There have been some threads about these before, but I wanted to let everyone one they are having another 15% off sale for Father's Day if anyone was thinking about them.

I bought a set of GrillGrates for a small Weber charcoal grill (the Smokey Joe) but have been using them on my gas grill as well with some great results. I was skeptical at first but they do a great job getting a good sear and nice grill marks and best of all, virtually eliminate those dammed food-incinerating flareups that are all to common with fatty meats and hot grills. There were a couple things I didn't like such as how they come in sections you have to piece together which I found a little clunky and the end sides of these things are razor sharp where they get cut.

Pros:
-Can get them VERY hot and not have to have the grill cranked up all the way; they seem to amplify the heat
-Nice searing action
-You get nice grill marks
-Flareups that burn the shit out of your steaks or burgers, etc are elimiated
-Can be flipped over and used as a griddle of sorts for things like smashburgers or steaks

Cons:
-Pricey - mine were around $50 after discount and they are a small set. Larger set may run $120-$150
-Edges are razor sharp
-They come in sections that lock together; would be nice to have one piece grates
-A bit cumbersome to clean, but they give you this flipper tool that helps to clean them as well
-They WILL warp if you get them too hot, it's a warning in the manual










GrillGrate

Been using my Weber Genesis with my new GrillGrates for about a month now. Everything above is true.
My observations.
It’s hard to keep the heat down with the GG. Today I cooked 4 Ribeyes and had the dials just a little higher than low.
I cooked 2 on the Griddle side. 2 on the Grates side. All turned out great (I know no pics).
On the griddle side I used a weight. It made an excellent crust on the steaks. The other side had great grill marks but not as much crust. (I had to cut the fat a little on the edge Of the steak as it wanted to curl up a little.)
The griddle side puts a lot of grease in the foil pan. The other side not as much.
The crud collects at the back. The tool you get helps with pushing it to the rear. I bought the bristle brush that you dip in water to clean it as I’m warming it up. Depending on what you cook, the crud will need removed at least monthly. I warm it up, clean with tool and brush. Let cool. Then lift the grate sides up and dump it into a plastic bag. Better than having it all sit in the bottom.
Another thing I notice, is there is a lot of grease splashing when I cook. Don’t cook close to the opening of the lid or you’ll goober yourself up. Or at least wear an apron.
There is a learning curve with these. And I’m not sure I’ve totally figured it out yet.

Material? How do they do with fish? Salmon, mackerel, halibut?

I’ve gone back to using cast iron pans for steaks to get a full maillard crust. But may be interested if this works well with fish.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Material? How do they do with fish? Salmon, mackerel, halibut?

I’ve gone back to using cast iron pans for steaks to get a full maillard crust. But may be interested if this works well with fish.

They are heavy anodized aluminum.