GrillGrate vs Craycort Cast Iron grate - feedback request

[kendoll]

Hi All,

Just wanted some feedback from people who own eaither of these 2 replacement/accessory grates.

I am thinking of getting one of them for one of my kettles and wanted the thoughts of anyone who has used either, or ideally both.

I have the CI grates on my GA and absolutely love them but have not tried the GrillGrates.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,

Ken

[pbe gummi bear]

I'm not that much of a fan of the Craycorts for my performer. They sear quite well, but there are too many parts and the ring is quite large to store, the small quarter openings are super inconvenient, and the grates don't point in the same direction (OCD kicks in). I would be happier with just the inserts and placing them on top of the standard grate for searing. They also load up heat due to their larger thermal mass so if i'm doing indirect, I can't leave them in the kettle while things get to temp otherwise they get super hot and end up cooking the outside of the meat too fast for thinner stuff. This wouldn't be so much of an issue if they weren't such a pain to remove and place elsewhere.

[LightningBoldtz]

I have used both, I ended up selling my craycorts and still use my grill grates often.

I am a low maintenance guy and got tired of all the work involved with cast iron.....

[kendoll]

Cool, thanks guys. Do you get the same taste results from the GG? I like the CI ask it makes the nice thick sear marks.

Easy of cleaning is definitely a big plus for the GG.

Ken

[ramcharger1979]

I for one love the Craycort mostly for the different inserts that you can get.  I have never used GrillGrate myself so I can not speak of it.

[Troy]

i'm torn on the craycorts.

they're by far, the best cast iron grates you can get for a weber.

however in the performer they're a bit of a hassle unless you change your habits a bit.

if you want to use a chimney AND the gas-assist, you will have to take out the grates completely.
that's 5 pieces of dirty, heavy, cast iron. you can't take it out as once piece either. You have to place it somewhere, and that somewhere is going to get scratched and dirty.

With the performer, you're better off skipping the chimney and ONLY using the baskets. Leave the baskets in all the time. You can fill them by taking out 2 (or even 1) of the grate sections. Move the baskets over the gas-assist to light the charcoal.
This process works great.

If you're NOT using a performer, you'll still have similar dilemmas. Pouring a chimney of light coal through a section opening without getting ash on the grates is pretty much impossible.
The sections in the 22 aren't big enough for a chimney - so you'll need to remove the WHOLE thing or light your chimney elsewhere (and then try not to get ash on the cross bars and grates)

I had the 22's in my performer for a while, at first it was love, then hate, then love again (when i figured out the baskets).
I bought the STOK cast iron grates for $40 to compare, and i almost immediately sold the craycorts.

The stok grates are nice. They're not as high quality as the craycorts, and they have a weird ceramic finish that keeps them from being seasoned as well as the craycorts - but they're much more convenient for chimneys

Now - on the 26 Weber - craycorts are HEAVEN. HEAVEN!!!!!!!!
The chimney fits in one of the sections and there's rarely a need to remove the crossbeam portion of the grate. I often cook on TWO sections and leave the other 2 out for easy access to the coals.


list of all cast iron grates for the Weber kettle

[kendoll]

Thanks for the great feedback guys. You have given me plenty to think about.

Might see if I can get a hold of some grill grates to try. I have the CI grates for my GA and love them.

Ken

[Troy]

goodness, i almost forgot

i also did a comparison with GrillGrate and ManGrates.

Here's the lowdown:

GrillGrate - nice concept. they're light and easy to move.
Unfortunately, i think they suck - here's why.
They're rectangular and will slide around when you don't want them to.
They produce super defined grill marks, but the area between the marks doesn't seem to develop the color.  A well rubbed pork chop will have black grill marks that taste bitter because they're SUPER burnt (yes, burnt) and the area in between has NO crispyness or crust.
They greatly reduce flairups - but at the cost of flavor. When meat juices drip down into the coal, they burn up and create a unique smoke that goes RIGHT back into the food.
GrillGrates catch those juices and rob your steaks of that magical flavor.
If flare-ups are your major problem - you're doing it wrong.

ManGrate - same concept, but they're HEAVY. They're cast iron and don't slide around.
To me, these are far less gimmicky. They produce better marks and will still develop a crust.
They still prevent flareups, but do a better job of letting some juices through to get the meat-smoke.

Comparing the two side by side, the mangrate was a far superior product for most grilling.
If what you want is thick, black, super defined and unnatural looking grill marks - get the grillgrates (or just use an electric charcoal igniter)

[kendoll]

They produce super defined grill marks, but the area between the marks doesn't seem to develop the color.  A well rubbed pork chop will have black grill marks that taste bitter because they're SUPER burnt (yes, burnt) and the area in between has NO crispyness or crust.
They greatly reduce flairups - but at the cost of flavor. When meat juices drip down into the coal, they burn up and create a unique smoke that goes RIGHT back into the food.
GrillGrates catch those juices and rob your steaks of that magical flavor.
If flare-ups are your major problem - you're doing it wrong.

Thanks Troy. This is a perfect summary of my concern about grillgrates. Every picture I have seen made me think exactly the same thing. The grill marks 'look' great but the colour of the meat in between them is actually quite disconcerting.

I like the 'flame licked' texture, I don't want to suppress it.

Ken

[Troy]

i remember when doing the side-by-side comparison i learned a few things.

black grill marks taste bitter while dark brown / mahogany marks taste great

[Craig]

Ok silly question time... Are the 26 Craycorts only made to fit the 2008-present models?

[Troy]

Ok silly question time... Are the 26 Craycorts only made to fit the 2008-present models?

Not a silly question. Yes. They're made for newer 26. However, they're heavy enough to sit in an old one and be quite stable.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[5280Jeff]

I also have been looking to purchase some type of grate for my 22' OTS. The reviews here have made me rethink the GrillGrates. After a bit more research I found this on Amazon and wondered if anyone here had any thoughts on these.

http://www.amazon.com/Char-Broil-Universal-Cast-Kettle-Grates/dp/B009LHILCM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389548338&sr=8-2&keywords=cast+iron+grill+grate

For about 1/3 of the price of Craycorts I thought they might be worth a try. The Amazon reviews seemed pretty favorable.

[landgraftj]

Jeff they work just fine. A few of us have those grates. The inset will fit on an 18" grill too.