Convection moves heat around the food. The design of the Bar-Be-Kamado means that air currents develop from underneath the Firebox moving the air through the grid and up and around the domed lid. Circulating hot air then forces cooler air down towards the charcoals where it is heated and then rises again – and so it continues. The ingredients cook by the heated juices circulating throughout the food.

Conduction is the basic way that heat moves from the fire, through the grill grate and into the food you are cooking. Metal is a particularly good heat conductor and the metal grids you grill on should be thoroughly heated before you begin to cook so the meats gets a blast of energy at the onset of cooking. The amount of heat coming from the charcoals has little effect on how fast the heat transfers through the meat – hotter charcoals simply mean a crustier finish to your food.

Using Radiant heat is completely different from other forms of cooking. Radiant heat is a form of electromagnetic energy that is directed at the food you cook. Anything that is heated to a high temperature radiates heat so hot coals in a charcoal grill give off some radiant energy (charcoal cooking is about 25% radiant cooking). This is infrared energy – just like the heat you feel from the sun.