Trying to understand lid-up grilling


 
M

M Borner

TVWBB Member
Many years ago, I bought a brand new Genesis S-310. It was a fine grill except that the darn thing would not get hot with the lid up. This confused me because I hear the same things over and over. "grilling steaks or burgers? lid up, always". Let me be clear. My Genesis cannot cook with the lid up, period. I called Weber about this, even sent them photos of the flames from the burners. Their response: Normal. The grill cannot cook with the lid up. Fast forward a few years and I discovered Grillegrates. Those worked for a while but I sold my grill when I moved. I now have a hand-me-down Genesis Silver B. Great grill, still won't cook with the lid up. I preheated the thing until the temp gauge pegged way past 600, threw a couple of burgers on there and left the lid open. 90 seconds later all heat was gone, all cooking stopped. The burgers looked like raw wet meat on a cold sidewalk. Outside temp was mid 80's, no wind.
My question is: Are Weber grilles the only grills that act this way? If this is common among consumer grade gas grills, then how are people searing steaks and burgers on their grills with the lid up? I don't want to go the Grillegrate route again. Just curious.
 
Bob Erdman said:
Not to be smart, but why cook with the lid open?
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2 reasons. The best burgers I have ever had were cooked on a grill with no lid. (think restaurant burgers) I prefer my burgers and steaks seared, no baked.
Nearly every every griller and backyard enthusiast says you should absolutely grille steaks and burgers with the lid up. My original question sill hasn't been answered. Is this just Weber, or are all grills this way?
 
I have the same problem with the oven in my house.

Sounds like you need a griddle grill like a Blackstone
 
Once I get my cast iron cooking grids hot I can leave the lid up. I limit lid up cooking to fatty meats that flare up like lamb chops or pork chops after they are seared

Webers have more radiating metal under the food
 
In warm weather I was always able to grill burgers lid up on my old Genesis 2/converted to 3000. Sometimes I just did not want the smoke from the dripping fats on them. But, overall charcoal is king for that type of work. Or an infrared gas grill as well
 
Thanks for the replies.
Basically, if I'm just grilling 2 burgers on the grill for just the Wife and I, they won't cook with the lid up. Now, if I were to completely cover the grilling surface with burgers, allowing almost no heat to escape, it may work. So many enthusiast say grill with the lid up for quick cooking meats like steaks and burgers. Well, I just don't know how that's going to work when both Weber grills that I had would not cook with the lid up. I'm just wondering if there are better grills out there that can radiate heat onto the cooking surface better than Weber, with the lid up. After all, Weber themselves, says lid up grilling doesn't work.
 
I dont remember having that issue with my Genny Silver B, even before I replaced the OEM grates with GrillGrates. Instead of buying a new grill, a set of GrillGrates would be beneficial and up your grilling game. No, I don't work for them, but I have them on my gasser, and a couple of kettles and can highly recommend them. Right now they're having a Father's Day special 20% off site-wide and free shipping if you spend at least $69.00 Hope this helps!

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Bruno said:
If your looking you ain’t cooking.
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Funny, I know. Heard it a million times. I guess I should explain why I have a desire to grill burgers with the lid up. In my honest and humble opinion, I think they taste better. I tried for years trying to get my burgers to taste like the magnificent char grilled burgers at my favorite burger joints. I couldn't do it. Several years later, (30, to be exact) I discovered why. Restaurant char broilers don't have lids. However, I had never had a grill that could sear burgers with the lid up, so that idea went away. That's when I discovered Grillgrates. My mind was blown. They allowed me to grill burgers on my grill with the lid up, albeit, a little slow. To be fair, I'm a one off individual, a serious burger connoisseur. I'm certain 99.999% of backyard grillers don't even know or understand the missing flavor elements from a burger cooked on a grill with a closed lid. I firmly believe burgers should be seared with conductive and infrared heat, never convective heat. I discovered that through years of experimenting. I love a good burger but what's even better is a great burger. I loved my Grillgrates but the reason I don't want to go that route again is because, although they allowed lid up grilling, the heat at the surface of the grill still wasn't hot enough. Second, they are a high maintenance item. They created a serious grease mess on my grill.
Thanks for listening to my rant.
 
Get yourself an infrared or charcoal grill. Though, having owned multiple Genesis models, (none of them the newer front control ones which I don't like) and a Summit. As long as you're dealing with warm spring, summer and early fall have never had your issue. Can of course also do it on my Wolf, but that thing is more like a nuclear inferno than a grill when you crank it up.
Also be aware most restaurant chefs I have seen and or known who use open char grillers may not have a "hood" but they DO most times put a small cover over the burgers and steaks and such while grilling. Something like these https://www.amazon.com/Melting-Leonyo-Rectangle-Adjustable-Stainless/dp/B0B318DPVY/?tag=tvwb-20
 
It's part of the inherent design of most of our grills to be used with the lid closed. It was the original defining feature of a Weber grill when George Stephen first made his first kettle back in 1952, and that same concept has been applied to pretty much every grill we've designed since then, with the exception of our new line of griddles, and now Searwood pellet grill. Of course, many people cook with the lid open on our charcoal grills, but that's easier to acheive because of the variables and dynamics of charcoal grilling. For the best results with our gas grills though, the lid is meant to be closed when cooking.

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It is simply that on most modern gas grills you do not have access to the flame. Like Larry said IR or charcoal lets you have direct access to the fire. Another possibility is something like the older style Sunbeam and BroilMaster grills that use lava rocks and / or ceramic briquets that don't completely block the flame. My Broilmaster P3 had no problem with lid up cooking. OOOH bonus thought, get a Weber Q. They have no problem with lid up cooking once that cast iron grate gets warmed up and have no flavorizers to get in the way.
 
Chargrilled, to me, implies grilled over charcoal as many restaurants do. Most gas grills don't produce enough direct heat to sear with the lid up. If you want great chargrilled flavor and a good sear on your steaks and burgers, get a charcoal grill. There are inexpensive ones out there that do a great job. Here's one of the best:
 
Bob Bailey said:
Chargrilled, to me, implies grilled over charcoal as many restaurants do. Most gas grills don't produce enough direct heat to sear with the lid up. If you want great chargrilled flavor and a good sear on your steaks and burgers, get a charcoal grill. There are inexpensive ones out there that do a great job. Here's one of the best:
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Sorry but I would have to disagree as the one you linked to has the side vents instead of the bottom one. The side vents are above the charcoal and were very ineffective at getting that grill hot. The bottom vent SJ is better.
 
I cooked on a TEC grill a number of times and it would be perfect for what you want to do. It has an infrared burner and gets super hot. In fact, you practically can't cook anything with the lid down on one of those because it will just burn to a crisp. I hated it, but I bet you would love it.
 
I can cook lid-up on a Genesis E330 with the left, center and sear burners cranked on high. I preheat to 500F +, and with the cast iron grates it gets a good sear and any drippings flare up and catch fire.

IMO it is not as good as cooking direct over coal on the WSK, or the BGE, or a kettle, or a hibachi, or a flower pot grill, or a cinder block grill or a cooking grate propped up by rocks with coals underneath.
 
Oh man....I just picked up fresh bakery made today buns because this discussion keeps going on!!!!
Now I have to make a nice even bed and cook with the lid off.......
The MRS is going to ask me to cook on the griddle....it literally takes....from start up to finish about 1/4 of the time as starting a fire and making burgers in the kettle......
There is only one answer...........you know what it is.....





beer.
 
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