Product Review: Grill Grates

I'm one of those guys who at times can be very skeptical of new products, even more so when I see an 'As Seen on TV" logo slapped on them.. so you will have to forgive me when I say that I originally wrote off Grill Grates as gimmick product not for the serious griller… boy was I wrong

My change of opinion started as I patiently awaited the arrival of my Kamado Joe classic, even after purchasing it, I continued to read up on various cooking methods and accessories that paired well with a Kamado style BBQ, and over and over again Grill Grates would constantly pop-up in the articles I was reading… so naturally I decided to buy some and try them out for my self… here is what I found

Pros:

If you check out the Grill Grate site (HERE) they will gladly walk you through the science behind their product, but here I will keep it simple.. Grill grates amplify the heat given off of any BBQ and spread it out evenly over the grate system. This gives you perfect heat control and eliminates hot and cold spots.

The flat perforated bottom also prevents those dreaded flare ups yet still allows meats to be flame kissed. They team at Grill grates is not lying when they say that the juice/fat from your meats will be vaporized when it hits the grate and thus steaming back up into your meat, not lost to your coals.

When it comes to searing food, it is pretty impressive, and I think my pictures speak for themselves, these grates will leave you with perfect restaurant quality diamonds every time

I love that Grill Grates provide size options for both standard and round grills, the sheer amount of options they have listed can be confusing, but gladly they listed my grill make and model as part of their sizing, so no measuring was required.

Cons:

Not really a con, but what may hurt them a bit is pricing, many weekend warriors are running BBQ's that only cost them $300-$400 and to spend another $60-$70 on grates may be a hard sell.. well worth it mind you, but still a hard sell.

The grate tool that comes in the kits, is what I call a throw back tool, meaning simply it reminds me of those pictures of my grandfather in front of his BBQ with HUGE tongs and spatulas. In today's market size is not that important (yeah, yeah insert joke here) and I find that this big bulky took could using some serious downsizing (in the length and size of the handle).. that said it works as advertised for removing food from the grill and the cleanup afterwards.

The biggest drawback to most buying picking up a set of grill grates is sizing, either not knowing the size of their grill, being to lazy or unsure to check, and of course not finding the grate size that perfectly fits their particular grill. I will say that sizing is important, if you buy grates that are too small you will find that they slide all over your BBQ's current grades, and this is not only awkward but also frustrating. It would be nice to have a locking clip of some sort to ensure if your grill grates are not the perfect fit, they will still hold in place.. this goes for cleaning as well as cooking

 All in all, I love my grill grates, so much so that I have been already looking at buying some for Fathers day and/or Christmas presents for my Stepfather, Father in law and brother in law… if that's not an endorsement I don't know what is