employing the humble brick this way — I had seen the method mentioned a few times on AmazingRibs.com, and I must say it did deliver the best sear I’ve managed from a charcoal grill so far. It’s true that I haven’t seared that many things over charcoal — not yet — but the results I saw from this brick lift give me confidence that there are many more beautifully seared meats in my future. It is a good feeling.