Jon, you might like this


 
Yes, I have seen those. Too bad you need a Genesis II for them to fit in. I think it is a great idea on Weber’s part. I am seeing some used IIs for lower and lower prices. Maybe someday a way underpriced one will pop up. You can bet I would be wanting to outfit it with those grates.:cool:

I have been in communication with Dave “rcplanebuyer.” He is a little gruff in his emails but has agreed to work with me on the flat stainless rod idea. I asked him to work on a design with 3/4” spacing like GrillGrates has in order to get similar sear marks. (Larry would absolutely HATE that spacing!:eek:) Then I asked him to quote sets with the same tight spacing as he uses for his regular round bar grates. I told Dave that I would see if I could get 3 or 4 to go in on that to bring the price down.
 
I understand the concept of that diagonal design, but from a cooking perspective I think it's a good idea to turn the meat and create the grill marks. It gives you an opportunity to interact with the meat, and plus it's just fun.

Just my two cents.
 
Yeah, gotta' agree with THyde. I don't know if I could wait 4 minutes to flip. 2 minutes to turn already seems like a long time. It really is "just plain fun"...
 
I understand the concept of that diagonal design, but from a cooking perspective I think it's a good idea to turn the meat and create the grill marks. It gives you an opportunity to interact with the meat, and plus it's just fun.

Just my two cents.

Tim,
I actually almost said the same thing, because getting those sear marks to have just the right diamond shape is part of the art and fun:cool:!But, I admit I can be lazy, and I do like the cast iron design and size of diamonds in the these Weber grates.

I don’t like super tight grill marks, but the earlier Weber GBS round grate had spacing so far apart you would be doing good to have one whole diamond on a burger. It looks like these new grates are a lot better. I give Weber credit for improving!
 
For the $$$ you would spend to make those square bars I cannot imagine spacing that far apart. GG are like vented aluminum grill pans no danger of your expensive steal falling through them. 3/4" is just WAY WAY to far apart. It's your $$$ to waste though but there are no "give backs" from Dave. So like he told me. If he makes them and you hate them you bought them and I can guarantee you'll hate them square bars or not.
Dave does tend to be a little "short" in his communications but he's alright. I love the work he did for my Wolf, fantastic marks BTW, even without trying and have not lost food to the grilling gator yet thanks to that tight 1/4" spacing. Next to buying the grill itself the best investment I have made for the Wolf. Oh and when cooking fresh pizza dough another thing that fresh dough does not "sag" between bars and become caught. I would think that doing the same but with square bars on tight spacing would work even better. But no I am not going to ask him to do yet another set LOL
 
Shoot, those look great to me! I understand the “Fun” aspect but, sometimes I’d like the look without the thought! Heck, I even set my coffeepot up the afternoon before. The less last minute things I have to deal with the happier I am!
Nothing wrong with being succinct in email communication once you understand the person on the other end.
Personally I think you have all realized that I seem to be able to babble on about nothing for an eternity!
Have a nice day, the fireplace is calling!
 
Tim, get that wood in the fireplace and the matches ready for when you actually want to burn the wood later tonight. :)
 
Tim, get that wood in the fireplace and the matches ready for when you actually want to burn the wood later tonight. :)

Fire burning even now! Feels lovely! Must add another log, oh and finish off some laundry!
To tell the truth, I laid a fire Sunday after stacking the cord, I loaded the rack by the fireplace and have had it ready all week! My granddaughter is a huge fire sitter! She loves them, this might get us through the winter but...
 
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Fire burning even now! Feels lovely! Must add another log, oh and finish off some laundry!
To tell the truth, I laid a fire Sunday after stacking the cord, I loaded the rack by the fireplace and have had it ready all week! My granddaughter is a huge fire sitter! She loves them, this might get us through the winter but...

Funny in ATL its 53 out feels like below zero what a baby I have become that's a nice day in New England but the blood thins it is what it is moved the ecobee's up to 73 degrees good now.
 
I finally have my dream fireplace. No wood, no smoke, (bothers the COPD and allergies) no ashes on the floor turns on with a switch (soon to be remote control) and actually gives us heat rather than send it out the chimney. And finally no more wasps in the house coming down said chimney
 
I finally have my dream fireplace. No wood, no smoke, (bothers the COPD and allergies) no ashes on the floor turns on with a switch (soon to be remote control) and actually gives us heat rather than send it out the chimney. And finally no more wasps in the house coming down said chimney

Gas fireplace i take it? We converted ours to ventless gas logs a couple of years ago. Turned out to be a good move for us.
 
For the $$$ you would spend to make those square bars I cannot imagine spacing that far apart. GG are like vented aluminum grill pans no danger of your expensive steal falling through them. 3/4" is just WAY WAY to far apart. It's your $$$ to waste though but there are no "give backs" from Dave. So like he told me. If he makes them and you hate them you bought them and I can guarantee you'll hate them square bars or not.
Dave does tend to be a little "short" in his communications but he's alright. I love the work he did for my Wolf, fantastic marks BTW, even without trying and have not lost food to the grilling gator yet thanks to that tight 1/4" spacing. Next to buying the grill itself the best investment I have made for the Wolf. Oh and when cooking fresh pizza dough another thing that fresh dough does not "sag" between bars and become caught. I would think that doing the same but with square bars on tight spacing would work even better. But no I am not going to ask him to do yet another set LOL

Larry,
I knew you would think I am crazy, but I have a rationale however much it may not make sense to you or some others. The praise I have given to my experiences using GrillGrates has nothing to do with them being aluminum. In fact, while I am not convinced they are a serious health hazard, the thought that they may truly be bad for my family's health does give me pause. What I personally really like with GrillGrates is the sear mark results. Everyone has their own taste, and I am entitled to mine. I think that the combination of the flat tops and the 3/4" spacing is what allows GrillGrates to produce sharply defined and to me at least perfectly spaced grill marks:

bjd3kp.jpg


My goal with having Dave make me these grates is to produce the results as close as possible to the above picture without the health worry or longevity issues of aluminum. I would think you would appreciate that quite a bit. These grates will be on my Skyline with a 13-bar firebox. I am hoping that will be adequate to prevent most flare-ups as long as I keep things clean. I fully understand that they won't work well for fish (I have my cast iron trays bought cheap at Target for that) and I guess not good for pizza (on my wish list is the Pizza Kettle like Rich has).

When I look at the grill marks made by my Weber Q - which does have pretty tight spacing - they are very nice and maybe some would even prefer them. Not me.

2814lj9.jpg


Again, each to his own. Do please note that when I asked Dave to make my wide set (I told him I was probably the only one who would want that), I also asked him to propose on a tight set like he normally makes but with the flat tops. I am hoping a few members might jump in and that we can get the price lowered from the custom, one-off pricing.

Anyway, it is fun to compare ideas. Mine may seem crazy to you, but I don't really think it is that far off.

As far as Dave goes, I do know his work is the best. I was just a little surprised that he was not a little more friendly since I personally helped provide him with an original Genesis 300 heat deflector piece to use as a template for making ones to sell. I guess he gets bombed with requests and some of them - like mine - may make him scratch his head. I do understand that if I hate these I am stuck with them.
 
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I know a guy that makes amazing old timey style banjos, cantankerous as they get but, really once you understand it you know, that that is just his way. Another guy I’ve known for years, amazing (AMAZING!) luthier, violin maker, the most “understated” smooth, pleasant guys to ever grace is planet.
My point is “There’s nobody like people!”
To paraphrase Charlie Waller.
If you know, you know. If not...
 
Jon I guess what you want is a very singular purpose result or item. I on the other hand look for top notch all around performance which is where my advice is coming from. Like I noted earlier Dave's custom stuff will certainly not come cheap so it's another reason you had me scratching my head.
The comparison to the Q grates though is somewhat invalid as the Q works on a slightly different principle than a regular grill. The Q relies a lot on "contact" heat and less so on radiant which is why the grate is made of such heavy cast iron. As the great serves both as radiant (i,e, flavorizer bars or ceramic what have you) and as a contact source to keep the food out of the fire. On a normal grill most of the job is done by radiant and infrared heat. So a very different animal. If a Q grate was spaced even like a normal Genesis they would not work. Results would be horrid at best.
Last night I did (sorry no pics) 2 gorgeous prime NY Strips. Because of the higher fat content in prime I did not use fierce high heat on the Genesis (with the grates from my old Summit 3/8" 300 series SS). I used a longer cook time with a medium heat. I had excellent grill marks (though not the heavy black ones you seem to enjoy) but the steaks had excellent marks, an overall wonderful sear, an excellent mid rare (nice crust warm red interior). Only thing I did was season them lightly (a little Kosher salt) and a little rub of EVOO. If I went into a steak house and paid $50 for that meal I would have felt I underpaid. Yes they were THAT good.
Anyway I digress I don't look for singular purpose products. Like Alton Brown always says no room for unitaskers :D
Let is know how Dave does
 

 

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