Grillgrate


 
Bruce said:
I gotta do some smash burgers one of these days. What is the best kind of burger to use for making them?
70/30, 85/15/ 93/7????
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Usually the higher fat content works best since they have more of the fatty oils.

They are fun to make and very fast.
Just make a bunch of loose meat balls...don't compact them like you would normally do for a burger paddy. Then smash, let sit for a bit, flip, add cheese and move on to the next one....
 
LMichaels said:
Just did a beautiful ribeye prime last night on my Genesis with heavy stainless rod grates. Sorry I ate the evidence. Perfect crosshatch grill marks AS WELL as a perfect overall crust and sear. Bottom line. Buy good food, have a good grill and learn how to cook :D
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Sounds like Larry is on the verge of becoming a GrillGrate believer :p
 
I typically do smash burgers on a flat griddle. Do the small holes on the flipped over GrillGrates create any issues with smash burgers?
I'm a pretty aggressive smasher, so thinking the meat might push through the little holes?

No problem with the holes. The flat side of the GGs work basically the same as a griddle for smash burgers. But not for scrambled eggs.
 
Jim C in Denver said:
I typically do smash burgers on a flat griddle. Do the small holes on the flipped over GrillGrates create any issues with smash burgers?
I'm a pretty aggressive smasher, so thinking the meat might push through the little holes?

No problem with the holes. The flat side of the GGs work basically the same as a griddle for smash burgers. But not for scrambled eggs.
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Perfect thanks. I have a griddle for my kettle and have done smash burgers 4-5 times, but recently got the GrillGrates so this is good to know. Will be my first time using GG for smash burgers
 
My .02 on the grill grates is "no thanks". I'm in healthcare and while the evidence regarding aluminium and Alzheimer's is definitely mixed my feeling is why take the chance at all? Especially when there are other choices proven harmless that perform very well. Alzheimer's is such a horrible disease any risk in that regard is too much for me. Or my family.

And my least favorite thing about grilling is cleaning the grates. The easiest cleaning grates by far in my opinion are stainless rod grates. And that's made easier and safer with the chargon tool. I can't imagine an anodized aluminum product in that unusual shape is as easy to clean as round stainless.
 
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I think you have more to be concerned about with cancer-causing HCAs from eating charred meat than getting Alzheimer's from aluminum cookware.

www.cancer.gov

Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk

A fact sheet that explains how certain chemicals form in meat cooked using high-temperature methods. Includes results of research on consumption of these chemicals and cancer risk.
www.cancer.gov www.cancer.gov
.

EDIT: I know first-hand about Alzheimer's...my mother and maternal grandmother both succumbed to it. I was Conservator for my mother in her final months. I'm not insensitive to it, but it is akin to saying that cell phones cause brain cancer, although seeing the younger crowd these days sometimes I wonder.
 
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Ed Pinnell said:
I think you have more to be concerned about with cancer-causing HCAs from eating charred meat than getting Alzheimer's from aluminum cookware.

www.cancer.gov

Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk

A fact sheet that explains how certain chemicals form in meat cooked using high-temperature methods. Includes results of research on consumption of these chemicals and cancer risk.
www.cancer.gov www.cancer.gov
.

EDIT: I know first-hand about Alzheimer's...my mother and maternal grandmother both succumbed to it. I was Conservator for my mother in her final months. I'm not insensitive to it, but it is akin to saying that cell phones cause brain cancer, although seeing the younger crowd these days sometimes I wonder.
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Yes I agree at this point most evidence out there says aluminum is not a factor in alzheimers. But there are some physicians that don't go along with that. I know a neurosurgeon that used to be at my facility that wont have anything to do with aluminum cookware or anything cooked in aluminum foil. That's enough for me. Especially when there are other options that perform very well.
 
I will leave you to your own sensibilities. If you won't mention the health risks of aluminum, I won't mention the cancer-causing chemicals produced when grilling meat at high temperature, but I would suggest that rehabbers that grind out cookboxes wear adequate respiratory protection.

What I like most about gg is that they keep the grill cleaner, which makes less work for me. I use a nylon brush to brush them off into the trash can before each cook. I like that they separate into sections so that I can use them on my kettle and I can have whatever size griddle I need at the moment. I hate that they separate into sections when I don't want them to. I like that I don't have to have a separate griddle to clean and store when not in use. I like that they make it easier for a so-so chef like myself to get good results. To some, air fryers and Instant Pots and microwaves and toaster ovens and GrillGrates are gimmicks, but they make my life easier. I'm one of those people that likes to eat but don't like to cook and then clean up afterwards.

EDIT 9/10/20: I recently acquired a Weber Q200, and after 20 minutes on High with the lid closed and using an IR gun, I measured a grate temp of 475*F directly over the burner with the OEM porcelain over cast iron grate...kind of anemic, if you ask me. Grate temps in the middle were about 380*F, closer to 355*F at the outside. So I took 3 GG panels, 2 full size and 1 filler, off my Silver C and put them on top of the OEM grate...I think they fit well with decent coverage. Over 600*F grate temp in 20 minutes with the GGs. Flip 'em over and you have a griddle for the Q. So 1 set of GGs and I can use them on all my grills, coal burners and gassers. Another reason to love these things!

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Ed Pinnell said:
I will leave you to your own sensibilities. If you won't mention the health risks of aluminum, I won't mention the cancer-causing chemicals produced when grilling meat at high temperature, but I would suggest that rehabbers that grind out cookboxes wear adequate respiratory protection.

What I like most about gg is that they keep the grill cleaner, which makes less work for me. I use a nylon brush to brush them off into the trash can before each cook. I like that they separate into sections so that I can use them on my kettle and I can have whatever size griddle I need at the moment. I hate that they separate into sections when I don't want them to. I like that I don't have to have a separate griddle to clean and store when not in use. I like that they make it easier for a so-so chef like myself to get good results. To some, air fryers and Instant Pots and microwaves and toaster ovens and GrillGrates are gimmicks, but they make my life easier. I'm one of those people that likes to eat but don't like to cook and then clean up afterwards.
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"I will leave you to your own sensibilities"? LOL. I'm really not sure what the risk of cancer from grilled meat/food has to do with possible health risks with aluminum? We all love grilling and are unlikely to give it up entirely. And people have been grilling since the days of the cave man. Its obvious there is some risk there. But unless I give up grilling entirely theres really not much way to mitigate that risk. Whereas with aluminum cookware and aluminum grates there's a very easy way to mitigate that risk (however slight) and that's to cook on alternatives like stainless or cast iron. Two entirely separate and unrelated things.
 
I will leave you to your own sensibilities = we all choose our own path. We all choose what we believe in and what we ignore. Let's get back to the topic of grillgrates.
 
Ed Pinnell said:
I will leave you to your own sensibilities = we all choose our own path. We all choose what we believe in and what we ignore. Let's get back to the topic of grillgrates.
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I knew what it meant. It just struck me as funny. There are always 2 sides to every argument. That was never in question.
 
I question that.
<Sarcasm intended>
t0sG1c6.jpg
 
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FWIW, I totally support anyone who doesn’t feel at peace about using GrillGrates because of the aluminum factor.

As far as cleaning, I have had the same experience as Ed in that my grill stays a lot cleaner. I find it very easy to clean the flat tops of GrillGrates using one of those wooden spatula type scrapers. It works perfect and like a Chargon is for stainless rods the wood scraper is a match made in heaven fir GrillGrates. They give you a funky looking spatula tool with “fingers” that works pretty well to clear out the valleys between the flat rails. There are some other tools you can also get. After a fair number of uses it does become time to take the GrillGrates off and wash them in hot soapy water. Not super easy but in total I think the care they require is very reasonable.

Finally, I have said before that with a 13-bar earlier Genesis I don’t see GrillGrates offering as much advantage. But for something like the Silver A I picked up for myself, I am seriously considering them. I feel they will take a less than ideal two-burner, five flavorizer grill and make it cook much more evenly.
 
Jon, could you put the grill grates in a pan just big enough for the grates and spray them down with grill cleaner to leave them set over night? Or would that raise heck with the aluminum?

I have done that with SS grates and Sams Club grill cleaner and it works great to get them cleaned up almost like new.
 
Jon, I'd like to see what your wooden spatula looks like when you can post a picture.

Bruce, GrillGrates did a video on cleaning. They took a container (with a lid is better), put in some water and Simple Green in it to cover the grates, and let it sit in the sun for a few hours.

 
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Ed: That looked very good with the Simple green. If it works that good with grill grates, I wonder how well it would work on CI grates?
 
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