Cast iron cooking grids are a grill lover’s best friend, providing an ideal surface for everything from searing steaks to slow-cooking lamb.
But to get the best performance out of cast iron, a bit of regular maintenance is essential.
The good news? After the initial seasoning, it’s a quick 30-second task every time you grill.
Start by washing your cast iron cooking grids thoroughly with mild dish soap. Rinse with hot water and pat dry completely with a cloth – don’t let them air dry or put them in the dishwasher.
Before you start grilling, season your grids to prevent rust and create a non-stick surface. Not sure how? We’ve got seasoning instructions for you below!
Many cast iron grids are coated with a matte porcelain enamel coating, making cleaning easier and reducing corrosion.
While some chipping may occur, it won’t affect performance. If rust appears, just use a good grill brush to remove it and re-season the grids.
Like cast iron skillets, cast iron cooking grids need regular seasoning. Seasoning protects the porcelain coating, reduces food sticking, and prevents rust. Properly seasoned grids will also keep your cast iron stove grates looking rich and black over time.
For the first seasoning, use solid unsalted vegetable shortening, although grape seed or olive oil will work. Spread a thin coating of oil across the entire surface of the cast iron grids with a paper towel. You can also melt some vegetable shortening in microwave and brush on using a silicone basting brush.
Make sure you cover every corner. Avoid using salted fats like margarine or butter. Non-stick sprays are also less effective as they burn off at low temperatures.
Preheat your grill on HIGH for about 10 minutes, then turn burners to MEDIUM with the lid closed for another 30 minutes. Turn off the grill and let the grids cool inside. They’re now seasoned and ready for grilling!
Re-seasoning Tips: Periodic re-seasoning with unsalted vegetable shortening or oil will keep your cast iron grids in great condition. Over time, the grids will build up a durable non-stick layer, making maintenance easier with each use.
Skip the burn-off right after you grill; leave the cooking residue on to act as a protective layer. Do the burn-off just before you start grilling again. Brush off any residue with a grill brush, and you’re set to go.
If you won’t be grilling for an extended period, we recommend you lightly season the grids before storing them in a dry place. This will help prevent any rust buildup, so they’re ready for action the next time you fire up the grill.
When it comes to barbecue grill grids, cast iron is in a class of its own. Its heat retention and durability make it ideal for everything from creating rich sear marks on steaks to grilling delicate vegetables.
Plus, when properly seasoned, cast iron grids offer an exceptionally non-stick surface that improves over time.
Although they require a bit more upkeep than stainless steel or porcelain-coated wire grids, the benefits of cast iron are well worth it for any grill enthusiast. With the right care, your cast iron cooking grids will reward you with years of peak grilling performance.
For more grill care tips, check out our blogpost How to Clean a Flat-Top Grill or Griddle or How to Clean Grill Grates. If you want more information, we’ve also got a complete guide for how to clean a grill!
David B. February 7th, 2017
Posted In: BBQ Maintenance
High-heat infrared gas grills are…pardon the pun…hot! Fans say they take grilling to the next level. But, just exactly how are they different from traditional gas grills? And are they really worth the hype?
Both infrared and traditional gas grills use propane or natural gas as fuel, but they cook differently. In a traditional gas grill, flames from the burner heat the grilling surface and circulate hot air around the food to cook it using a combination of conduction (direct contact with the grill grid) and convection (hot air circulation). While traditional grills work well, they often don’t reach high enough temperatures for a proper sear, and the circulating air can dry out your food.
An infrared grill cooks by radiant heat – the type of heat produced by the sun, and the same glowing, red, energy waves produced in a charcoal or wood fire. In an infrared grill, an emitter made of ceramic, stainless steel or glass, is either incorporated as part of the gas burner or positioned directly above it.
Flames from the burner heat the emitter, which radiates infrared energy waves. These waves directly penetrate the food to cook it. The emitter also dramatically reduces or eliminates the hot air convection effect, preventing food from drying.
Early infrared grills were known for their high-heat cooking abilities, excellent for searing, but they didn’t offer much flexibility for lower-temperature cooking. However, newer infrared models come with much broader temperature ranges, providing a wide variety of cooking options.
Infrared heat cooks food quickly, locking in moisture and juices. Studies show that infrared-cooked foods are 30% heavier than those cooked on traditional grills due to moisture retention.
The high heat of an infrared grill (up to 1,000 degrees or more) creates a restaurant-quality sear, something difficult to replicate on most traditional grills.
Infrared grills are highly efficient, using 30% to 50% less fuel than traditional gas grills. They heat up in just 3-5 minutes and cook food twice as fast, saving both time and money.
Unlike traditional gas grills, which lose heat in cold or windy weather, infrared grills maintain consistent temperatures regardless of conditions, even when the lid is opened.
Due to the high heat, grease drippings are vaporised before they can reach the grease tray, resulting in less maintenance and easier cleanup.
After the original infrared grill patent expired, more manufacturers began offering them, resulting in lower prices. Today, second- and third-generation infrared grills are more affordable, with some models using standard gas burners combined with metal or glass emitter plates.
Infrared grills come in various configurations. Some are entirely infrared, while others combine infrared searing burners with traditional burners for versatile cooking.
Many grills feature a searing station or infrared side burner designed specifically for high-heat searing. If your grill has a vertical rotisserie burner at the back, it’s likely infrared as well.
It takes a little trial and error to master infrared grilling. Because food cooks faster, timing on recipes may have to be adjusted. And, when you’re cooking at these high temperatures, you definitely don’t want to walk away from the grill, or you may come back to hockey pucks.
But with a little practice, an infrared grill is just as easy to use as a traditional grill and yields very tasty, restaurant-worthy results.
David B. August 4th, 2015
Posted In: BBQ Maintenance
Great grilled food starts with a quality cooking grid. It’s the secret to perfect sear marks, that mouthwatering crusty exterior, and the smoky flavour everyone craves. If your grid is rusted, warped, or burned through, it’s time for an upgrade.
Here’s everything you need to know to choose the best replacement!
Grilling relies on three types of heat energy:
Your cooking grid is responsible for conduction cooking. It’s what transforms regular cooking into grilling magic.
Most cooking grids are made from one of five materials. Each type offers unique advantages in durability, heat retention, maintenance, and price.
The shape, thickness, and spacing of the grid bars also play a key role in grilling performance:
Hot Tip: Choose wider bars for more pronounced grill marks and enhanced searing.
Hot Tip: To make those iconic, cross-hatch grill marks, rotate food a quarter turn halfway through the cooking time required on the first side. Then repeat the process on the second side.
A little ongoing maintenance will help preserve your cooking grid for years to come, no matter the material or configuration. Whether you’re grilling filet mignon or a humble hot dog, it’s important to start with a clean, hot, oiled cooking grid.
If your cooking grid has seen better days, it’s time for a replacement. Whether you prefer cast iron for superior searing or stainless steel for durability, there’s a grid for every grilling style.
Shop Replacement Cooking Grids by brand and model to find the perfect fit for your grill.
David B. June 16th, 2015
Posted In: BBQ Maintenance, BBQing HowTos
Igniters are responsible for lighting the gas in the grill’s burners. When they work well, igniters make grill-lighting as eay and convenient as pushing a button or turning a dial.
But, not surprisingly, considering they do their job in an abusive environment of high heat, acidic meat drippings, and corrosive weather conditions, sometimes things go wrong. In fact, igniter failure is a common complaint – and source of frustration – for gas grillers.
True, you can usually light the grill by manually inserting a long match or lighter through a hole in the base of the grill. But, replacing the igniter is an easy and relatively inexpensive fix that will have you back in business faster than you can say finger-lickin-good.
Grill igniters use a spark to ignite gas within the burners. The magic happens behind the control panel, where a piezoelectric crystal generates an electric spark when activated. This spark travels through a wire to an electrode tip inside a collector box, where it ignites trapped gas, which then lights the burner.
If none of these easy fixes works, it may be necessary to replace the igniter unit. But before you do, try one more test. Manually light the grill with a match.
If it lights, the problem is likely the igniter. If it doesn’t light, the issue may actually be a clogged or dirty burner. Clean the burner and test the igniter again. If the grill lights, there’s no need to replace the igniter. If it doesn’t, a new igniter will probably do the trick.
Safety Tip: If a grill ever fails to light, always wait 5 minutes before attempting to relight it to allow the gas to dissipate.
Find the right igniter for your grill at Appliance Factory Parts. Select your grill brand and explore our full range of quality replacements to keep your grill in top condition.
David B. April 21st, 2015
Posted In: BBQ Maintenance
Think a high-BTU burner is the secret to the perfect sear on your steak? Think again. The real MVP of your grill’s heat control is the heat diffuser.
It’s a common myth that the higher a grill’s BTU rating, the more powerful it is. But, it’s really the design of the diffuser system together with the burner that determines how hot the grill can cook. A well-designed diffuser system can crank out more heat on a lower-BTU grill than a poorly designed system on a mega-BTU unit. That saves gas and money.
Heat diffusers are like middle children. They’re sandwiched between the burner and the cooking grid, and they’re often overlooked. But, they’re vital to your gas grill’s cooking performance and deserve some attention.
So, let’s dive into why heat diffusers are essential, the different types, and how to keep them working their magic.
Heat diffusers have been used for ages – probably since right after people discovered food tastes better cooked over an open fire. Ancient civilizations realized that by putting stones, rocks or balls made of clay into the fire, they could increase the heat, spread it over a larger area, and make it last longer. Their food cooked better, too.
A barbecue grill works the same way. The burner generates the flames, and the diffusers hold, radiate and distribute the heat for better, more even cooking. Diffusers can bring heat to all areas of the cooking surface, beyond where the burner flames reach.
Depending on the grill brand, diffusers might also be called heat deflectors, heat distributors, flame tamers, burner shields, heat plates, vaporizers, or even flavorizer bars. Whatever the name, diffusers perform 3 important functions to make barbecuing better.
Here’s a breakdown of the three main types of heat diffusers:
Lava rocks are craggy, reddish brown, irregularly shaped pieces of volcanic rock dotted with tiny holes. They were popular on early gas grills, but are less common today. The rocks sit on a rock grate an inch or two above the burner and a few inches below the grilling grid.
They hold and reflect heat well, last long, and are inexpensive. Since they are porous and absorb grease, some believe they create more flavorful smoke. Downsides: they take longer to heat up, and because they’re not uniformly shaped, grease can drip through the gaps between the rocks and reach the burner, causing flare-ups, hot spots, corrosion and clogs.
Ceramic diffusers are made of light-colored, heat-retaining ceramic material like the firebrick found inside many pizza ovens. They can be formed into pillow-shaped briquettes, rounded pucks, thin rods, or perforated flat tiles. Aligned edge-to-edge in a single layer, they can protect the burner better and distribute heat more evenly than lava rock. But, there may still be little gaps for grease to slip through and flare up when it hits the burner. Ceramic diffusers last a long time and are relatively inexpensive.
Metal diffusers are most common today. Stainless steel or porcelain-coated steel is formed into inverted-V tents, accordion-folded sheets, or flat plates. The metal heats up fast so the grill is ready for cooking very quickly. The angled diffusers channel grease away from the burner into a drip pan in the base of the grill. Though this virtually eliminates flare-ups, some argue it generates less smoke and flavor. These are also more expensive than other types of diffusers.
To clean ceramic briquettes, flip them over so the soiled side is toward the burner. Turn the burner to high for about 15 minutes and let the grease burn off. If they are especially dirty, use a stiff brush to remove caked-on residue before burning. The process can be repeated whenever grease builds up.
Lava rocks are cleaned the same way. It’s just a little trickier to get the grease out of the nooks and crannies. Also, because they’re porous, lava rock should be cleaned before a grill is put into storage or unused for a period of time, or they can get moldy.
Soak metal diffusers in a tub of soapy water. Use a grill brush to scrape excess residue off stainless steel diffusers. But, use a nylon scrub pad on porcelain-coated metals or they’ll scratch.
Replace lava rock and ceramic briquettes when they are crumbling or the accumulated grease is hard to burn off. Replace the rock grates if they are rusted, or warped and don’t sit evenly.
On metal diffusers, areas of rust or burned-through metal, are signs they should be replaced.
Find Heat Diffusers for Your Brand
David B. February 18th, 2015
Posted In: BBQ Maintenance
The espresso gives this BBQ sauce an exceptionally rich color and depth of flavor. Tangy vinegar is balanced by molasses and honey, making it a delicious addition to chicken, ribs, and chops.
Makes: 4 1/2 cups
Add the oil to a large saucepan on medium heat. When it’s up to temperature, add the onions with a sprinkling of salt and cook until they’re soft and translucent (if they begin to brown, add a little cold water and give them a quick stir).
When the onions are done, add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes longer (be careful, garlic burns easily and turns bitter).
Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer, without a lid, for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Keep an eye on the thickness, just stop cooking when the bbq sauce reaches a consistency you like.)
Enjoy!
David B. May 9th, 2014
Posted In: Marinades, Recipes, Rubs Bastes & Glazes, Sauces & Accompaniments
Do you count the days between camping trips? Do you dream of golden roasted marshmallows? Do visions of crispy blackened sugar balls haunt your sleep? Well, my friend, there is a better way.
1 Pack of marshmallows
1 Block of chocolate; shaved, grated, chopped, (or cut into decadent slabs)
1 Packet of graham crackers, shortbread cookies, ginger snaps, (or Oreos twisted open, depending how sacrilegious you’re willing to get)
Just like you would at a campfire. Skewer the marshmallows. Hover them over the grill; close, but not too close.
A temperature of 500-600 F works perfect for me. I simply rotate the marshmallows over the heat for 30 seconds or so, and I’m done.
Slide the marshmallow(s) onto your cookie surface of choice.
Add some chocolate.
Properly squish it.
Eat.
And there you have it. S’mores in 30 seconds, at the end of every grilling session. Who needs camping?
David B. April 7th, 2014
Posted In: BBQing HowTos, Desserts & Fruit, Recipes
Maximum taste, minimum effort. If there was a tagline for roasted peppers, that would be it. Roasted peppers are perfectly suited to a BBQing or grilling. They’re quick to prepare, and simple to cook, and did I mention smokey delicious? Many people who dislike peppers raw, love them roasted. Roasting replaces the sharp bite with a pepper’s natural sweetness and aromatics.
Roasted peppers keep well in the fridge and you can use them to pep up sandwiches, burritos, salads, or just for general snacking and munching. I tend to buy a large amount when I see them on sale, there is no extra work and they are nice to have in the fridge for a week or so.
I’ve tried lots of different methods and techniques. You can oven roast them, foil them, oil them, foil and oil them.
What I don’t do is pop the peppers on whole. It looks impressive, and works for peppers where you would eat the seeds, but for bell peppers it’s much easier to de-seed them before they’re cooked.
Bell Peppers, red peppers, yellow pepper, green peppers.
1. Quarter, and de-seed and remove stalks of the peppers.
2. Pop them skin side down on the grill over medium high heat. Don’t turn them, leave them until the skin is very charred and burnt looking, but the flesh is tender and soft. About 10 minutes.
3. Take them off the grill and pop them in a bowl. Cover the peppers for about 10 minutes to steam them. This allows the skin to come off a lot easier and saves quite a lot of time.
4. Peel them and eat them.
5. Any leftovers are good for a week. Covering them in olive oil will help them to keep a little longer, and garlic cloves are a nice touch too. Enjoy.
David B. February 17th, 2014
Posted In: BBQ Maintenance
Utterly shocked. That’s how I felt after trying this the first time. Hyperbole? Well a little. If you’re mad about apples, applesauce, or apple cobbler, you’ll find this just as good.
A nice simple desert after a cooking session. What’s really great about this, is the smokey deliciousness that mixes with the apples.
4 to 6 apples (or pears as a variation)
4 tablespoons of butter4 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 graham cracker crumbs, ground almonds, or hazelnuts
1 teaspooon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 or 3 cinnamon sticks
—
A small handful of wood chips
Prepare your BBQ for indirect cooking. Soak wood chips.
Core the apples or pears. You effectively want to dig a large hole out of the top, removing the core, but leaving a good 1/2 inch of core at the bottom. You can use a melon scooper for this job, but I prefer a sharp knife and butter knife.
Cream the butter and brown sugar, just like you would cookies, then add graham crumbs, vanilla, zest, spices. Mix, then fill the cored apples. Pop half a cinnamon stick in the top of each one and they’re good to go.
Add your wood chips, and cook until soft and done looking. You’re looking at about 30-60 mins, depending on your bbq temperature.
All done. These apples are begging for a few scoops of vanilla ice cream, if you’re of that persuasion.
David B. December 23rd, 2013
Posted In: Desserts & Fruit, Recipes
If you need an excuse to get out on the grill this Thanksgiving, here it is: Grilled Pumpkin. A savory treat that’s easy (provided you are careful cutting the pumpkin) and delicious.
Improvise as you like, pumpkin holds up well to lots of different flavors. Here’s a recipe to guide you.
1 Pumpkin (per 1 lb)
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
Preheat your grill / BBQ for medium-hot, direct grilling. Cut pumpkin into 1/2 inch thick wedges . Deseed
Tip: Leave the skin on so the pumpkin slices stay together. Trim off skin before serving if you like.
Mix paprika, olive oil and garlic in a bowl with the pumpkin.
Grill the pumpkin 3-5 minutes on one side, turn and cook until tender. The pumpkin slides should be fork tender.
David B. November 18th, 2013
Posted In: BBQing HowTos, Vegetables
4.7