GRILL Question

K

KuradiEit

Knows what a fatty is.
Joined
Mar 5, 2011
Messages
64
Reaction score
2
Points
0
Location
Poconos, PA
For your GRILL -- burgers, dogs, steaks, chops, etc.
Edit: GAS grill
Stainless steel grates? Or iron grates?
Pros and cons of each?
Which do you prefer and why?
~Kai
 
Last edited:
All of my smokers and grills have SS grates.
They all came with SS grates and I'm too cheap to upgrade, plus....they work just great, so why switch?
 
I agree with Wampus... I wouldn't mid trying out some CI ones but not worth the $ for the upgrade
 
KuradiEit said:
For your GRILL -- burgers, dogs, steaks, chops, etc.
Stainless steel grates? Or iron grates?
Pros and cons of each?
Which do you prefer and why?
~Kai
Click to expand...

Porcelain coated cast iron. Why? Best of both worlds. The far superior heat retention and searing capability of cast iron, with the far less likely to stick benefit of ceramic or stainless. Plus it won't rust and you don't have to season it.
 
I've used both. Cast iron will last longer if properly cared for and probably conducts heat more evenly. Stainless is easier to clean and a lot lighter...other than that it just boils down to personal preference.

For me, I'm more interested in what kind of fuel source I'm using and how it will affect the length of cook and flavor profile...
 
I don't use a grill much so I prefer stainless. On my pits I use all the time I think I like steel. They become seasoned and the meat doesn't stick.
 
You guys know more than me , but I'm going to post anyway:icon_blush:I've had plated grates , castiron grates , and enamel-coated cast iron grates. All rotted out and flaked.!I'm using stailess now.They don't rust , clean up easily , and grill efficiently. Sorry--but I don't consider anything an upgrade for stainless. I won't buy it without stainless!Just had bad experiences with the others I guess.:confused:
 
KuradiEit said:
For your GRILL -- burgers, dogs, steaks, chops, etc.
Edit: GAS grill
Stainless steel grates? Or iron grates?
Pros and cons of each?
Which do you prefer and why?
~Kai
Click to expand...

My grill for burgers, dogs, steaks, chops etc. isn't a gas grill :) but my grates are either stainless or porcelain coated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I like cast iron, but if that weren't an option, I'd go to a heavy grade SS. Cast iron (generally) will offer better searing capability than other types. It also adds thermal mass to the interior of a cooker that helps keep temps more even when the lid is opened.
 
I agree with this. I have upgraded all of mine to stainless. When the time comes to clean them, I spray them down with a chemical cleaner and put them on sawhorses in the back yard. I sometimes leave them out there for several weeks. After it rains on them a couple of times they look brand new again.

maxwell7 said:
You guys know more than me , but I'm going to post anyway:icon_blush:I've had plated grates , castiron grates , and enamel-coated cast iron grates. All rotted out and flaked.!I'm using stailess now.They don't rust , clean up easily , and grill efficiently. Sorry--but I don't consider anything an upgrade for stainless. I won't buy it without stainless!Just had bad experiences with the others I guess.:confused:
Click to expand...
 
My gasser came with SS and it works well for my purpose. There are very few times grill on the gasser. I mainly use it for it's radiant rotisserie, plank fish and veggies. On occasion, I cook up some chicken parts on it. On the chicken, it leaves nice grill marks and cleans up fast with my grill brush.
 
CI if it's an option, seasoned CI grates become more non-stick than stainless grates in my experience, though the high grill heat often burns off some of the seasoning layer if you're grilling hot, so they're not as non-stick as a well-seasoned cast iron pan that has been treated nicely. I've never been a fan of porcelain coated grates, they don't take a seasoning like raw CI so they don't get quite as non-stick, and they can chip, but if they don't chip too much they will be easier to maintain than CI as they won't rust if you're not grilling frequently or if you forget to grease them up after a cook.

Nice thick stainless grates are a decent, somewhat stickier substitute but cost almost as much as CI, if not more.

Cheaper options are any heavy carbon/mild steel bar or grating. Heavier the better, preferably square. They'll season up just like CI.
 
I am fine with a gas grill for burgers, chicken and hot dogs, but for steaks, they just don't deliver the BTUs, unless you are Bill Gates, and can spend four-figures on a grill.

I did like my gas grill for some things, but you need serious heat to do a steak properly, IMO. I had a gas grill with 55,000 BTUs, and I still preferred to cook a steak over charcoal.

As for the grate, I have had both CI and Steel, and haven't seen a noticeable difference in my cooking. The CI was harder to maintain. Rust is always an enemy. Ceramic coated grates can only take so much heat. They are okay on a gasser, but not over blazing hot charcoal, from my own experience.

CD
 
My grill is homemade from an older lp tank. My grates are made from expanded metal. I dont clean them. I just fire the grill up and brush them off after the grill is hot. I also brush it off after im finished grilling. They season up like a cast iron skillet:p
 
OakPit said:
I like cast iron, but if that weren't an option, I'd go to a heavy grade SS. Cast iron (generally) will offer better searing capability than other types. It also adds thermal mass to the interior of a cooker that helps keep temps more even when the lid is opened.
Click to expand...

I've been wondering about that actually - just why does CI give a better sear? Is it due to the built up non-stick seasoning on the CI, therefore the seared / carbonised grill marks stay on the meat with CI and pull off or stick to stainless bars?

From my knowledge on the subject s/s has an equal or greater density than cast, and also has a greater specific heat capacity, so for the same size grill s/s should add more thermal mass to the cooker as well.

Sam
 
I have both and use both cast iron and porcelain coated steel. They both work fine for what I do on them. Both sets of grates are over 10 years old and work fine. I do leave them dirty and greasy, so no rust has had a chance to see the metal.
 
I have two large grills that have porcelain coated CI grates, and a Weber Smokey Joe and Brinkman vertical smoker with chrome plated grates. For smoking, anything will work. For an "artsy" presentation (read grill marks), the CI grates are the best. The reason is the same as why you need a heavy CI skillet to get a good crust on a steak indoors. The mass of the grates absorb much more heat than the lighter stuff. The marks are the result of this heat being transfered back onto the meat. Remember to let the grates heat up longer.

Remember also, if you want killer grill marks, the area of the grill that you just took the meat off of now needs to be recharged to continue to give good marks. That is why good grillers have much more area than just the size of the food, so that they can move it around to better locations.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Browning ceramic grill newly acquired
Replies
6
Views
135
thirdeye
thirdeye
I
Issue with Memphis Pro Pellet Grill
Replies
2
Views
306
Vision
V
N
A good brush for Napoleon's wavy grill grates
Replies
0
Views
393
nabril15
N
Headgear
Wireless Probe Pros and Cons
Replies
19
Views
2K
Headgear
Headgear
H
Help me choose between these propane built ins
Replies
3
Views
306
Maylar
Maylar
Back
Top