Grillgrates sticking

[pinot59]

Hi everyone,

I have been having mixed experiences with my grillgrates on my gas grill and would love some advice.

Last night I made some marinated chicken thighs and they stuck to the grillgrates like nobody's business. What a mess! See attached photos.

In general I have had difficulty with food sticking to the grates. Much more so than when I use regular grates.

Any suggestions on whay this may be happening? The top of the grates are reasonably clean. I'm not oiling the grates before I put food on them but I seem to recall reading Meathead saying that oiling grates isn't really helpful.

Any suggestions? Thanks!





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[jfmorris]

Ok, I've been using Grillgrates for over 4 years, and I've cooked a LOT of chicken on them. Spatchcocked, parted out, wings, thighs, you name it.

I see a couple of things as the probable cause:

1. You *do* need to oil either the grate or the chicken. Grillgrate folks tell you to season it with an onion while hot, also recommend wiping the rails with some oil before hitting it with the meat. What you are thinking of that Meathead said was that you are often better off oiling the food versus the grate.

2. Your grates are not preheated enough before putting the cold meat on. You need to get the grates to 350-400 or more. Preheat your grill on high for 10-15 minutes, put the chicken on, THEN turn it down to medium or medium-low. The hotter grate will sear the chicken more and aid in preventing the food from sticking.

3. You are not waiting long enough to try to turn the chicken. If you wait, the chicken will tend to release from the grate once it has cooked to a certain point. I use the "Grate" tool to go gently up under food and release it from the grate as well, with minimum sticking. Just slide it up under there and gently wiggle as you slide it up under the chicken - those fingers on the grate tool go in the valleys and help you get up under there.

When I am grilling most any chicken, I do not turn more often than every 10 minutes or so for the first couple of turns. this seems to get it plenty of time to release from the grate.

One last thing - if the marinade is very sugary, that might be burning and causing some sticking.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

[GolfGeezer]

jfmorris Agree with all of the above. I believe you mostly use the flat side of the GGs now? I've pretty much gone that route - food comes out great, easier to clean and no sticking issues.

[Potkettleblack]

Nailed it.
Oiling the food or the grate is vital. I'm gonna guess the marinade had oil, though, so I don't think that's it.
Patience is even more vital... I can tell by the grill marks on the chicken it wasn't ready to release.
Heating them thoroughly is also key... for lower heat, I don't use the GGs.
And Sugar will caramelize and burn fairly quickly on hot GGs and then you have a sticky mess.

[jfmorris]

GolfGeezer since I got an actual flat-top/griddle, I keep all my Grillgrate panels back on the rail side up. The only thing I can think of cooking this year on the gasser is chicken wings, and I like those on the rail versus the flat side. But aside from bone in chicken, you are right - I think the flat side works better.

[RolfTaylor]

It has pretty much been covered by others. But especially if it is a new marinade recipe I would suspect that the most. My wife used to have a bunch of marinade recipes with too little oil and too much sugar. Some of those marinades are for roasting not grilling and just don't cut it for grilling.

[Meathead]

I have discussed the problem here https://amazingribs.com/more-techniq...g-your-grates/

[Spinaker]

Too much heat and/or not enough oil. I also like to use the griddle side of the grates for better contact and searing.

[pinot59]

Thank you all for the advice!

I suspect the lack of oil on the grates, the yogurt-based marinade (which made the flesh of the chicken more fragile), and too-low heat / impatience to flip created the problem. These chicken thighs were flipped after a mere 6-7 minutes and most certainly didn't "release" from the grates.

In the past, my top GG successes have been with unmarinaded proteins; the very best efforts have been with oiled proteins as well. So this must be it.

[Potkettleblack]

I would suggest a bit more patience, and let it release when it releases...
This has been the hardest thing for me to learn and I'm not all the way there yet. ADD is nasty.

A little oil on the pieces after the marinade, like a mist, will do wonders for you.

I wouldn't flip the GGs over for this, just because they'll be easier to flip off the rail side.

[Huskee]

We flip when I SAY we flip! Lol. Potkettleblack.

[bbqLuv]

You may also help prevent sticking by sliding the Meat back and forth on the hot grill grate for 2-3 seconds.
This seems to work for me. I think it starts to sear before it has time to stick.
By looking at the picture you posted, I would thoroughly clean and reseason.

Happy Grilling to you and PBR too.

[pinot59]

Well for what it is worth today I made lamb burgers and I oiled both the lamb and the grates before putting them on. No sticking!

[Redwng]

I used to do something similar in my All-Clad pans until my chef brother was over and said "Leave it alone!!" as I was fiddling with some chicken in a All-Clad pan. He explained "heat up the pan, use some oil and the food will let you know when it is ready to turn as it releases from the pan". Same thing with GG and a Blackstone, I remember my lesson to this day.......and I could finally cook in my pans.

Give it another try.