Hotter grill?


 
GrillGrates will make your gas grill run hotter. At least at the grate level.

They claim to make your grill run 100+ degrees hotter at the grate. I've never bothered to try to measure that, but that claim does square with my experience. They deliver a great sear, especially when using the flat/griddle side. Meathead likes them a lot for gas grills.

They don't seem to claim that the grates also increase the temperature inside the hood.
 
Im a little confused on your reply. GrillGrates claim using their grate will increase grate temps by 100 degrees? How is that even possible in a temperature controlled environment?
 
I’m with you Chris, it it the larger surface area making contact with the regular grates (improved conductive heat transfer) or something involving fairy dust?
Inquiring minds want to know!
 
amazingribs.com

GrillGrates: The Perfect Temperature Control Tool For Grills

GrillGrates are an amazing invention featuring reversible interlocking panels that increase the grill surface temperature, reduce flare-ups, and deliver perfect sears. GrillGrates also come in a variety of shapes and sizes so that you can customize them according to the size of your gas...
amazingribs.com

All grills run hotter (down at the burner and also at the grate) than they do higher up under the hood. Just like a candle flame is hotter the closer you put your hand to it. And even with the hood down, gas grills leak out lots of heat.

Here is Meathead's review/explanation. The distinctive feature of GGs is an underplate that connects all the rails. The underplate blocks and absorbs some of the heat coming up from the burners, and then radiates as an additional source of heat to the grate level. So the grate level is hotter, so the theory goes.

I'm no physicist and I've never bothered to test the temp difference between my GGs and my Weber PCI grates. But the reason I got the GGs for my old Genesis Silver B was to get it to run hotter. And my experience is that it does that, even with the rail side up.

Using the flat side (instead of the rail side) to sear is an additional thing. Which is more metal contacting the meat. As Meathead says, hot metal sears better than hot air (hence grill marks). Using the flat side (like using a hot cast iron frying pan) gives you full sear side to side rather than sear stripes.

Whether it is a higher grate temp and/or more hot metal contact, my Silver B def sears better with the GGs. Which was why I wanted my grill to "run hotter."

Some folks on here (like me) really like the GGs; others not so much. FWIW, I did a full replace of my PCI grates for GGs rather than laying the GGs on top of other grates.
 
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Have you measured with a different thermometer. This lid thermometers are not always reliable. To be 100 degree off is nothing unusual.
 
Ah, okay, but I actually do know a bit about physic, and while I can see a more (flow) restrictive grate keeping more heat in the burner area, and using am efficient heat sink to apply that trapped (higher) heat, there is indeed an inherent flaw...example, take all grates out of a grill. Set to high for the maximum amount of time to reach 100% heating temp, with the lid closed. Lets say it settles at 500, no matter what grate you have in there, it will NEVER get hotter than the maximum reached temp. It may be closer to the burners, or be a better heat sink at wicking that heat, but it will never get any hotter...you cant "create" energy (heat) out of nothing.
 
Have not bothered to measure. No matter what you have inside, grate is always hotter than under the hood.

The GG claim is that the grate gets hotter than it was before. So the differential between grate and hood is greater than before. I have not tried to measure/verify that, but that seems to be my experience. From their website:

Will my grill run hotter with GrillGrates?

Yes. GrillGrates cook via all methods of cooking: conduction, convection and infrared. GrillGrates with their extra mass and surface area literally radiate heat and provide more direct food contact than conventional grills. In addition they convect heat between the rails. Aluminum is a superb conductor of heat smoothing out hot spots and cold spots and focusing the heat of the grill to the raised rails. Adjust grill temps downward and enjoy gas savings or use less fuel. Keep in mind that most grills typically run 100-150℉ degrees hotter at the cooking surface than the air in the hood anyway and GrillGrates will be hotter still. Kamado grills run 200-300℉ hotter at the surface, gas grills 100-200℉ hotter and pellet grills you can expect to see about 100℉ hotter.
 
So, it sounds like my abbreviated explanation has, at least, some merit.
But, I am mostly a charcoal guy so, I subscribe to the caveman theorem:
“Grunt, need more heat, add more fuel.”
The burner/flame size can only produce so much heat, unless you add more fire you won’t get more heat.
I don’t know, I will step aside on this one.
 
Do like a lot of other people do, just throw some coal in the bottom of the gas grill. That should get things ripping. Then, when you realize how screwed up the grill is, stick it on the curb for me to pick up and fix.
 
Bruce said:
Do like a lot of other people do, just throw some coal in the bottom of the gas grill. That should get things ripping. Then, when you realize how screwed up the grill is, stick it on the curb for me to pick up and fix.
Click to expand...

Pal, you are one in a million!
 
Chris -- apologies since I'm an english major. But I think we are talking past each other a bit.

The flame coming out of your burners is a couple thousand degrees, right? Which means you already have a broad temp range within your grill at different spots -- at the burner level, at the flavor bar level, at the grate level, and under the hood -- in your case that's 550 degrees. The temperature in various spots inside your grill can be varied and manipulated by materials, equipment and distance. Like a hot side and a cool side. Or the lid open or closed. Or if you raise any BBQ grate higher away from the heat source, the grill "runs" cooler; lower the grate closer to the heat source and it "runs" hotter. Or maybe the more precise way to say it, it "cooks" hotter.

When I added GGs, I don't think I added any additional overall BTU output to my rig. But I believe (though I have not measured) that my grate is much hotter than before at the same burner setting. That's what GG claims to do.

So if (on full high) the grate level (with GGs) is hotter than with my prior PCI grate, then my steaks (sitting down on the grates) will cook faster and get more seared than before. Since that was what I was aiming for, mission accomplished for me. My grill "cooks" hotter than before, even if it may not "run" hotter (i.e. same overall BTU output). Since the underplate is a new/additional heat source, my steaks are now closer to a heat source. Does that make sense?

So it may depend on why you want your grill to "run" or "cook" hotter than it currently does. For my purpose (searing steaks), the GGs did add more grilling oomph/performance. If you need to get the temperature under the hood up to 650, then I guess you'd need bigger burners, more burners, more gas flow, better insulation, etc. etc. etc.
 
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Only way to truly know the optimal temp is to measure it at just above the grates where your food typically is. As stated, otherwise you are talking about a huge range of temps within the same cook box. But, the temp that matters is where the food is.
 
"But, the temp that matters is where the food is."

I agree. And I think my GGs make that temp hotter than it was with my PCI grates.

This convo has inspired me to actually take some measurements. I will let y'all know what I find out.
 
I doubt that the temp is any hotter. Because the Grillgrates are made of aluminum, which has better heat transfer qualities, they probably transfer more heat into your food. So it's like you are cooking on hotter grates.

Gerry
 
If your grill has started not performing to the standard it did prior to some point than the issue is FIX THE PROBLEM don't ad gimmicks. Make sure burners are clean inside and out. Check for carbon and corrosion clogging the openings. Make sure the fuel mixture is correct. Many times the spider guards get dirty and restrict air flow which changes the A/F ratio beyond stoichiometric. Also make sure there is no corrosion in the valve spools and inside the metering orifices. Than and ONLY than can you be sure of what your grill is doing. Re GG making the grill "hotter" theoretically they CAN. Reason? They restrict air flow causing possibly excessive heat to build up below the grate. Grill makers determine how many BTU's can be safely produced inside the fire box. This is balanced with how much air flow goes past the grates. Trap that flow under the grates by using a restrictive design and you have a potential for excessive heat to the point of damage to the fire box. Don't believe me? Just put a sheet of foil on your grate and be sure to weight it down so it does not blow away from the air flow. Turn the grill on full heat. Watch how fast the smell of metal reaching the melting point reaches your nostrils. This is the theory that GG uses and yes it DOES increase the temps. Just another reason I don't recommend them
 
Larry, Tim -- all valid/good points. Although I differ with some of the conclusions. As I noted above, some folks like GGs, some don't. But to sum up:

1. The original question was how can I make my grill run hotter than it currently does. GGs clearly are one popular and common way to do that. That extra heat at the grate level is one of several reasons why many folks (including Meathead) have happily and safely used them for years. That extra grate heat is a very nice way to add searing station functionality to your grill.

2. We don't know exactly why Chris's grill isn't as hot as he'd like. Maybe it is malfunctioning. Maybe it isn't powerful enough for what he wants to do. But anything he'd do (beyond repair and maintenance) to increase temps would be subject to the same objections. Putting a solid griddle on your grill, for example, would change the airflow and increase the heat at the grate level.

3. 100% agree about too much being too much. Weber, for example, strongly recommends against the practice of covering your entire grill surface with foil to clean it. Where the foil jacks up the temperature high enough to create a MacGyver-like self-cleaning oven. Don't do that!! Not safe and could damage your grill a la China syndrome. I assume that the underplate on GGs are perforated for this exact reason.

4. I like the GGs mostly for improved performance at low/medium temps (less hot spots, less flare-ups). As a practical matter, beyond a couple minutes of quick sear for steaks there's not anything I'd want to do on my grill that requires 800F degrees for an extended period of time.

5. Because too much isn't really needed, I (like many GG users) don't use them fully edge to edge all the time. I typically leave a panel or two out to create some gaps for airflow. A lot of the time folks will leave one side with GGs and the other side with a regular grate. Works very nicely.

The only time I use the GGs fully edge to edge is for 10 pounds of chicken wings. Rather than leaving half the grill surface unused (for direct/indirect set up), it is nice to be able to cover the whole grill surface with one big batch cooking on very low and no flare-ups.

Like I said, some folks like GGs. Other folks don't like them. But to answer the question, if you want to make your grill run a little hotter, many people safely use GGs to do that.

Happy grilling!!!
 
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