How To Cook On An Infrared Grill
Char-Broils TRU-Infrared cooking system locks in juices and prevents flare-ups. Heating quickly and evenly, it may feel different to cook on an infrared grill. With practice and little guidance, however, you will be using the grills high heat to achieve delicious, juicy results.
Apply a light coat of high heat cooking oil to the grates, such as canola or peanut oil before and after grilling to make cleaning easier. Char-Broil wood chips can be placed on or between the cooking grates for added smoke flavor. No need to pre-soak. Then preheat your grill on high, with the lid closed for 5 to 10 minutes. If youre used to open flame gas burners, reduce the heat settings you normally use, by 30 percent and the cooking time by about half. You can grill with the lid open or closed. But, closing the grill lid usually results in faster cooking times.
Disadvantages Of An Infrared Grill
Looking at the infrared pros and cons I can only tell you this from my own experience and after using my Char Broil grill2go X200 for a few years now I have found only one disadvantage in grilling on an infrared grill and that is cleaning.
Since the infrared grill grates come with small holes they get clogged up and cleaning is sometimes a pain in the you know where.
In my experience it is best to turn the grill up to high and let is warm up as hot as possible. This basically burns all the left fat and that makes it easier to brush if of. I really found out that using a high quality grill brush is a must have for an infrared grill. Many infrared grill come with a special type of forked device that you can use on stubborn holes in the grill grates.
Here is a video from charbroil about their infrared grills. Although it sounds a little like a sales pitch for their grill, I still think it adds value to this article to try to explain what an infrared grill is.
That leads us to the final question. What is the best infrared grill on the market? This is also impossible to answer because it all depends on your personal situation. cooking for a large group requires a large infrared grill like the Charbroil gourmet series or even larger. For tailgating or to use as a grill for the campground I suggest one of the portable infrared grills because of the size and low weight.
Feel free to leave a comment or your personal story or experience with any kind of infrared grilling.
What Is An Infrared Grill How Do They Work
To understand this fully we need to understand the difference between infrared and your usual go-to cooking method, which is usually either grilling with charcoal or gas-fired grilling.
Both these methods are convection cooking, in that the charcoal or gas flames heat the air between the fire and the food.
This hot air circulates around the food as it heats, which is known as a convection current.
This is the reason you close the lid while cooking, as it stops the hot air from escaping and allows the temperature to sit at a reasonably constant temperature, much like a traditional oven.
Infrared is different.
In simple terms, it is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which measures the length and speed of waves. Only a small part of the spectrum is visible to the human eye as visible light, and IR is just outside of this scope, and thus it is invisible to us. However, because it heats things, we can feel, see and taste the effect of it.
It is a lot like the sun. The suns energy is made up of around 50% infrared, and this is why pavements are hot to the touch in summer, yet we cannot see the heating process.
An IR grill uses a gas burner to heat a plate made of metal, ceramic, or glass and in turn produces infrared waves as opposed to just hot air. This plate heats quicker than just air and reaches a much higher temperature much faster.
The infrared waves created are what heats the surface of an object, such as meat, quicker than circulating hot air can.
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Place The Meat Steaks On The Burner
You may now place the meat steaks on the sear burner. This should happen at an angle of around 45° to the grid of the grill. Leave the meat on the grill for around a minute.
Thereafter, turn it to an angle of around 90° to be able to accrue the restaurant-style grill marks. Sear thereafter for another one more minute.
After the one side is properly cooked, flip the other side and likewise sear for another one minute. Take note of the crisp brown color as this is the mark that the meat is now thoroughly cooked. Do not flip too soon or leave the meat on the burner longer than a minute.
Dont Add The Sauce Immediately
You may be tempted to add your barbeque sauce to add additional flavor but that should wait a little bit.
BBQ sauce burns easily thats why you should wait until your chicken is almost ready. Then add it.
The ideal time would be about 5 minutes to the end of your cookout so you dont lose the sauce to the flames.
The temperature of your chicken at this point should be around 175°F / 79°C. You will need a food thermometer for this.
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The Best Cuts For Grilling
First, let’s talk beef: rib-eye, strip and tenderloin are all great cuts for the grill. If you choose bone-in steaks, keep in mind that they take longer to cook. Look for good marbling to guarantee a juicy and tender cut. And ideally, steaks should be at 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick to form a nice charred crust without overcooking.
Flank, skirt and hanger steaks are also great on the grill. These thinner cuts are best marinated, grilled quickly over high heat and sliced against the grain to serve.
What About Hybrid Systems
Some grills combine the benefits of a standard gas grill with a separate infrared burner in a specific area of the grill. This lets you sear meats and then move them to the main part of the grill to finish cooking. Some models offer the option of adding in an infrared burner either when you purchase it or at a later date. Some wood/charcoal grills offer this option as well.
Devotees of infrared grills say nothing beats them when it comes to perfect steaks in a snap,. But others say you can have the same thing with a high-end gas grill. A lot of this comes down to personal preference so its important to do your own research and ask questions about the things that matter to you.
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Tools Needed For Perfect Grilled Steak
- Charcoal or Gas Grill that can get hot for the initial sear.
- Instant read digital thermometer, like the Thermoworks Thermapen, to monitor the internal temperature of the meat and avoid overcooking.
- Long tongs to be able to move the steak and avoid flare ups that burn the steak.
Grilling on pellet grills If you have a pellet grill its still possible to sear the steak. The best method is to get the pellet grill as hot as it will go. Use infrared grill grates or a cast iron pan that warms up as the grill warms up to get the sear quickly and avoid overcooking.
Infrared Grill Cooking Times: Ribeye Steak Chicken
Cooking on an infrared grill is not the same as cooking on a charcoal or a gas grill.
This grill type is very different from others and requires a different approach.
Thats why you may run into trouble while cooking, especially if you already own a gas or charcoal grill.
When I got my first infrared grill, I was struggling because at first because I thought the cooking times were the same as with other types of grills.
I was very, very wrong and my first barbecue was a disaster.
Thats why I did some digging and experimenting and made this infrared grill cooking times list so you wont make the same mistakes as me.
Skip to the point:
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Best Steak Cuts For The Grill
Lean Cuts These have less intramuscular fat and are not as prone to flare ups . They also cook faster, so attention to the internal temperature of the steak is important.
- Filet Mignon
- Top Sirloin Filet
- Petite Sirloin
These have more intramuscular fat and have amazing texture and flavor from the marbling. These cuts are also more prone to flare ups, so be aware of that potential when grilling these cuts.
- Ribeye
- New York Strip, or Striploin
- T-Bone
- Porterhouse
Chefs Tip Buy a thick cut steak for best results. A thin steak can easily overcook, and having the thicker cut will make it easier to keep the interior tender. You can see more great grilling cuts here.
Are Infrared Grills Better Than Regular Grills
Infrared grills are better than regular grills in some applications. If you love steaks and other types of meat, you can benefit from one of these grills. You can cook the steak to the perfect temperature and make sure that its cooked through without losing any of the meats natural juices. Some also like that these grills come up to temperature faster and provide an even level of heat too.
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Follow These Steps To Nail Down The Perfect Tasting Patty:
1. Prepare your grill by cleaning the grill grates. Grab a non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle evenly on the cooking surface.
2. Heat up your grill. The ideal temperature for cooking burgers is 150 degrees Fahrenheit so make sure to check the temp first before grilling.
3. In a large bowl, place the ground beef and lightly season with pepper and salt. Gently fold the meat to combine the seasonings together. Do not over-handle the patties as they will result in a dry texture.
4. Round off the patty into a ball and divide it into fours. Take one of the meat and gently press it down to make a patty with a thickness of ¾ inch. Do the same with the three remaining pieces of meat.
5. Go to the grill and check its temperature. Ideally you want to grill burgers on high heat. You can check this by hovering your hand on top of the grill. If you can only hold your hand above it for one second, the burgers are now ready to be grilled.
6. Use a spatula and place the burgers evenly on the grates. Before flipping them over, allow the burgers to turn brown at the bottom. Remember to not press on the burgers because this will remove the juice out of the patties. Grill it for four minutes.
7. Flip the burgers over and let it grill for another four minutes or until the other side of the patty turns brown.
8. And now youre down! Just turn off the heat and serve the burgers while warm.
Is An Infrared Grill Better
Enthusiasts say infrared grills are good at searing meat, provide uniform heat and cut down on flare-ups. In our tests of gas grills, we havent found that infrared grills or grills with an infrared element are any better than those with standard burners. All the best grills in our tests cook uniformly.25 2011 .
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What Is A Sear Station And How To Use It
Weber gas grills have their own innovative feature called sear station, which works similarly to a side burner with few differences.
Sear Station is located on the main cooking area. These are three sear burners located close to one another, their purpose is to create an area on the grill that will quickly become much hotter than the rest of the grill.
That way you can quickly make the grates hot enough for searing. Of course you have to remember that you can sear on a grill without using a sear station, but it will be much harder and more time consuming.
Start the sear station by turning the knob adequately and wait for it to heat up, then put the meat directly above the sear burners and cook for a specified time. After the time passes, move the food to a place with lower temperature and finish cooking.
Plenty of people use the Reverse Sears method that consists of cooking food on the grill at a lower temperature first, then moving it onto the sear station right before the end of cooking in order to sear it.
So Much More Than Just A Simple Broiler
- no fat dripping into fire
- no dangerous flue gases form
- perfect results with evenly distributed heat from top
- offers different heat zones for beef, fish and vegges
- very fast heating up and ready to go
- maximum taste within seconds due to 1,500° burner
- crunchy and juicy with no compromise
- premium steakhouse quality for your home
- developed and handcrafted in Germany
- easy to clean after usage
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How Long Do You Cook A Bubba Burger On The Grill
- Make sure the butter is sizzling first before adding the Bubba burger patty. Each side should cook for between 4 and 5 minutes. Add three slices of cheese on the meat too during the final cooking minute and cover with a lead.
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Gas grills equipped with a side burner or a sear station look like a professional outdoor gas kitchen. This type of solutions is most likely to be found in much more expensive models of gas grills.
A side burner and sear station have their upsides and downsides.
They are certainly another interesting features in gas grills that increase their convenience and functionality.
Gas grills have many more interesting features, which is why you should learn everything about the side burner and sear station before purchasing a new gas grill.
Turn The Chicken Over
Now its time to flip the bird .
The fat will have dissolved on the skin by now and this would be the perfect time to turn it over.
To determine whether the chicken is ready, the chicken should not stick to the grates when you try to flip it.
The skin should also come up easily and if thats not the case, then you should leave it on the grill for a few minutes.
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How To Grill A Steak To Perfection Every Time
This guide will walk through how to grill a perfect steak every time. One of the most common questions we get as caterers is How to Grill a Steak to perfection. The answer is, its easy! Learn how.
As an event caterer, we often set up an interactive grill station so people can see how we are working our smokers and grills and so we can talk to our customers and provide them with tips and tricks they can take home with them. Everyone seems to want to know foolproof ways to cook a great steak. Below is what we tell our guests.
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The infrared grill is one of the hottest new things in outdoor cooking, and I mean hottest! Although the technology has been around for a long time, TEC invented them in the 60s, the patent recently ran out so now you are seeing more and more gas grills with infrared burners by many different producers.
What is the infrared type of grill?
Most infrared burners are incorporated into other standard gas grills, either as a side burner or as one half of the grill cooking surface. Other smaller models and portable models are available which just supply an infrared grill without a standard gas grill as well.
What is the point of these types of grills?
An infrared grill is so hot that it can cook and caramelize the outside of your steak while the inside is still cool or just slightly warmed. This locks in the juices and flavors of your rare meat while creating tasty caramelization on the surface.
Some of the newest infrared grill models have quite a temperature range as well, allowing you to turn that blazing heat down a bit for foods that require a more gentle touch like fish steaks or fillets.
Do you need an infrared grill?
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Grill The Perfect Steak With Char
May 10, 2017
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You will be the master of your backyard when you learn how to Grill the Perfect Steak using Char-Broils Commercial Series TRU-Infrared Gas Grill! #NowYoureCookin
Memorial Day is right around the corner and that means its grilling season. Be honest, how is your grill? Dont be ashamed! Look outside, is it falling apart? Are weeds growing through the grates? Does it have hot spots and flare-ups every time you try to grill?
When you invite friends over for a steak cookout, do they offer to bring pizza? Not Good!!! So today I will show you the benefits of a better grill and how to cook the perfect steak. You will no longer be envious of your neighbors grill.
The perfect steak is what all grillers want to achieve in life. It sounds so simple but it is one of the hardest meats to cook perfectly. We love to entertain throughout the various seasons on our new deck and a patio in the backyard.
Grilling is my thing and my guests expect a lot from me since my livelihood is food blogging. Achieving the perfect steak is not easy unless you have a grill up to the task.
The new Char-Broil Commercial Series TRU-Infrared Gas Grills is perfect for the job and great for newbie grillers as well as the seasoned grill-master. Because the Char-Broil Commercial Series has TRU-Infrared technology it eliminates flare-ups, distributes heat evenly which creates up to 50% juicier food.
