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Indirect heat on a charcoal kettle for chicken and joints

Updated: 23 October 2026

A whole chicken over a single pile of coals goes black outside while the bone is still unsafe. Indirect heat on a charcoal kettle means banking the coals to one side, putting the food on the other, shutting the lid, and still probing the centre. Lighting and the burger check stay on the how-to page linked below. The five 57 cm listings are on the [kettle barbecue 57cm comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/kettle-barbecue-57cm). This page does not re-rank them, except when a shallow compact is the wrong bowl. Sources are Weber UK, Napoleon UK, BBQ Barn and Riverside Garden Centre. We did not log grate temperatures. A purchase through our links may earn a commission.

A whole chicken over a single pile of coals goes black outside while the bone is still unsafe.

Our top picks

Char-Griller Char-Griller 22-inch kettle

Best overall

Char-Griller Char-Griller 22-inch kettle
6.6/10about £87.99
View offer
Weber Weber Original Kettle Premium 57 cm

Rank 2

Weber Weber Original Kettle Premium 57 cm
7.5/10about £239.00
View offer
Weber Weber Original Kettle 57 cm

Alternative

Weber Weber Original Kettle 57 cm
7.2/10about £169.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Direct heat is the wrong default for a large cut
  2. 2.Bank the coals to one half
  3. 3.Vents and a pan, not a new grill
  4. 4.What a shallow 57 cm compact will not do well
  5. 5.Food is not finished because the lid was shut

Direct heat is the wrong default for a large cut

Weber UK puts food that cooks in about twenty minutes on direct heat, and points whole chicken, pulled pork and brisket at indirect heat. BBQ Barn draws the same line: thin food under about two inches can sit above the fire, and thicker joints need the coals moved aside so the lid turns the kettle into an oven-like chamber. A full bed under the whole grate burns the skin while the thickest part lags. Sausages and burgers can stay on the direct half of a two-zone fire. Bowl depth, compact versus original, is in the 57cm kettle buying guide.

Bank the coals to one half

Napoleon UK describes filling half the charcoal area, lighting a chimney, and pouring the ashed coals onto that half only, then cooking with the lid closed. Two piles with a gap leave room for a drip pan. Leave enough empty grate that the bird is not hanging over the fuel. The lid stays on, or you lose the trapped heat. Do not relight with petrol. Napoleon’s guide mentions coals ready in about fifteen to twenty minutes once ashed. That is their timing, not a promise for every evening.
Char-Griller Char-Griller 22-inch kettle

Testsieger

Char-Griller Char-Griller 22-inch kettle
6.6/10about £87.99
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Vents and a pan, not a new grill

For indirect, both vents are not wide open for the whole bird. A drip pan on the empty side catches fat. It does not replace a probe. Unsourced blog temperatures for the direct side are not facts about these ASINs. Char-Griller’s bullets include a charcoal access door so you can add fuel without lifting the grate. KEYO claims a quick-release grate. The Weber bullets here do not describe a side door, so plan the fuel bed before the lid goes on. A ceramic egg is a different appliance and is not ranked here.

What a shallow 57 cm compact will not do well

Weber’s Compact Kettle 57 cm is sold with food closer to the coals. Riverside Garden Centre treats that shallow bowl as less suited to a large indirect piece than a deeper 57 cm kettle. A Compact and an Original share the class size, not the roasting geometry. If your weekends are mostly sausages, stay on direct heat. If you bought the Premium for low-and-slow accessories, read the carton. The listing for B0FTZLKL53 lists a user manual, and one UK review says indirect cooking rails were not in the box. Do not assume charcoal baskets, a char ring or a diffuser arrived. Who should open which listing is on best 57cm kettle barbecue.

Food is not finished because the lid was shut

Indirect heat cooks more gently. It does not certify doneness. Poultry and joints still need the Food Standards Agency time-and-temperature checks described on the how-to page. Probe the thickest part, and do not trust the lid dial for the bone. A long low-and-slow label on a blog is not a promised brisket time for these five kettles. If the fire dies early and you have no safe way to add fuel, finish the cook in a conventional oven indoors rather than improvising with petrol outside.

Common questions

How do you set up two zones on a round grate?
Ash the charcoal, pour it onto one half of the charcoal grate, leave the other half empty, put the food on the empty side, and close the lid. Napoleon’s parallel piles with a pan in the gap are the same idea with a channel in the middle.
Does the lid have to be shut?
Yes for indirect heat. The closed lid holds the oven-like chamber. Lid-off searing is a different, direct technique.
Where does a drip pan go?
On the empty side, under the food, or in the gap between parallel coal beds. It catches fat and steadies the heat. It is not a substitute for a probe.
Can you do this on the Weber Compact 57 cm?
You can bank coals on any round kettle, but Weber’s closer-to-the-coals compact and Riverside’s shop note both say a shallow bowl is the weaker tool for a large indirect piece. Prefer a deeper Original-class kettle for that job.
How do you add charcoal mid-cook?
Char-Griller’s listed access door is the answer in this set. KEYO claims a quick-release grate. Weber bullets here do not name a side door, so plan the fuel bed before the lid goes on.
Is a kettle a smoker?
A kettle can run indirect heat for chicken and joints. It is not automatically a dedicated smoker, and char-ring or diffuser parts are not in the Amazon included lines for the three Webers in this set.
What still has to be checked with a food probe?
The centre of poultry and other foods that must be cooked through. Shutting the lid does not replace the Food Standards Agency checks on the how-to page.

Related pages

How to use a kettle barbecue

Kettle barbecue 57 cm

Best 57cm kettle barbecue: who each listing is for

57cm kettle barbecue: what to check before you buy

Weber 47cm vs 57cm kettle: which diameter should you buy

Sources

Public UK and maker sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the saved amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. Weber UK: Original Kettle 57 cm, model 1502202 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Weber UK: warranty information (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Weber UK: Original Kettle size guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Weber UK: Compact 57 cm, model 1502061 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. London Fire Brigade: BBQ safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. BSI: BS EN 1860-1:2024 solid-fuel barbecues (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK: nuisance smoke, how councils deal with complaints (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Food Standards Agency: cooking your food (retrieved 22 October 2026)