Scott & Dan,
Keep us posted. I'm still waiting on pulling the trigger--would make a great father's day present, however!

Kevin H.

I thought they worked great!! If you like cast iron they are worth it.

Are the grill marks more pronounced than with the standard grate? I'm not sure that I understand the benefit behind the cast iron grate.

I would get one just for the cool factor, and they do leave nice grill marks, I would imagine, just like my other CI grates.
I think it will also nicely compliment my kettle table I'm currently working on.

quote:

Originally posted by Frank S:
Are the grill marks more pronounced than with the standard grate? I'm not sure that I understand the benefit behind the cast iron grate.

Not saying you ain't but one has to be a true connoisseur of the art of grilling to appreciate cooking an expensive steak on a charcoal grill using a cast iron grate.

Example: If you have been to culinary school, owned or worked in a higher end restaurant and asked which is best; steel grate or cast iron grate, they will say cast iron.

However, I'm sure there are those that would beg to differ.

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by Frank S:
Are the grill marks more pronounced than with the standard grate? I'm not sure that I understand the benefit behind the cast iron grate.


Not saying you ain't but one has to be a true connoisseur of the art of grilling to appreciate cooking an expensive steak on a charcoal grill using a cast iron grate.

Wow!! That was a little harsh. I thought that the purpose of this forum was to share information. I was simply asking a question. Is the benefit behind cast iron grates aesthetic or functional?

Frank I think the cast iron grates are worth it cause they cook evenly and it makes the food look nice in the process (grill marks). So I would say aethetic and functional. I am very happy with my new grates.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Scott Kephart,

Frank,
I think yours is a legitimate question, given that the grate is not cheap. I have a Patio Pro charcoal grill from Chargriller that has two small cast iron grates. I find that, once properly seasoned, they heat up uniformly thus ensuring that food will be cooked evenly. The additional benefit to cast iron is that it holds the heat, producing the 'killer grill marks' so many people like on their grilled food.

I'm happy to hear that Scott likes the performance of the kettle grate. I'm getting a bit stir crazy here in Maine as it continues to rain and be generally miserable...weather-wise.

Dan

Dan and Scott-

Thanks for your answers. That's the information that I was seeking. A better, more even distribution of help would be great. In addition, who doesn't like nice grill marks.

I just ordered mine this morning.

Mine just landed on the door step about 15 minutes ago. I'm going to cook some chops tonight, I'll post some photos in a bit. The only downside I see to this is that I'll have to set my chimney on top of the grate or just stick it in my smokey joe. Oh well, I'm still really excited about this thing.

frank, i'm not a real fan of grill marks. my whole life of grilling didn't require the marks to make the food taste good. yes they "look" good but thats about it. i enjoy the cast iron grates that i do have but thats about it as 95 % of my cooking is on my weber kettle with the stock grates. no one has complained yet. actually with a high heat the grilled marks are bigger as the heat chars the meat between the grates. so for me the grill marks are just aesthetics.

quote:

Originally posted by Frank S:
Wow!! That was a little harsh. I thought that the purpose of this forum was to share information. I was simply asking a question. Is the benefit behind cast iron grates aesthetic or functional?

Gosh Frank, didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You ask a question that does not have a yes/no answer. Some will say yes, others will say no.

Here is my new grate in action.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/580/dsc01987p.jpg

I like it so far, cooked some chops and tomaters on it tonight. I could have gotten better grill marks but I had the coals all spread for seasoning it and just used the residual heat to cook these.

Oh I just saw the above post about it being a fathers day present... haha, my wife was going to get it for me, but I had ordered it before she got a chance.

quote:

Originally posted by Rob_Fox:
Here is my new grate in action.

You have one of the 4 quadrants turned upside down. That might me why the grill marks aren't correct and I bet those chops didn't taste good either because of that.

I'm not a true connoisseur of the art of grilling but I play one on TV.

ya i noticed i did that later on... i think i spent a lot more time drinking tonight.

the chops were fantastic... i marinated them all day... would have had to drop them in the coals to ruin em.

A brown truck just pulled up in front of my business here on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood and delivered a heavy, flat, square carton.
That was quick, as I placed the order just 48 hours ago....regular ground shipping. These guys must be very close...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: George L,

quote:

Originally posted by George L:
A brown truck just pulled up in front of my business here on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood

You're pretty close to me, I live in Sherman Oaks. When can I come by and see this thing in action?

Bill

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Freiberger:
You're pretty close to me, I live in Sherman Oaks. When can I come by and see this thing in action?

Bill

Better yet, I'll post some pictures this weekend.

quote:

Originally posted by George L:

Better yet, I'll post some pictures this weekend.

That's another way to go, I guess.

Bill