Grill grates still worth it on new Genesis?

[OMal]

Greetings from England!

I've recently purchased a Genesis 2022 E335 as my first ever barbecue (appreciate could have got a charcoal as well, but my London garden is probably smaller than most people's decks!)

I know very little about BBQing, as is the English tradition and so I am trying to consume as much of the site as possible. In the reviews of "Grill Grates", Meathead says they're one of the best things invented for gas grills. A rather simple question, but would this review still hold up with recent BBQs, in particular the one i've bought.

It only has the cast iron grates as opposed to the stainless steel ones which leave quite nice grill marks. In theory it has the "flavour" bars which are meant to vaporise the fat droppings in the same way a grill grate does, but with a smaller surface area.

Sorry for the rookie questions!

[texastweeter]

Yes, get thdm

[GolfGeezer]

+1 on getting them. I have had a number of gassers, from a Weber Summit to now a Napoleon Prestige Pro. They come with very decent grates, but I have found that replacing them with Grill Grates really is a step up. Whether using the flat side, or the "grooved" side, they provide a great grilling platform.

[FleetingSmoke]

Welcome to the Pit! There are some many good resources here. I am going with the Grill Grates as my next upgrade.

[Rod]

A lot depends on how you want to use them. For me I have the first 3 panels with the flat side up. Then the next 2 rail side up. I only use my Genesis for simple quick cooks like burgers, dogs and veggies. My main use is for reverse searing steaks on the flat side of the grates. They get screaming hot and I don't have to waste a bunch of coals for about 4 minutes of searing.

That being said, since this is your only cooker, they will provide you additional options. And we like options around here. Just don't go full blast with all your burners because they will warp. I never go more than one notch past medium and they get plenty hot for creating a nice sear.

[Jerod Broussard]

I've never used my Genesis without them. Gave the stainless grates to my brother-in-law.

[radiodome21]

I kept my stainless grates to use with my WSM. For what I have no idea since I ended up tossing them a few weeks after I got my grill grates. While I liked the stainless steel grates I found that it didn’t really do much for searing smsteaks and I was always losing potato wedges and vegetables through them.

[shify]

To be the contrarian, I bought grill grates for half of my gasser. Tried them regular, flat side up, etc. Hated them each and every time I used them and after a year finally took them off and put back the original SS grates.
In my opinion, they are good for grill marks but those marks often taste acrid/burnt and the flat side is a poor substitute for a griddle.

Much happier with the standard grates and using a cast iron griddle on the grates if I want a griddle

[Timbo54]

I bought grill crates w/ scraper for my Weber Genesis after so many great reviews .Mine are still brand new and never used after 3 Years. After looking at a variety of cooks using them, they mostly appear dirty with alot of residual carbon from past cooks and look hard to clean. I use my gasser for Hot dogs, cast iron frying pan and pizza steel as well as an oven.
I do have other cookers and use them often after a quick burn off with a weed burner and new foil barrier when needed. Just Me.

[jfmorris]

I have grillgrates for my Genesis. But lately find myself using the grill without them as much, with the stock cast iron grates.

Grillgrates are great for smash burgers on the flat side, and for keeping the inside of the grill cleaner. The block flare ups and spread heat. But the Genesis is still a great grill without them. BTW you would still need to keep the flavorizer bars in the grill with or without the GrillGrate panels. Those act as shields to keep dripping fat off the burners and prevent fires, and also spread the heat.

I would personally try your grill a while with the stock grates. See if you like the flat versus the more pointy side on those, and order the Grillgrates if you are not happy, or want to add another cooking option to your grill. It can’t be cheap to order those from the US and have them shipped. In the meantime, an option to add griddle capabilities for smash burgers and such is a cast iron griddle that you put on top of the standard cast iron grates.

BTW I use the flat side of the stock grate for burgers, steaks, and the narrow side for fish and chicken, to avoid sticking.

[Jerod Broussard]

Upside down is the only way I use them, even if I DON'T SMASH THE BURGERS!! jfmorris.

[OMal]

Thanks! Surprisingly, the grates wouldn't be too expensive, they have a UK site (grillgrate.co.uk)
Makes a change, as grills like Napoleon are far more expensive here!

[OMal]

To be the contrarian, I bought grill grates for half of my gasser. Tried them regular, flat side up, etc. Hated them each and every time I used them and after a year finally took them off and put back the original SS grates.
In my opinion, they are good for grill marks but those marks often taste acrid/burnt and the flat side is a poor substitute for a griddle.

Much happier with the standard grates and using a cast iron griddle on the grates if I want a griddle

It does seem that they make the sear zone redundant on the grill, especially if as another comment said you should keep the heat low

[Old Glory]

I had them, they worked great, but were terribly hard to clean. They were better on the flat side

[jfmorris]

I've used my Grillgrates on high heat and not had a warping issue, on two different Genesis grills. That said, I had a grease fire about a year ago, below the grates, which causes two of my panels to warp. In fact, it was so bad the entire firebox on that end of my Genesis II 4 burner grill was warped. I blame it on myself. I had cooked something with a lot of grease the previous cook, and turned the grill on high to preheat, and left it unattended for 10-15 minutes, and came back to see it billowing black smoke, and when I opened it, flames were shooting out everywhere. I am just grateful it was not a complete loss.

I no longer use my Grillgrates often as I have a flat top grill (griddle) that I do more of my cooking on. If I still had just the Genesis, I would probably be using them more.

But as I said, another option is a griddle, even one like Weber makes which drops in to replace one of your stock cast iron grates.

[jfmorris]

Rod I will revise my statement.

I would run on high for 10-15 minutes to preheat the Genesis II 4 burner, then usually turn to med or med-low to cook. The exception to that was my old Weber Genesis Silver A - a 2 burner grill made in 2002, with the burner tubes running from left to right, rather than front to back. On that grill I could run on high much of the cook if I wanted to, and still only hit about 700F on the Grillgrate panels according to the IR thermometer.

[Bogy]

Run the GGs on my Genesis on high and have never had warping. Got them before I had a griddle at this house, but I'm still using them, 3 flat side up, 2 grooves up. When the Genesis was my only cooker I used it with just the left had burner on, cooking indirectly. Then one day I turned the grill on high to heat up, went back in to get the burgers I was going to cook, and came back to a raging inferno. The grease fire had melted the gas line. Took some metal fabrication, but it is still working.

[jfmorris]

Bogy that is how my grease fire started on the Genesis as well. Cooked kalbi - flanken cut short ribs - which are greasy. Next time I used the grill, preheated on high, went inside to get steak I think it was and some corn for grilling, came back to a blazing inferno and a damaged grill. I think I went inside and cooked on the stove top, and made my steaks in a skillet, in disgust.

[Murdy]

I'd use the grill as-is for a while and see how you like it. I had a grill that came with the cast iron grates, and I eventually upgraded to stainless grates, but never felt compelled to try Grill-Grates.

[jfmorris]

Second this advice.

I have used the stock cast iron grates for 20 years though, and liked them just fine.