btw, if i didn’t have the option to live in the PNW, i would live in NYC in a heartbeat.
1 Like
So what do you do for sear?
btw, if I didn’t have to live in NYC, I would live in PNW in a heartbeat.
3 Likes
when i don’t fire up my big, in ground grill, i use an outdoor electric induction burner with a huge thick cast iron skillet. i admit it isn’t glamorous, but 1850 watts at 90+% efficiency without dealing with propane, smoke inside, is fantastic. it is probably right around as hot as normal propane (without a venturi), and easier.
some day i will build an oxy rig for quick searing. a friend also recommended grabbing a used ceramic kiln, which could be interesting. and if i really want to go hardcore, i have a machinist friend who has tungsten and magnesium just laying around.
1 Like
The thing is to compare them in terms of buying a new, hotter grill. It is a significant improvement so it’s worth the cost if we’re talking propane. And you don’t have to, and honestly shouldn’t cover the entire surface of the grill with them. They interfere with two zone cooking and can limit convection up in the lid. IIRC the recommendation was to leave one panel as the original grates. They’re almost pointless for charcoal, the whole infrared thing is about mimicking charcoal. You say you’re in NYC, so I’m curious. I’d assumed you were on propane. But it’s not particularly available in the city, and functionally banned in some of the boroughs.
I’ve also never had much luck torching protein for sous vide. It can take a long time, and is very uneven. Then there’s the whole torch taste thing. But if you torch while searing by another method you get a great boost in your browning. Even just a quick smack with a torch before you toss it in a pan gets things super dry and gives it a head start.
Though I do want one of these: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/grill-tailgater/cook-air-wood-burning-grill
1 Like
Apartment swap!
[Would watch this sitcom!]
4 Likes
I’m not saying this is why I moved to NJ, but having a nice backyard grill has eased a lot of pain.
1 Like
Well I’m in Brooklyn, which is near NYC 
Propane is readily available from Lowes and Home Depot as well as other places. It’s not illegal categorically, just that it’s only legal on the ground in a backyard, not on a rooftop or terrace. It is legal however to have manual gas piped to the roof for use with a gas grill, and my grill is compatible. That’s all I’m saying.
As for the grilling plates it sounds like it’s worth getting one or two and testing them out. I think the would cover 1/3-1/2 my grill area so that should be sufficient, at least for most of my cooking. Thanks for the advice!
For that price, you’re probably better off with a Weber and a chimney starter.
But what do you use as an excuse to escape the kids and stand outside drinking a beer?
2 Likes
One of the nice things about these is that the burners and valves are pre-assembled. Because assembling those yourself can involve somewhat twitchy adjustments so that the air/fuel mixture is correct. My question is: What is the part most likely to need replacement as the grill wears out. Because I have found that it is often easier to buy replacement parts when an item is still being manufactured. I have considered buying a set of the stainless steel grates for this to replace the one’s I’m using now when they go bad.
1 Like
Seems that infrared grills defeat the whole purpose of outdoor grilling. You’re using the burners to heat up a metal plate that irradiates heat to cook the meat. You might as well be using electricity. I guess you might get some smoke flavoring from the drippings falling onto the hot metal, but fire and smoke are what gives food cooked on an outdoor grill their special flavor.
Also, 700 degrees seems a bit insipid for truly great grilling.
4 Likes
The same arguments can be made about gas instead of charcoal. On one level, char is char whether the source of the heat is propane, electric or radiant heat. Charcoal and wood provide something else in the element of smoke that a gas grill just can’t achieve.
I cook with a gas grill but “the point” isn’t just about the flavor, it’s also about being outdoors while cooking (much more enjoyable on a nice day) and also not heating up the house on a hot day. It also affords me the opportunity to do things like cook on a cedar plank, or cook a rotisserie chicken.
4 Likes
$200 == “budget” my arse. And it’s a gas one, too? Blergh. My £30 from B&Q one does me grand with bog-standard lumpwood charcoal, apart from the bulge in the bottom where I tried to help the fire along with 80% nitrox that time
1 Like
Yeah no. In order to grill properly you need a fair amount of radiant heat. The contact heat from the grates themselves is not really enough to cook things evenly, brown them completely, etc. If you’re relying on the convection action you’re basically just roasting, you lose all that directional fun. Charcoal has a lot of radient heat. Propane has very, very little. You basically get very high concentrated heat immediately above the burner and nowhere else. All propane grills, even from when they first hit the market, do something to absorb that heat and turn it into a more even, consistent, and hotter radiant heat. First it was lava rocks, then it was steal bars (the Weber “flavorizor” things). All infrared grills are doing is doing that better and more efficiently. Absorbing more of the lost heat, and radiating it back at your food in a more efficient manner. You could do it with electric technically. But I’ve never seen an electric grill that appeared to be set up properly to even replicate a regular grill, and on the whole those shits (like electric stoves) lack in BTUs and temp control.
Then I guess you only cook on wood fires? Charcoal shouldn’t be producing flame once its properly lit. (And neither should you wood cooking fire, flames = soot, soot tastes like shit). More over charcoal burns very cleanly with little smoke. It contributes very little itself to the the flavor of the food. That smokey charcoal flavor? Its the result of drippings from the food com busting on the coals to create smoke. Otherwise we add smoke with wood chips, which you can do with propane too (though they tend to be poorly designed for containing and channeling smoke). The same process happens with propane grills that have any sort of cover over their burners, just not nearly as well. Infrared grills mimic it pretty well, its part of their point. And like I said they work, the few I’ve tried and the after market add ons I’ve used performed as advertised.
Gas is for convenience, charcoal for flavor and super butch pissing contests. I currently have both. I use them for different things. Somethings taste great grilled, but not with a heavy dose of smoke. Some thing can’t be cooked properly on the lower heat of propane. All the infrared things aim to do is push them closer together, though I’m still reasonably sure they’re just using infrared as a sobriquet for “radiant”. I doubt there’s much more infrared radiation bouncing around in there than any other heat source, or that there’d be anything especially useful about having more at a given temperature than the next guy.
That’s about as cheap as it gets for propane. Anything cheaper (and most in that price range) will fall apart in one season and might blow up on you at some point. In general its best not to skimp when dealing with pressurized, flammable gas. Charcoal is a different beast. You wasted 30 pound on a grill? I made one from a scrap yard truck rim and a $12 oven grate.
1 Like
You’ve convinced me. I am gonna fire up the Big Hole this afternoon and make some cracklins.
I don’t hate propane, I just don’t get it. Induction, wood, or lump charcoal.
Funny thing, I was discussing this topic with a friend last night, and I came to the conclusion that burning alkali metals is probably the most consistent method for generating immense amounts of heat (think sodium, 3200F). Do you think I am on an NSA list now for trying to source Francium?
This. I want to come home and have 500 degrees in five minutes, not wait around for the coals to finally get stabilized.
1 Like
600f in like two minutes, just add wood to your pan for smoke. Or use a handheld smoker.
1 Like
I’m not bringing all that heat inside the house, let alone taking up all the counter space.
1 Like
Ohno, this is all done outside.
I’m not dragging a cord around to get 8" of cooking space, that’s silly.
1 Like
