For thick steaks, use both direct and indirect heat.

The short version: direct heat sears the outside, indirect heat cooks the inside without burning the crust.

Thick steaks — anything over an inch and a half — are a two-act play. If you throw one on direct heat and leave it there, you’ll get a carbon crust and a raw center. The math doesn’t work: the outside chars before the inside gets past 120°F. So you need indirect heat to finish the job gently.

Direct heat is your 500°F+ zone. It’s for Maillard reaction, grill marks, that crust. Indirect heat is the cooler side — 300-350°F typically — where the steak can climb to your target temp without the surface turning to ash. On a charcoal grill that means two zones: coals on one side, nothing on the other. On gas, you turn off one or two burners.

The key difference is what each does to the steak. Direct heat only touches the surface. Indirect heat warms the whole thing evenly. You can go sear-first then indirect, or the reverse sear (indirect first, sear at the end). Both work. The reverse sear tends to give you a more even doneness because you’re not racing against a burning crust.

If you’re only using one zone on a thick steak, you’re doing it wrong.