From time to time, LC and I are asked to review sauces, rubs, and other products. We have been asked to review the Grill Grate.  This is NOT a paid endorsement. 

A few months ago, I posted on the Egghead forum about the Grill Grate and how I did not care for it. I was contacted by Brad Barrett, (very nice guy) proud owner of the Grill Grate company, and he asked us to give the Grill Grate another try.  He explained that through his own research and customer feedback, he had made some changes and had some suggestions on how to use the Grill Grate on the BGE.  We agreed to do a product review and get back to Brad. 

I purchased the release coated, Grill Grate and Grill Grate tool, back in May after reading about them in one of the BBQ newspapers that I get.  I liked the idea of nice sear marks and controlling flare ups. I also thought it could be used as a device for indirect heat similar to a plate setter.  So the day came and I set up the BGE as normal for cooking steaks direct. Assembled two grates and placed them on the grid to heat up.  After about 15 minutes or so, it was time for the steaks.  On go two 1 1/2" thick ribeyes and the first thing you notice is that sssssssssss sound when the meat touches the rails.  60 seconds later, I turned the steaks 90 degrees on the same side. 60 seconds more, and  then flipped the steaks. OMG! The Grill Grate made sear marks like I have never seen before. They looked like someone had use a black magic marker! Another turn and another 60 seconds then did the poke test and pull. (hmmm they feel a little tough)  LC and I like our meats medium rare. I put the ribeyes on a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes before we sat down to eat.  I was thinking and LC even commented how great they looked.  We cut into the steaks to only to find them medium well and way over cooked for our liking.  I then got the "look" from LC and she said, "don't use those things again. The simple BGE grid works fine for me".  So off to the gasser is where they end up and never used again.  The Grill Grates focus the heat into the rails very efficiently and at high heat, too efficiently.  The meat will get its cooking heat source from those rails and very little from any other part of the Grill Grate.  Think of a wood burning tool and you will get an idea what I am talking about.  The rails concentrate the heat and it is very difficult to control the amount of heat in cooking the meat.  That was the first encounter with the Grill Grate.

The second encounter was after Brad and I exchanged a few emails. In those emails, Brad suggested using the Grill Grate over a lower temp. The next week, came a box containing the BGE designed Grill Grate.  This was a vast improvement of the first design.  Now, the corners were trimmed and you are able to use 90% of the grilling area.  



The first thing I did was to set up a Large BGE.  Brought the egg up to 400 degrees dome temp and then placed a CI grid and a Grill Grate to the side on top of the CI gird. 



We closed the dome and waited 10 minutes. While LC and I were waiting for the grids to come up to temp, we took 4 pork chops and inserted two of them with thermometers. Here is the temp readings before cooking.



The next few pictures are of the cook. The digital readout on the left is the pork chop on the Grill Grate and the right readout is the CI grid.











Notice the grill marks on the Grill Grate chops....very nice



The CI chop had to be pulled first. More heat rises through the spaces of the CI grid than the Grill Grate which can cause meat to dry out especially in pork.



Here are all the chops after being pulled. The CI chops are on the left, but the digital readout is on the right.



Both LC and I found the pork chops grilled on the Grill Grate had better sear marks and had the same moisture as the CI.

You can use the Grill Grates on vegetables and seafood also.  The Grill Grate will keep small food items like shrimp and scallops from falling though the grid.  How many times have you lost a shrimp through your grid?  Grilled Romaine lettuce is great also. Nice sear marks and no flare ups with the EVOO that will drip on the hot lump.

Pizza on the Grill Grate would not be recommended with raw pizza dough. Pre-made pizza crusts and frozen pizzas however will work great.  We tried it with raw dough and it did not turn out well. The dough sagged into the spaces between the rails.

Conclusion: The Grill Grate does what it is advertised to do.  The product will give you beautiful sear marks and stop flare ups from grease or oiled foods.  Our only drawback is they can be a chore to clean if left to the next day.  We also suggest using over low temp set ups. The Grill Grate for the BGE can be ordered @ http://www.shop.grillgrate.com/   It is my understanding that Brad will also be at the upcoming Eggtobertfest this month.  LC and I hope this review helps.