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Dumb ?. Maybe. How do you guys get your grill marks?

caseydog said:
Grill marks. Grill marks? We don't need no stinking grill marks! :becky: classic movie mod

I stopped caring about grill marks 20 years ago, when I discovered that even browning of my meats tasted better.

Look at it this way, Applebee's serves steaks with great looking grill marks. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse serves an evenly charred crust on a medium rare steak. Prime steak houses don't do grill marks.

Do you want to serve up Applebee's steaks, or Ruth's Chris steaks?

CD
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Ruth's Chris for me, please. Best porterhouse I've ever had in my life was in their location near downtown Portland. Amazing steak.
 
yea, i'm not worried about grill marks but as many have said, hot ci will do it for sure.
 
I recently got the stok cast iron grill grates and they produce nice grill marks.
 
Cast iron.

DSC_4793-PP.JPG
 
IamMadMan said:
I remember many years ago my after-school job at Burger King. I had to stamp every burger with a stamp dipped in a liquid smoke solution of some sort to make the fake char marks and add smoke flavor like they were char-broiled.
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Well, I distinctly remember the Summer before I dropped out of High School my Sophomore year, I worked at a Burger King and we cooked our patties over a live fire conveyor belt that would impart grill marks like no other.
What other Voodoo people use to re-create the Burger King grill marks....well I can not endorse that!!!
 
Trumpstylz said:
If you prefer CI, home depot sells stok ci grates on their website for around 40 dollars, plus more for the inserts, and academy sells a char broil one thats interchangable with an 18.5 and 22.5 inch kettle for around 30 bucks.

Craycort are also really good but two or three times as expensive.
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+1. I bought the Charbroil version and found thatthe insert is a grate for 18.5" grills... so you get 2 CI grates for $30. The CI grate for the BGE is $80 - I bought it at first then returned it when I found out that the insert fit the egg perfectly.
 
CarlWayne said:
I see on here all the time these fantastic meats that are cooked so well and they have those awesome straight lined grill marks. How the fark do y'all do it?! Am I missing something because mine always look like a damn maze.
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Don't play with your meat. Put it on the grill and leave it alone until it is time to flip.
 
I bought a Backyard Steak House Infrared grill that will crank up to 1600°.
It makes beautiful marks, but what are we after?
Grill marks or taste. With practice you can have both.
 
My Weber gasser makes beautiful grill marks. But like Ole Man Dan says, there's a line you have to toe.
 
All of these comments are spot on. Another trick to getting great grill marks (if your grill cant reach the 450-500 degree mark) is to incorporate a little sugar into your meat seasoning. The sugar will carmelize once it hits the grates and will create some pretty intense grill marks and if done correct a nice flavor profile as well. Just a thought.
 
Cast iron is definitely the way to go. I was taught only to touch the meat once while it's on the grill, when you flip it. I've modified that to 2 because I love the crosshatch look. Put the meat on and let it go, then a 1/4 turn to get a nice crosshatch and then once more to flip it. I know you can get better flavor from a nice even char, but those fancy steakhouses usually have an 1800* broiler which I don't have. I do have a cast iron pan, but there's just something sexy about nice grill marks.

IMG_2374.jpg
 
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Great. Now I want a steak. It's not even 9am. Thanks guys. :tsk:
 
It maybe mentioned, but I skeemed through and didn't see it. You can get grill marks on anything, but you have to have the temp turned up. I have a gasser and let my grill warm up on hit, so the racks get real good and hot, and then I turn it down to my cooking temp for the cook. The hot racks will give you the marks your looking for.

NOW, if you want perfect 90 degree marks ... place your meat (not THAT meat) between 10/11 and 4/5 ... cook for however long and then rotate to between 1/2 and 7/8

Using that will give you grill marks like this

PA224546.JPG
 
cast iron works best but it is not absolutely necessary. I get great grill marks with stainless and whatever the standard grill is on the Primo. The most important thing is to make sure the grill surface is extremely hot before the meat hits it. Marinades with some sugar will make it easier.

Ruth's Chris is not all that to be honest. As far as expensive steak houses go, it is bottom tier in my opinion. I certainly would not turn down a free meal there, but if I am buying, RC is my last choice.
 
chingador said:
Agreed.

Ruth's Chris is not all that to be honest. As far as expensive steak houses go, it is bottom tier in my opinion. I certainly would not turn down a free meal there, but if I am buying, RC is my last choice.
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David Burke's primehouse is the top dog around here (their dry aged stuff is out of this world). In NY I really like Peter Luger's and Club A steakhouses. All are about as expensive as RC, Club A being probably the least expensive.
 
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