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    Cast Iron Grate, Yes or No?

    Posts: 215
    edited March 2012 in EggHead Forum
    Anyone used the cast iron grate for steaks or burgers, etc? Do you think it cooks a steak better on it?
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    • Posts: 6,959
      Nope, I think it's just for the burn marks.  I got one, used it once, and it's sitting in the cabinet.
      __________________________________________

      Dripping Springs, Texas.
      Just west of Austintatious


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    • Posts: 468
      edited March 2012
      I have one and I enjoy it. It puts on nice sear marks if you use the raised side and the flat side does well with fish and seafood. It seems that the twines are closer together so small food does not fall through as easy. I don't think it really cooks any better.
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    • Posts: 19,717
      edited March 2012
      Mine also is sitting in the cabinet. Like the SS so much better. But it is a toy and buy all of them once or twice or ........
      Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Just given a Mini to add to the herd. 

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    • Posts: 394
      Nope, I think it's just for the burn marks.  I got one, used it once, and it's sitting in the cabinet.

      Agree on the taste aspect - no benefit there but...I bought the Ceramic Grill Works CI swing grate mainly for the elevated cooking surface and for the durability/longevity of CI. 
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    • Posts: 381
      I like mine for steaks, but I prefer the SS for Brats and burgers. 
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    • Posts: 225
      Yes.  Great for fish
      Jackson, Tennessee. VFL (Vol for Life)
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    • Posts: 75
      I do slightly disagree with the crowd here, I love my CI grid and use it for everything.  I just grilled some sturgeon on it last night (beveled side, not the flat side) and it turned out great.  I do think that it adds both flavor and presentation to a lot of meats.  The key is to make sure it's pre-heated really well, that way your meat and fish, while sticking initially, will release with beautiful grill marks.  
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    • Posts: 257

      I'm kinda partial to a product called Grill Grates. They are made of aircraft grade aluminum and sit on top of the regular grates. They are grooved and have raised panels that are designed to raise the surface temp of your grill for better searing. I have used them for steak, seafood, chicken, all with excellent results. Perfect sear marks (I am a big fan of presentation as well) every time. Another nice feature is no flare ups. I tend to use lots of marinades on chicken and fish, and have not had a single flareup. Since I use my gasser more often in the winter that's a big plus for me. Here's a look at a NY Strip and Curried Shrimp from a recent cook. It was pretty cold out so these were done on my gasser in the garage.

      My only concern with these is because they sit on top of the regular grates, they can be a little bit of a pain to brush clean.

       

      Extra Large, 2 Large, Medium, Mini Max, Weber Summit gasser, Weber Q. Mankato, MN
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    • Posts: 1,873
      I really like the "flat side" of the CI grate for fish, shrimp, and other delicate cooks.
      XL,L,S 
      Winston-Salem, NC 
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    • Posts: 6

      I am not expert, but i think part of the concept of a cast iron grate is that it can retain the heat better than a SS grate, which would apply for searing steaks.  I read somewhere that the when cast iron is desired for steaks and that when you flip are you supposed to flip to un used portion of the cast iron as it will be hotter than the section the meat was just used....again I am not an expert, and I don't know how much diff. you would notice either way... 

      Regardless, I have a cast iron grate and use it more than the ss grate.

       

      Nate

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    • Posts: 27
      I wanted a cast iron grate, but currently have no problem with getting sear marks from my stainless steel grate.
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    • Posts: 1,570
      I use my cast iron for steaks with the CGS spider.  I do a double flip to get the grid look on the finished steak.  Sometimes I use it for burgers too.

      On my gas grill, I bought the CI and used it for everything. 
      Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
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    • Posts: 78
      edited March 2012
      Cast Iron
            Similar to cast iron pans, a cast iron grate will impart some iron into the food.  While minimal some people are able to taste the iron and either like or hate it.  There is nothing harmful about it, but it is a fact of cooking on cast iron.  It has also been shown, especially in woks that cast iron will hold heat longer and is easier to season.  The seasoning of the cast iron will help to limit the ability of food to stick to the surface and is more likely to release on a well seasoned grill.  

      Stainless Steel
            Stainless steel has somewhere around 12% or more of chromium which is what makes it stainless steel.  The Chromium forms a protective layer on the outside of the steel which aids in its corrosion resistance but does not make it impervious as some might believe.  Some believe it can impart a metallic taste into the food.

      My Views
            I use cast iron pans on a regular basis and have about a dozen small 6" pans which we use for all sorts of items.   The main downside is that they must be cleaned correctly right away then oiled and warmed before storing so they remain properly seasoned.  I still have only the stainless steel grate that came with my BGE and have no issues with it.  I typically cook high and fast with the BGE and don't feel the SS imposes a flavor on the food.  Caned food however bothers me and I feel like it just has a bad sour and bitter metallic flavor.   I am interested in a cast iron grate and griddle for my BGE and with a birthday around the corner am expecting one.

      Question
            My question to the form to bring the thread back on track is:
      1. If you use a cast iron grate which one do you have?  (Please provide a link and/or picture).  
      2. What do you feel of your cast iron grate compared to the SS which was provided?
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    • Posts: 412

      I have the BGE CI grate.  I use it every third or forth cook.  Steaks and any anything else I'm looking to do a nice sear on. Just another weapon in the arsenal. 

      http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Big+green+egg+cast+iron+grate&hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=843&wrapid=tlif133106423973610&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=14482567682997673103&sa=X&ei=vG1WT5fELIn00gGwrvm8Cg&ved=0CFcQ8wIwAQ#

       "Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!"

      Med & XL

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    • Posts: 237
      what does everyone do for all the egg  toys?  I am going to have to build a table the size of a small SUV for all the things i want to get!  wo, wok, ci it goes on for ever!!! can't wait to get stated on a set of tables...

      Rockwall Texas, just east of Dallas where the humidity and heat meet! Life is too short to get caught in the fast lane behind somebody slow!

      XL, LG, Sm, Mini and Weber for drink holder

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    • Posts: 215
      woody's wood pit said:
      what does everyone do for all the egg  toys?  I am going to have to build a table the size of a small SUV for all the things i want to get!  wo, wok, ci it goes on for ever!!! can't wait to get stated on a set of tables...
      I just bought a 150 gallon outdoor storage bin with hydrolic lid from SAMs club to sit on the deck for all my bge gear. I can keep all my gear in it. 
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    • Posts: 2,678
      edited February 2016
      I've got a BGE cast iron grid. haven't used it in years. I don't like it. It's a rusty piece of cast iron.
      Stainless is much better. If I wanted to really have something better I  would buy one of the 3/8 stainless rod grids that are available on the web. They are expensive.
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    • Posts: 120
      evenwhenitsraining said:
      I do slightly disagree with the crowd here, I love my CI grid and use it for everything.  I just grilled some sturgeon on it last night (beveled side, not the flat side) and it turned out great.  I do think that it adds both flavor and presentation to a lot of meats.  The key is to make sure it's pre-heated really well, that way your meat and fish, while sticking initially, will release with beautiful grill marks.  
      Sturgeon? Where'd you run across fillets of that? I've always heard it tastes like porkchops? 
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    • Posts: 1,535
      I have the BGE cast iron grate and use it almost every other cook.  Heats up much better and flips over to cook fish with nice grill marks.  Happy I bought it.
      Dave
      Cambridge, Ontario - Canada
      Large (2010), Mini Max (2015), Large garden pot (2018)
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    • Posts: 3,060
      I use CI on my small and large 98% of the time.  Love CI!
      Southlake, TX and Cowhouse Creek - King, TX.  2 Large, 1 Small and a lot of Eggcessories.
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    • Posts: 15,586
      I bought a smaller BGE cast iron for down low on the woo, like it so far.
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    • Posts: 3,404
      I'm 50-50, have one for the mini but no need for it really. Wouldn't splurge for the large myself, like the poster above the heavy duty thicker stainless one is intriguing but I got my AR setup and use my oval grids more now.
      Seattle, WA
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    • Posts: 888
      I use cast iron on my woo 100 percent of the time. 

      Many ss grate is rusting somewhere. 
      -FATC1TY
      Grillin' and Brewing in Atlanta
      LBGE
      MiniMax
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    • Posts: 3,827
      I like the stainless for most cooks. 

      But, I've got a BGE 13" (fits small and MM) CI grate that is used on a CGS spider down in the notches on my large egg.  That places the steak about 3" above the coals.  Great searing.

      Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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    • Posts: 20,889
      Zombie Thread, 2012

      Don't tell your problems to people.  80% of people don't care and 20% are glad you have them.


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    • Posts: 2,678
      My cast iron grid is free to a good home if I can still find it.
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