I didn't look at the clock, but would be surprised if it took more than about 30 minutes to cook. So I suppose that's quicker than cooking indirect; most of us seem to hit 45 minutes or more from what I've read here. As soon as some became dark I was slapping sauce and soon after, pulling them. I've overcooked them before.
A direct cook that's not a "sear" (coals spread out all over the bottom) is not really any hotter than having them arranged in baskets or banked to one side. In fact, I'd wager the heat might be less for a given area, but since it's direct ... does that make sense? It's the same but different.
I do slightly dome the coals and this does create a somewhat hotter zone in the center. But it's subtle on shorter cooks. I move food around but not constantly. If I had spread coals out and it was a long cook, the outside coals would surely die from non-contact with the center.
This decision is a side effect of my never wanting hot charcoal directly touching the bowl. My daily driver is a 25 yr old red kettle and I don't intend to create missing paint pockmarks from banked coals. I have black kettles for that; they can take the heat better than any colored one can.
Topic: Caribbean-style BBQ wings (Read 1858 times)
