It has been credited with saving the modern barbecue industry. They have been described as the microwave of the outdoor kitchen. Promising incredible temperatures, faster cooking, and phenomenal searing power, infrared grills and burners are quickly becoming the norm instead of the accessory. Many gas grills have infrared searing burners, or have simply converted completely to infrared. The question is, does it really make a better steak, not to mention chicken, fish or vegetables. infrared grills can cost many times more than a standard gas grill. Many of them have more complicated components and require more maintenance and care. People will tell you that this is the energy of the sun, but it is also the same technology of restaurant heat lamps. Advocates say that infrared causes less drying, but the high temperatures can cause more burning. So, if the goal is great grilling the question has to be:
POLL: Is infrared really worth it?
1) Definitely
2) Sometimes
3) Definitely Not
4) Something Else (please specify in the comments)
Comments
How cam we vote on the topic “infrared really worth it?”. I know top end resturants cook their steaks using these new burners.; I need to cook with one to know; can it produce a low heat as well like ~ 180-220F for BBQ?
Where can i get a cookbook on infrared,for searing and rotissere?
I’ve never used infrared, and would appreciate some information on how to cook with it, where it helps/hurts, etc.
Infrared has its place: Beef
Nothing cooks beef like an Infrared grill. Nothing. Fire up the grill, crank it to “11″ and a 3″ thick ribeye will be done in 6 minutes @ 900f. (Flip every 1.5 minutes.)
Flare-ups are minor, as the fat ignites and burns itself out as it falls. (Do trim excess fat from beef, though.)
Best thing about infrared is it will make a piece of USDA Choice taste like USDA prime. It will make a piece of USDA prime taste like the finest steakhouse.
Fish? Chicken? Vegetables? Don’t bother. Use a normal grill for those. Except for searing tuna. Infrared excels at searing tuna.
Barbecue? Not on infrared. BBQ needs “low and slow” Infrared is never “low and slow.”
I set my Infrared to the highest setting — then removed the knob. You never need any other temperature than “surface of the sun.”
The only down side is that real infrared costs a lot of money. Avoid grills with those tiny little ceramic “infrared-sear” burners. The broiler in your oven is more effective.
Texas Pit Masters makes a good unit for around $1,300. TEC and Solaire will run at least $2,000. But if you take care of your grill (humidity is your enemy), it will last a decade or more.
Is it worth it? Answer: How much do you like beef?
I write a web log called Sizzle on the Grill and it’s sponsored by Char-Broil. They’ve introduced some new infrared cookers that use newer technology than the ceramic burners and these allow for a wider range of temperatures. Before using these cookers my only experience was cooking on my neighbors TEC and those little back-burners used with rotisserie units.
I wasn’t sure I’d like or needed the infrared – but my attitude changed after the first couple of cooks. First time I ever truly seared steak on a gas grill. And I’ve also found that the skinless chicken breasts some of my guests enjoy (females mostly) come out juicy too. Fish, pork, etc. all are easy to cook. And with the heat lever control I can use the grill as I would a traditional grill – indirect cooking is possible, even smoking a bit (grills aren’t smokers but most can be set up to kinda work like one)
Everyone has their own opinion about what works for them and what doesn’t. Just say’n I am enjoying cooking on the variety of infrared cookers out there today and those using new technology are offering some very good results.
I have a grill with an infrared burner on one side for searing. I found that it makes smoking possible that I could never do before on a gas grill. Most of these grills have a lot of open space for exhausting heat on the back below the lid, so I first used aluminum foil to close this off while I experimented, then bought a small piece of sheet metal, cut it to size, and mounted it on the back of the grill to close the rear opening under the lid so it holds the smoke in the grill better.
I put a wood chip smoker box on the infrared burner, use mostly big chunks of wood (not the little chips that burn out quickly), and leave all the other conventional burners off. I put my meat for smoking on the other side of the grill from the infrared burner, adjust the infrared burner so it’s hot enough to keep the wood smoking, but allows me to keep the temperature on the rest of the grill between 200 to 230 degrees F.
If I need to fine tune the temperature to cool it a little while keeping the infrared burner high, I stick a little piece of metal or wood under the lid to keep the bottom of the grill lid open 1/4″ or so. If the meat will need to smoke for more than an hour or so, then I refill the chip box when it quits pouring out smoke. Repeat as necessary.
Fantastic smoked flavor for roasts, brisket, turkeys, etc. You’ll be amazed at how well this works. Don’t bother trying steaks or other small cuts because they just don’t have enough time to smoke.
Infrared grilling is here to stay. Two choices: Old technology with honeycombed ceramic style (or perforated stainless steel) and new technology with tube burners and heat shield defusers. Both are going to do the searing job well enough for you. Over the past several years manufacturers have improved upon the low setting range and some can get down low enough to saute. But don’t rule out traditional grilling systems. Properly designed and properly infused with infinite control valves and regular searing burners, you can certanly still sear meat the old fashion way. What’s really great is that you have an option and most manufacturers are offering traditional burners with infrared internal or side burner attachments. The new Saber infrared grill is reasonably priced at $799 and up. The Saber similar to TEC (original patent holder) system employs “emitters” located over the burner system (Saber uses stainless steel perforated emitters and Tec uses glass). I’ve sold TEC in the past. Excellent quality but you’ll pay much more for it than for the Saber which is new to us. We’ve carefully reviewed it from a quality and sturdiness point of view………..it passes our quality control requirements. Expect heavy duty all commercial grade stainless steel tube burners, emitters, cooking grids and some external stainless steel options.
We have a Jenn-air combo. The infra red is amazing. I use it for steaks only. It does make a difference. The thicker the better.