Replacing Old BBQ Grates with GrillGrates

Five 18.5" GrillGrates fit my Charbroil perfectly.

This is a long over due message and a story about letting your customers show you the way. When we introduced GrillGrate in 2008 they were designed to lay on top of the old surface to form a new one; much like resurfacing a road. We knew GrillGrate was more than grilling accessory to be used occasionally. Customers tell us they never grill without them. But, the demand and interest to remove the old surface and cover the entire grill with GrillGrates slowly grew until Meathead of amazingribs.com called two years ago. He asked if I would cut him a special length 18.5” for his gas grill. I knew better than to say no and cut 5 for his Charbroil. We also heard from many customers who were buying 20” GrillGrates (for commercial grills) and cutting them to fit their grills.

Meathead's enthusiastic response along with the barrage of pictures I was receiving from delighted (and handy) customers was enough to make me make cut GrillGrates for my grill. I have the same 4 burner Charbroil that Meathead does. I've had five of the standard GrillGrates on it for 2 years and never felt the need to cover the uncovered portion.  But from the moment I removed the old cast iron grates, I was amazed at the difference in how my grill performed. It ran much hotter a lot faster and was very responsive. I had a new learning curve too. Medium is the maximum I use even with steaks and the heat control and responsiveness is amazing.

GrillGrates cook food the same whether they are on top of the old grates or not. It was the difference in my grill that was the eye-opener. Here is a summary of the performance aspects of replacing the existing grilling surface with GrillGrates:

• 
  Gas Grills run much hotter with only GrillGrates: GrillGrates trap a grills heat much more efficiently than any other grate. Heat can only escape up through the holes in the bottom of the GrillGrate or via the metal.   GrillGrates act as a heat exchanger- capturing the heat of your grill and transmitting it up to the cooking rails. NOTE:  Be careful not to overheat your grill.  Stay below 900F!
• Grills heats up twice as quickly: Light your grill just a few minutes before you are ready to cook.  No long warm-up needed or the grill will be at 700F or more. The cool down is equally fast if the grill does get too hot. Open the lid, turn down the gas and the aluminum is very responsive in dropping temperature quickly as well.
• GrillGrate make Gas Grills incredibly efficient when the original grates are removed. Caterers cooking on large 8 burner grills that require two tanks have reported using 1/3 the fuel compared to grilling without GrillGrates.
• A GAP at the edges is a good thing. The only other place heat can escape is at the sides. (as the front to back is covered) A small gap on each side allows for strong convection into the hood. AND

• 

  Veggies roasting at 350F on left, Steaks grilling at 650F on right

  A GAP in the middle by separating GrillGrates creates a two-zone grill. Disconnecting 3 GrillGrates on the left from two GrillGrates on the right in my case allows me to roast vegetables on the left at 350F with burners low or even off, while grilling steaks on the right at 650F with the burners at medium. We're creating a video and a separate post about this discovery which has made my gas grill even more efficient and versatile.

My Charbroil is a like a souped up Chevy Nova! Faster, Hotter and Even More fun!

After 2 years of testing and customer feedback we now offer 5 standard lengths:

• 13.75”- standard / universal GrillGrate
• 17.375”   Ideal for many models of Weber gas grills
• 18.5”  Fits Charbroil, Jenair, Treager and many others.
• 20” GrillGrates for many event grills
• 24” GrillGrate for restaurants and institutional grills. 
  
  
  Thank you to all our grrrrrate customers who are helping us improve GrillGrate and your grilling experience!
  
  
  

  Updated May 21, 2013