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[LowSlowJoe]

Grillgrates : not sure I'm understanding the value in them...

So, recently I acquired some Grillgrates...   I've been curious about them for a while, but in part because I own a PG500 and can pretty much grill anything I'd ever want to without any need for more 'heat', I just didn't know if they would add anything to my ability to grill.     But anyway, I did obtain some recently... and have had a chance to use them a couple times now.   First was as part of a reverse sear of some boneless pork chops, the next was to 'grill' some burgers...  In both cases, I was using a conventional pellet grill, with the heat shield and drip tray removed...

I've never been the kinda guy who thinks those dark lines on grilled food do much for the flavor of the food, I choose to go with the flat side of the  Grillgrates for both of these cooks...

  So, the reverse sear on my pork was good, but I caused a bit more 'burning' than I intended, probably due to lack of experience with the grill grates.  Also, likely because of the sugar content of the rub that I used to season them.  All in all the flavor was actually quite good... they had smoked for at least 1.5 hours, so that really was the key to the flavor.   I don't cook or eat pork chops very often, so even though these were a bit over cooked ( IT was like 175F by the time I got them off the grill ), they were still VERY good...   I think with a bit more practice, I could probably get the 'sear' to be nice and brown , rather then black... So, mostly I'll chalk this up to inexperience.

  Next, I got a hankering for some burgers...  I was feeling lazy, and didn't think burgers really needed reverse searing, so I just set out to grill some burgers outside.   After charring the entire surface of my pork chops, I decided I'd try to pay a bit more attention to the temperature of the grill grates before I put the burgers on... I did some testing in my house with a frying pan, getting it up to about the temperature I would use if I was cooking burgers in a pan, I determined that about 450F to maybe 500F was more than sufficient to cook burgers.  So, I figured that if I set the pellet grill to about 300F, or maybe 350F , and hoped the Grillgrates would get up to 450F or so.    I apparently got pretty lucky on my guess and found the surface of the grill grates near the outer edges was about 450F, with the center part that sat directly above the firepot was running a bit above 500F. I figured I could easily work with that temperature range.    ( temperature readings determined with IR gun ).   Armed with a Thermopop to check internal temperature , the burgers went on...  waited a few minutes while one side cooked... flipped the burgers, pretty decent 'sear' on that side, so I'm moving along happily...   So, as my hood was open on the grill, the controller started dumping more pellets in the firepot, the fire got hotter, the grill grates got hotter... Closed the lid, the temperature reading shot up over 450F before it started to level off... Fearing that my burgers were going to get blackened like my chops did, I opened the grill again... of course that made the controller think it needed to stoke the fire again, so the firepot continued to burn hotter and hotter.  I eventually decided I needed to turn the controller down to keep the fire from getting too hot.   I managed to flip the burger and pull them off when they reached a nice 165F ( I don't like rare burgers, never did ).   The burgers looked great... nice light little crust to the surface, etc...   However, to me, they tasted virtually no different then if I'd grilled them on a frying pan in my house, so I'm left thinking to myself, that I could have cooked these burgers in the house in half the time, with a lot less fiddling around.

   So, I'm on the fence about these Grillgrates.  I like how they got pretty hot pretty fast when I went from 'smoking' the pork chops to 'searing' them... and I loved the flavor I got with my reverse sear chops.   However, with the burgers, I just could not taste anything resembling outdoor cooked burgers, so I'm not sure there was any value to me in cooking the burgers that way, vs what I could do on a frying pan, or flat top griddle.  Also... I found that the lacke of control for the firepot made using them pretty tricky.   I think the lack of precise temperature control was the biggest thing that has me scratching my head. I mean, how can I manage to get the temperature at the grill grates at something close to perfect and then keep it there on a conventional pellet grill???

    Now, bare in mind, that I do have a PG500, and it's controller has features, that allow me to limit the high output of the firepot, and I've come to really understand how to control temperature using it's controller, adjusting the HHT setting , so that it doesn't rage out of control when the doors are open on the grill.  I can't help but think all pellet grills should have such a feature, for times when your doing something like the grilling I was trying to do with the Grillgrates.     With conventional pellet grill controller, I can't think of a good way to limit the high output when the lid is open, making it seem like the only way to control the temperature of the grill grates is by doing some kind of elaborate dance of opening and closing the grill lid just the right amount and/or timing...      But all in all, I'm not sure I really understand just what all the fuss is about in regard to Grillgrates.

   To be fair, I haven't yet tried them right side up... so, maybe that's the magic bullet???

[pmillen]

I've used them right-side up on my gasser.  They make perfect grill marks but I don't think grill marks are very important.  I think an overall Malliard reaction browning is.

The GrillGrate web site used to list contests where the winners used them.  They still may.  I thought that the wins proved something important but they may have simply proved that grill marks impress judges.

[slaga]

So, I'm on the fence about these Grillgrates.  I like how they got pretty hot pretty fast when I went from 'smoking' the pork chops to 'searing' them... and I loved the flavor I got with my reverse sear chops.   However, with the burgers, I just could not taste anything resembling outdoor cooked burgers, so I'm not sure there was any value to me in cooking the burgers that way, vs what I could do on a frying pan, or flat top griddle.  Also... I found that the lacke of control for the firepot made using them pretty tricky.   I think the lack of precise temperature control was the biggest thing that has me scratching my head. I mean, how can I manage to get the temperature at the grill grates at something close to perfect and then keep it there on a conventional pellet grill???

The Fast Eddy controller and the Savannah Stoker are my favorite controllers for this exact reason. If I plan to use my pellet pooper to grill over the open flame, I want to have fairly precise control over the flame and these are the only 2 controllers that I am aware of that do exactly that.

In my opinion, cooking like this kind of confuses a PID type controller a bit and the older style Traeger / Ortech type controllers are actually easier to manage for this type of cooking, if you leave the lid open for any length of time. When I used grill grates without the Savannah Stoker, I would open the lid, throw the food on quickly and close the lid, cook for 3 minutes, open / flip / close / cook for 3 minutes, and just repeat until I got the internal temperature I wanted, keeping the lid closed as much as possible. You will have to find the appropriate temperature to set the grill at to get the results you want. It will be trial and error for a few cooks before you get the temperature setting figured out.

Outside of the handful of holes the burger sits over, cooking on the flat side of the grill grates is the same as cooking in a pan. The meat touches the flat surface in both cases. Flipping the grill grates over and cooking on the higher ridges allows drippings to fall down on the lower parts and sizzle/vaporize and add a slightly different flavor to the burgers. Something like cooking on a gas grill where the drippings fall on the flame tamer and vaporize just below the meat. Some people like that flavor more than others.

[glitchy]

If you look at the Steak Cookoff Association and PK Grills, they swear by them 

Anyway, I'm a fan of GrillGrates, but haven't used mine since I got my Memphis. I used them regularly for burgers and chops (and occasionally a steak on the Traegers, GMG, and Weber Spirit. They are great at amplifying heat on grills that don't get that hot and don't have good direct heat. I never cooked with the flat side of mine though as by the time I thought I wanted to try that the backs were pretty messy and I didn't want to work that hard to clean and re-season them. Anyway, I was really happy with the burgers and chops this way and don't like skillet cooking meat in the house with grease splattering and the smell. I still prefer my steaks over charcoal though.

I recommend GrillGrates to people I know that only want one grill (what's wrong with them is what I don't know) and that grill is a pellet grill or lower BTU gasser.

[Free Mr. Tony]

The Memphis controllers have an open flame setting to override the problems mentioned above for PID controllers. At least they used to. I assume that is still the case.

[Ross77]

I like the flat side of the grill grates. Nice browning for burgers and the like.

[Bentley]

I think the manufacture feels that they allow the fat from what is being cooked to fall on the hot channel and vaporize.  I believe that they feel that somehow enhances the flavor of what is being cooked.  I have never seen it, but I never saw an tasted difference cooking on charcoal and that same process happening to meat, it added no flavor.  I am not a "crust" on a burger or steak guy.  I do how ever like the flavor of char on those and other meats and vegetables when I am not to lazy to cok that way.  Grill marks, well, they are pleasing to my eye, so an added benefit for me, but the Pro has no issues doing all that! 

I guess I always advised folks who like to char their meat and their pellet unit did not get hot enough to try them.  Having the Memphis Pro I never needed them.  And although the GMG would get plenty hot to char, it had those pine needle thin grates and I did not like the aesthetics they left for the char!  They are a wide grate, and if you like a char mark, they do that very well!

But someone who has a PG500, no, I guess since you like crust on a burger, they would be good for that, but a $25 cast iron skillet would do probably even a better job!

[silverbullet]

Thank you LSJ for taking the time & posting your thoughts on the Grill Grates. It's a good read. Personally I've never had the urge to purchase any myself because with what I have for pellet grills works good enough for my needs. Interesting about "Fooling the controller" I bet my Louisiana falls into that category.

[Mikro]

I got then as the add-on for my FireCraft Q450. They work okay, I guess? Remove the fire pit cover, bring to 450* with cover closed. Open cover then go to Flame mode.

To be honest I can do that with the regular grates and get for the most part, the same results. Rarely do I even bother anymore. just run it up to 475* with the lid down, let it get good and hot and throw the burgers on anywhere. They get good grill marks, brown up nicely and less hassle for me.

just my 0.02cents worth.

MK

[ScottWood]

I have some, and like them, but I only uses them on my gasser, a Weber Spirit II.

I initially bought them to extend the life of a much older gas grill that I had when the "IR" grates that that grill rusted out.

[LowSlowJoe]

I do think they may have some minimal value in certain situations...  but, I do also think there are other ways  to get similar results, so I guess it all just depends on individual needs and desires.

I'll probably give them a try using them right side up soon...  Who knows, maybe some day I'll want to impress someone with grill marks.

[ScottWood]

When I bought mine they were cheaper than the "IR" grates for the grill that I was trying to get another year or two out of.

With my new Weber gas grill I like them, not that I think that it makes the food any better but I do think that clean up is a lot easier with less oil and whatnot making it down to the bottom part of the grill.

[bregent]

I had some for a while but got rid of them. I don't need them in my Memphis, and for the gas grill I find that a cast iron griddle works as well or better for searing.

[Woody]

I've owned several sets over the years.  I originally bought them after reading Meathead's review and I wanted to increase the grate temp on my low quality Brinkman gas grill, which they accomplished.  I believe that they market themselves as a way to increase the temp and searing ability of most grills, which they do by trapping more heat than the original 1/8" grates.

I currently own a Memphis Pro and a TEC natural gas grill, and I don't need the Grillgrates to add heat to either.  Although, I like and use them because the flat side makes for a great griddle for smashburgers which do pick up flavor from both grill types.  Also, the grates side up allows you to easily turn delicate fish with the included spatula.

By the way, Meathead telly you that these are a must have product.  I disagree.  These are not nearly as useful as a good thermometer or tongs, but I like 'em.

[pz]

For me, the best characteristics of Grill Grates are that I can cook chicken thighs without the sooty flare up I get on my regular grill (gasser), and that I get uniform heat across the cooking surface. I use them on a variety of cookers such as the GMG Davy, and even the gas grill that is part of our RV. Grill Grates have turned that almost useless grill into a reasonable cooker just by the consistent even heat.