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High Que stainless steel charcoal grate

Bdcoaibge
Bdcoaibge Posts: 0
edited May 2012 in Forum Feedback
Does anybody have the new high Q stainless steel charcoal grate and can you tell if the egg still smokes as low and slow with the new great as it did with the original cast iron. Is the egg still as efficient with the new one as the other and also can you keep the temperatures as low as with the other one. Thanks for any help.
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Comments

  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    Have bought 4. The answer is yes
    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). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • tazcrash
    tazcrash Posts: 1,852
    I have a Weber grate in mine. Still can do low and slows.
    Bx - > NJ ->TX!!! 
    All to get cheaper brisket! 
  • DOCED
    DOCED Posts: 69
    I think it is more "efficient" in terms of more air flow with smaller vent openings and will probably require you to relearn the vent settings for a given temp. but I love mine and have had no probs with low and slow and it is grate (pun intended) for turbos.Have fun.
  • Austin  Egghead
    Austin Egghead Posts: 3,966
    All three eggs have the High Que. Cook and hold any temp I set from low to high.  
    Large, small and mini now Egging in Rowlett Tx
  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    I have one in my large BGE and love it. Quick to start and no problem regulating temperature.  Works fine for high temp grilling and low and slows.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
  • twlangan
    twlangan Posts: 307
    I will let you know Saturday night. Mine just arrived yesterday and is going in my Egg Saturday morning for a pork butt. Looking forward to seeing what it does. Been getting along fine with my stock grate, but thought I'd give the Hi Que a try for pizza cooks mostly. If it works as well as everyone says for low and slows, I will leave it in there.
  • wallyjar
    wallyjar Posts: 123
    Picked up one for my large and one for my medium at the GA Mountain Eggfest.  Installed in large today and will put in Medium this weekend.  

    Will be cooking ribs, brisket and pork this weekend and will see how they work.
  • eggo
    eggo Posts: 492
    I like mine. The original grate (drain cover) was all right, just got plugged up easy and restricted air flow. I could have survived with the OG but this is much better.
    Eggo in N. MS
  • BOWHUNR
    BOWHUNR Posts: 1,487
    edited May 2012
    You guys better be careful.  The warranty police are going to get you!!  :D

    Mike

    I'm ashamed what I did for a Klondike Bar!!

    Omaha, NE
  • Jonathan1970
    Jonathan1970 Posts: 156
    One of the best things I have purchased for my egg. I got tired of ash build up on long cooks and taking so long to get hot, so purchased one last year. The high que solved both problems.
  • James MB
    James MB Posts: 359
    Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:

    info@hi-que.com

    Technical details of permanent failure:
    DNS Error: DNS server returned answer with no data
  • Try info@high-que.com instead.
  • Hi54putty
    Hi54putty Posts: 1,873
    Bought mine off amazon
    XL,L,S 
    Winston-Salem, NC 
  • I purchased one the large grates a few weeks ago it works great seems to work better on smaller charcoal! Have done both low and high temp cooks.  The sales guy was great, and gave me all kinds of good tips on aligning and getting a good dollar bill slip fit with my new gasket.  
  • timekpr1
    timekpr1 Posts: 151
    I have one too.  The only thing I found is my Egg seems more susceptible to downdrafts on windy days.  We had 18mph winds with frequent 25mph gusts the other day.  It just takes a little more work fine tuning the settings on those days.
    Mama always said, Grilling was like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're gonna get.
  • setdahook
    setdahook Posts: 284
    I am curious could you just drill out some addition holes in the original grate? 
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I am curious could you just drill out some addition holes in the original grate? 
    You could.  Be willing to break it though....cast iron is like glass, it can have all kinds of internal stresses and can crack.  I bought the high-que, so I have nothing to lose, maybe I'll try it (and kiss a few drill bits goodbye)....hmmmm...plasma cutter?  I think that's the way to go.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • bigphil
    bigphil Posts: 1,390
    carbide or cobolt drills would work most likely cobalt would be better carbide has a tendacny to chip out running at low speeds  and some type of coolant as you drill 
    Large Big Green Egg , XL Big Green Egg . BBQ Guru, Weber Kettle, Weber Q grill for road trips.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I've drilled cast a bunch of times.  It's actually pretty soft relative to ordinary structural steel.  But it's a thick plate, and I wouldn't attempt without a drill press.  Yeah, cobalt would be better.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    edited July 2012

    I'm re-posting what I think about the High Q grate.

    My Large Big Green Egg air flow areas (square inches) are: 

           8.3: Inlet vent (wide open)

         13.7: Grate (34 x ..625 dia. holes + 6 firebowl holes and slot.)

         11.6: Dome exhaust area (no daisy wheel) 

    The LBGE is designed to meter airflow at smallest area, which is the inlet vent. The grate flow area is much larger (50% larger) than the inlet flow area. 

    In order for the grate to become the limiting flow area several grate holes need to be plugged/blocked with ash/lump.

    Larger grate holes (.750 in. dia.) increase the already larger-than-inlet grate area to 18.3 sq in. 

    Conclusion: The larger grate holes are slightly less prone to being plugged/blocked by ash/lump and will allow slightly more unburned lump to fall through. The primary benefit of a ‘higher flowing grate’ is not that it allows more grate flow area but that it allows more grate area (i.e. more holes) to be plugged/blocked with ash/lump before it becomes smaller than the inlet flow area. 

    How’s that for rocket science? 

  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Good rocket science...I like science!

    Earlier I said I'd try drilling extra vent holes in the factory grate.  My conclusion - if you have a drill press and a decent bit, it'll take you about an hour.  Drills like butter.  Used some oil and it took about 20 seconds per hole. I only drilled a few because I have the high-que grate already.

    The high flow grates really only help you if the ash builds up, or if you want to get more air for a hot hot fire.


    imageimageimageimage
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    edited July 2012
    some have put the stock grate up on legs (like a home made raised grid) so that it floats a quarter inch or so above the fire bowl.  giving you much more open area all the way around the rim.

    this is an old sketch
    image

    another guy bolted three (maybe four) large washers to the fire grate, through the existing holes along its outer rim, in order to make the grate also sit higher in the bowl. basically, the large washers stick out a quarter inch each, making the thing a half inch larger in diameter.  that makes it sit higher and also gives a gap around it.

    last, this was my idea (though never executed) for increasing the supply of air to the bed of coals. thinking was to use a drilled out steel bowl, or even a colander

    image

    keep in mind that technically, anything other than the stock grate gives 'them' license to deny a warranty claim

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I was going to give the plasma cutter a shot and and try to cut cross-shaped vents thinking they'd be more resistant to clogging than round.  Didn't feel like getting sprayed by hot slag when gouging, and like I said, already have the high-que grate.

    Nice pictures Stike. 

    Another option is to modify or build completely new firebox.  I've never had a problem reaching temp (except for the one time I ran out of charcoal and had to use briquettes) or flame-outs, so I'd never do that.  Oh, and the warranty thing.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669

    Just in case someone is new. This is what it looks like:

     

    image
    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). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • BuckeyeBob
    BuckeyeBob Posts: 673
    I kept having problems with my grate getting blocked and ordered the High-Que. has a made a huge difference for me and I highly recommend.
    Clarendon Hills, IL
  • ribnrun
    ribnrun Posts: 174
    I noticed that after my firebox grate broke into 3 pieces my fires started quicker. I just arrange the pieces of grate with some overlap so it doesn't fall in the ash pit. Almost impossible to stir your charcoal, and the wiggle rod collects dust. High-Que sounds like a great idea. Anyone dislodge it while stirring their charcoal? The bars look like the ash tool could catch pretty easy if you at inattentive/inebriated.
  • JerkChicken
    JerkChicken Posts: 551
    I have one in my lbge and I've had great results hot-n-fast and low-n-slow.
    LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    I'm new, hadn't seen the Hi Q, thanks for that. 

    I see the dome concept providing more surface area to provide more holes for ash to plug and feed the fire. But at the same time the dome would tend to disrupt how the inverted cone pattern that the lump wants to burn. 

    The Hi Q grate looks like it would be more difficult to clog. It also looks like it would pass more unburned lump. 

    There've been plenty of '+1's' FOR the Hi Q grate. But nobody's mentioned whether unburned lump, or how much more unburned lump drops through, if it does. 

    And, no one's mentioned anything about the unburned lump that drops through, if it drops through, and whether it burns in the bottom of the Egg. 

    So, WHY BGE, does your warranty not apply if the Hi Q grate is used? What's the concern? Why don't you use a Hi-Q design grate?  
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Yeah, small charcoal falls down through the grate of the hi-Q, where it burns just fine.  Regardless of whether or not you use the factory or aftermarket, you'll have better airflow if you put the larger pieces of lump on the bottom, and smaller on top (like you would a french drain, or sand/gravel filter). 
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • BuckeyeBob
    BuckeyeBob Posts: 673
    I have not noticed a lot of unburned lump in the bottom a,though there's some. No issue with burning pieces falling through that I can tell.
    Clarendon Hills, IL