Shrimp, direct or indirect ?

jbrodie

I searched the archives and read many recipes but little info if people are cooking shrimp direct or indirect. Temps seem to run from 300* to 400* average. Should I cook them indirect to avoid burning? What do you think? Thanks, Jim.

Unknown

jbrodie,[p]I vote for direct. I did 2 skewers a couple of nights ago and some got a wee bit brown or dark brown, but it didn't adversely affect the flavor. I probably did them for 6-7 minutes per side and they came out fine.

Wise One

jbrodie, Derrick Riches of About Barbecuing writes:
"Shrimp are best grilled quickly but not over too high of a heat. This is especially true the smaller the shrimp. The worse thing you can do to a shrimp is to overcook it. If you are grilling small shrimp at high temperatures it will make it more difficult to get even cooking and to get them off the grill at the right time. Keep the heat about medium for your grill. You should be able to hold you had over the heat for about 4 seconds.
Shrimp are done when the entire outside surface has changed color. There are a wide variety of shrimp and they do come in slightly different colors. Most shrimp you buy starts out grey, almost blue and turns pink as it cooks. Once the skin surface of the shrimp no longer shows any of its original color it is done. You need to remove shrimp from the heat the second it is done. Overcooked shrimp as a rubbery texture and loses a lot of its natural flavor. "[p]I'd opt for direct, but watch them carefully.[p]

BlueSmoke

jbrodie,
I've had really good luck with shrimp at 350 degrees, direct, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes a side. I don't try to cook them through on the fire, but once they start to color remove them and tent with foil.[p]Ken

ThrRoff

jbrodie,
I just cooked a pound of large shrimp last night over a direct fire. I marinated them in EVOO and garlic for a couple of hours and simply put them into one of those grill pans with holes. I kept them moving and as soon as they changed color and got some charred spots they came out. They were delicious.

Unknown

Thrroff,[p]Your method is similar to mine. I like doing them till they have a touch of char. If the texture wasn't perfect, I sure couldn't tell. All I knew is that they tasted incredible. Whenever I've pulled shrimp that looked like they were at their pinkest/most perfect, inevitably one or two ended up a tad raw. I'd rather take them just beyond, where they start to get some nice grill marks. [p]Everyone's cooking time is different, but I guess a lot of that depends on grate temp and shrimp size. I like the middle sizes (around 25 or so per pound).[p]good grillin/eggin',
J

FlaMike

Thrroff, Shells on?

ThrRoff

FlaMike,
I take the shell off, but I guess you wouldn't need to.