Question on my next Grill purchase

[smokeasaurus]

Lost Arrow gave a real good review about the Weber Q-320 a while back and that sounds like a nice unit for under 400.00......

[Driftwood11]

I lean towards WEBER I have WEBER gas grill and like it alot, I fixing to buy a WEBER 26.5 kettle charcoal grill for more cooking surface.

[MSP]

I am curious as to what the forum thinks..but will the grill grates on the weber produce about the same amount of infrared energy as the Charbroil Grills do?

The grates look like they have the same design?

[teesquare]

The grates do not have the same design - that I can assure you.   I would suggest that you ask Brad @ GrillGrates  (a site sponsor here on LTBBQ ) to offer his explanation tho.

Hands down, far and away, 100 times out of 100 - I would buy the Weber and the Grill Grates...*IF* I have the budget. The Charbroil is less - but fairly, will not last as long without a lot of parts changing and at some point....that gets expensive.
The Weber will go for many years, then you can rest assured that parts will be available as you need them.

[Hub]

The grates do not have the same design - that I can assure you.   I would suggest that you ask Brad @ GrillGrates  (a site sponsor here on LTBBQ ) to offer his explanation tho.

Hands down, far and away, 100 times out of 100 - I would buy the Weber and the Grill Grates...*IF* I have the budget. The Charbroil is less - but fairly, will not last as long without a lot of parts changing and at some point....that gets expensive.
The Weber will go for many years, then you can rest assured that parts will be available as you need them.

The GG's don't function the same as infrared grilling, but are (in my opinion) superior.  The GG's move the "sizzle" (the part of the cook that imparts flavor to grilled food) right up under the chow instead of several inches under it.  In the process they can produce beautiful markings, too.  They do not work at infrared temperatures.  Infrared grilling produces an instant sear which, when properly utilized, is flavorful on certain meats but can be a handful for general purpose cooking.  GG's work well at high temperatures that can be attained by most charcoal, pellet and gas grills.  I use mesquite pellets and GG's on my Memphis and even get a little woodiness in the meat. 

Hub

[muebe]

Any metal or object being heated will emit infrared energy. FLUR imaging picks up infrared energy to produce a heat signiture image.

With that being said the amount of infraed energy will be much higher with direct flame contact and a darker surface color. I think that a set of grill grates over a Weber grill with the flame tamers removed will emit a fair amount of infrared energy. Not as much as a Char-Broil but very comparable.

The key to these grates is how they collect the heat rising from the burner. Open grates just let that convective heat rise around the food. Grill Grates concentrate that energy so the grates themselves get very hot by collecting the heat up into channels. This allows you to get a great sear using less energy. Perfect for pellet grills that do not produce very high grill temps.

[teesquare]

Really good posts Hub, and muebe!

[MSP]

Thanks for the detail explanation guys...and since Im learning here one more question.

Its obvious the Grill Grates are the way to go with the weber...but I though more infrared equals more juicy foods?

[muebe]

Charcoal emits a very high precentage of it's heat in the infrared range. That explains the great searing capability it has. But it takes sometime for the coals to be ready and there are some people who do not like the flavor that charcoal gives food. I however am not one of these people

[muebe]

Charcoal emits a very high precentage of it's heat in the infrared range. That explains the great searing capability it has. But it takes sometime for the coals to be ready and there are some people who do not like the flavor that charcoal gives food. I however am not one of these people

  Muebe - would you think that "charcoal" flavor is more-or-less when fires are not fully burned to coals and the charcoal is not at optimum? That's my experience - but I'm open to being corrected if my thinking is off.

Well the flavor could be stronger when the coals are not as hot but think about the fact that charcoal has a distinct smell when burning. The smell is incorporated into the food as flavor. The longer the cook the more the flavor IMHO.