STOK Cast Iron Grate Review


 
C

Chris Stanek

TVWBB Fan
I finally got around to cook some real steaks this weekend on the new STOK grate I got for the Weber 22.5 This grate comes from the grill that Home Depot sells, and it fits quite perfectly on the kettle.

I had two steaks... 12oz strip and a really large 20oz ribeye.
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I heated up a full chim of coals. I didn't do it here, but if you're wondering the chimney fits perfect through the center insert (that pic for illustration).
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I laid out about another half chim of coals down before dumping the lit, making a very hot fire.

I put the grates on to let them come to temp. I put the lid on and let heat up for about 15 minutes.
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I put the steaks on... the ribeye first... then followed by the strip a few minutes later. The grate heated up very well. The steak crackled loudly when it hit the grate. The initial marks on the quarter turn were exactly how you'd want them - thick, crunchy marks, not to far apart.

For these steaks I grilled direct for the entire cook. The big ribeye took 9 minutes, the strip about 7. The crust that I got on the ribeye was fantastic. I had a probe inserted since I didn't want play the guessing game too much. On a side note, I used my Thermapen for the first time. It was a bit harder to use then I would have thought. I got wildly varying readings. I ended up going by feel in the end.

I rested both steaks about 10 minutes. They came out pretty well perfect.

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I grilled up some chicken for the week after I was done eating. The fire was still plenty hot.

I got perfect grill marks on the chicken breasts. The gates heated evenely and performed perfectly. Though you can't really see them on the steak pics since I went for the full crust option, the grill marks are perfect. I like that the grate is uniform and doesn't have leave odd marks on your steaks from odd patterns or too many inserts like some other CI options. The insert, while big, sholdn't interfere with grilling two or three large steaks if you're really going for the those perfect, uninterrupted grill marks.

All and all, I couldn't be happier with these grates. Well worth the money and I think they quite nicely address the shortcomings of some of the other options... even the pricer ones.
 
Can you buy the grate separately?
Steaks look great and like Hayden said, beautiful yard.
No need for you to go on vacation, between the food and the yard, you already are in paradise!
 
Nice looking steaks Chris! That ribeye is GIGNORMOUS! With the thermapen did you use it while the steaks were still on the grill? The thermapen will bounce up and down in temp if you check meat still on the grill...Try taking your meat off the grill before you use it..took me a couple of uses to figure that out and it works like a charm!
 
Wow Chris! Those steaks are gorgeous! and you certainly do have a beautiful backyard!

I was just looking at this grate today, so here is what I hope is the url for the Stok stuff at Home Depot. For only 39.97, it looks like a good deal to me!

Stok at Home Depot
 
with the thermapen, insert it 3/4 of the way through, wait for the temp to stabilize (2 seconds) and slowly start to pull out.

you can find the exact center by noting the lowest temp.

no need to take the meat off the grill.
 
Trust your Thermapen, not how the meat "looks". I've learned a lot since getting one. A piece of meat that looks done, can be undercooked, and vica versa. And remove the meat from the grill before measuring
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Thanks for the kind words. Our back lanai area is the best part of our house. It's nice to sit back there and pretend you're somewhere else. It was definately worth the aggrivation having it done.

Regarding the Thermapen, it was weird because I initially got a couple readings of about 160-ish. I knew that couldn't be right. I poked a couple more times and found one spot that read 108. About a minute later I poked just about the same spot because I was getting a bit nervous and the probe was reading 112. The thermapen read over 120. I knew I was doing something wrong so I just went old school and did the poke test with my finger and got it pretty much right on fortunately.

I'll have to play with it some more. I tried paying close attention to the depth but who knows. Experience will hopefully help me dial its use in.

Anyway, I can't say enough about those grates. I made Italian sauage tonight and roasted some peppers and oninons. The grill marks are fantastics and the slots are just far enough apart and make nice uniform markings.

I clearly overpaid since they cost me $56 for the main grate and the center grate which they sold me seperately. I ordered it direct from STOK because it wasn't available anywhere else when I ordered it. I still think it's a great purchase even at that price.

Happy grilling guys.
 
Originally posted by Linda:
Wow Chris! Those steaks are gorgeous! and you certainly do have a beautiful backyard!

I was just looking at this grate today, so here is what I hope is the url for the Stok stuff at Home Depot. For only 39.97, it looks like a good deal to me!

Stok at Home Depot
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Thanks!! That really is a great price. I am ordering that.
 
The yard and steaks look GREAT! I've about worn out the grate on my old Weber grill. I'm leaning heavily toward replacing it with this Stok CI one. What sort of maintenance or upkeep is there with a CI grate? Is it about like CI skillets as far as rust concerns go? Thanks!
 
The HD description says the grate is porcelaine coated, so I think it just needs to be brushed clean and maybe a little oil just to be safe. But I wouldn't think rust would be a big a problem as seasoned CI. The grates on my gasser have a coating and they show no signs of rust after at least 7 years. Hope this helps!
Use the STOK Universal Replacement Grill Grate to help accessorize your existing grill. This grate is designed for use with the STOK tower charcoal grill, and can also be used with many other 22-1/2 in. diameter grills. It is made of cast-iron, and features a porcelain coating for added durability.
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Hey Mark, it is coated. I litterally just shot it with PAM while it was heating up. I gave it a quick brushing on both side when I was done and it was still hot. Shot it was PAM and let it be. I've used it a 3 or 4 times now doing the same thing and it seems to be just fine. No big deal. If you're thinking of a CI grate, I'd just buy it. It's a great price and it's perfect the way the center comes out with the "notch" that allows the Weber Chimney's handle to clear.

A side bonus is that since the chimney is so secure, it's easy to use a full chim as a jet engine to cook steaks. The center gate fits quite nicely atop the chimney. I did it once already, but will take pics of this weekend when I grill up a steak or two.
 
Originally posted by Mark R (LR):
Thanks Linda & Chris! That's what I was hoping to hear. Looks like I have a trip to HD in my near future.
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Mark,
Save the trip, shows to be available on-line only, just order from your chair.
 
Thanks for saving me a trip! Nice to run into a fellow Arkansan on here. I'm starting to get excited about the return of football season.
 
From the FWIW file :

I have the 4 burner STOK gas grill, not the round charcoal one. I would assume the grate material is the same as the round replacement grate y'all are talking about...the inserts certainly look the same.

Anyway, here's what the Owner's Manual on my grill says :

"...round porcelain-coated, cast-iron grate inserts..."
"...keep grates clean..."
"...spray grates with non-stick spray to prevent food from sticking..."
"...preheat the grill for 10-15 minutes..."
"Clean before and after each use with a stiff wire brush."

HTH !

BTW...I didn't think about doing a chimney steak cook with an insert...what a grate idea ! (Sorry...couldn't resist !)
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Dean...
 
anyone using this recently and recommend it?

i bought it recently from home depot and received it from ups with a hole in the box. i went to use it today and noticed the smaller cut-out grill was cracked and split on the rim. is this cheap cast iron?

i also saw a stok charcoal grill banged-up at a home depot that was marked down and its grate was split too.
 
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