Is Infrared Grill Better Than Gas

What Is An Infrared Grill

Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Gourmet T-36D 3 Burner Gas Grill

To explain what is an infrared grill we have to get a little technical. But I like to use easy and plain English to tell what I found out about what is an infrared grill.There are probably better ways to explain it, but this is my way, after reading a bunch of technical stories about radiation heat and infrared stuff.

Differences Between Infrared And Traditional Gas Burners

You can think of a traditional grill burner as shining a flashlight onto and around your food with a wide cone of diffused heat, whereas an infrared burner points a laser of heat directly onto the food.

All-Gas Vs Infrared Searing On Outdoor BBQ Grills

Getting an even heat across the grill can be difficult with traditional grills in windy areas. Infrared burners are not affected by wind.

That gives you the ability to create even heat across the cooking surface.

Infrared burners utilize uniform radiant energy, heating the food directly. Infrared heat cooks your food evenly and faster.

Compare that to open flame grill burners which radiate heat through a heat distribution system , to distribute the heat across the grilling area.

The downside with traditional grills is that hot spots occur, and a lot of heat redirects downward.

As we said, think laser versus flashlight for infrared vs. regular gas heat.

Can You Slow Cook On An Infrared Grill

Infrared Grills Have a Wide Temperature Range

Infrared grills are known for their ability to sear using the very high temperatures only available from infrared, but they can also be used for long, slow cooking processes. Try searing first and then note the additional time needed when the temperature is reduced.

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Disadvantages Of Infrared Grills

Infrared grills arent perfect, and here are a few disadvantages that you may or may not face.

1. Heat up too quickly

While this is a good thing for most grillers, the risk of burning food is high, especially if you dont know how to control the heat.

Many people who enjoy slow cooking may also find infrared grills to be a bit overwhelming to use.

2. Less versatility with most infrared grills

Most infrared grills dont offer a wide temperature range, and also dont provide the necessary controls to adjust the speed at which food gets cooked.

3. Prone to damage

The plates of infrared grills may look sturdy, but are prone to chipping and cracking. Further, Ive read some infrared grill reviews claiming that these grills and more prone to mechanical failure as well.

4. Doesnt offer wood or charcoal flavoring

If you cant resist the wood or charcoal flavors when you BBQ, youll be a tad bit disappointed with an infrared grill.

5. Infrared grills are expensive

Infrared grills are notoriously expensive compared to other types of grills. However, there are several cheap infrared grills available, but models in this range dont provide a true infrared grilling experience.

Cons: Infrared Grills Are Expensive

Infrared Grills Vs Regular Gas Grills

A portable infrared grill can be purchased for under $500, but a full-sized infrared grill one that’s comparable in size to a standard four burner gas grill can run upwards of $1,000 .

That’s a lot of money to spend on a tool that basically does one thing well, which is cook steaks. Anything else anything whether it’s chicken, vegetables, fish, seafood, hamburgers is going to need to be cooked at a lower temperature.

And yes, there are infrared grills with variable temperature systems that allow you to cook at temperatures as low as 200 F, which is what you’d need to barbecue a brisket or pork shoulder, for instance. There are also hybrid models with infrared burners on one side and conventional ones on the other. These grills allow your infrared grill to cook at the normal temperatures of a conventional gas or charcoal grill. But all that means is that you’re spending infrared grill money to do something you can do with a conventional gas or charcoal grill, which, depending on how you feel about your money, might not be the very best use of it.

Even when it comes to cooking steaks, which is the one thing an infrared grill indisputably excels at, it’s not exactly foolproof. Because the temperatures are so high higher than most people are accustomed to dealing with it’s easy to accidentally overcook or even burn your steaks by leaving them on there too long.

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What Is The Best Infrared Grill To Buy

Our Top 6 Choices For The Best Infrared Grills For 2021

  • Char-Broil Performance TRU Infrared 450 3-Burner Cart Liquid Propane Gas Grill.
  • Saber Cast 500 32-Inch 3-Burner Infrared Propane Gas Grill with Side Burner.
  • Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 Portable Infrared Liquid Propane Gas Grill.
  • Are Infrared Grills Much Better

    Infrared Grills use less gas, provide the maximum even heat, and temperatures up super fast! We dont feel theyre better, just different. Determined on the sorts of foods you grill when this is a much better way of grilling.

    However, with that, in our experience, clients either love them or hate them. Theyre fantastic for fast searing your meals and sealing in juices, then shifting your meals into an open fire.

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    Types Of Infrared Burner Systems

    There are several infrared brands out there, but they don’t all utilize the same infrared cooking system. This is important to understand to ensure you are getting the perfect infrared grill to fit your cooking needs. Furthermore, it’s important to consider the quality of the infrared grill you are buying. Some infrared grills are built with more economical, lower quality components, which might cause you to have to constantly replace parts, or the whole grill, much quicker than you might think. We’ve had several customers share their stories with us about this very fact. Contrast that with the commercial quality construction of the higher end brands, where you may pay more up front but enjoy better performance and longevity in the long run.

    Why Do Infrared Grills Cook Steaks So Fast

    Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Gourmet T-47D 4 Burner Gas Grill

    Because of their mega-high temperatures, infrared grills cook very, very fast. And for some types of grilling, that happens to be exactly what you want. The most notable example of this is steak. The key to cooking a steak is cooking as quickly as possible over as high a heat as possible. The hotter and quicker, the better.

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    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.

    Working Of A Gas Grill

    Gas grills work mainly on the principle of convection. A small percentage of radiation and conduction is also observed. The construction of a convection gas grill is simple, with drip deflectors, grates, burners, and the grill .

    As soon as the burners are ignited, they produce convection heat which rises through the air in the fire box. The drip reflectors/drip protector bars/ceramic plates absorb part of this heat and generate radiant heat. They also generate conduction heat which is transferred to the food when they come in contact with it. So, the food on a gas grill is cooked with a combination of convection, conduction, and radiant heat. The following list of comparisons between the two types of grills is based on factors like efficiency, taste, safety, temperature control, and maintenance.

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    How Long Does It Take For An Infrared Grill To Cook

    It isnt uncommon to hear that these grills can reach surface cooking temperatures well over 700 degrees F/370 degrees C in as little as 7 minutes. Pretty impressive, but what does this do for you? Infrared grill makers promise that these units sear meats quickly, lock in juices, and cook faster than any other grill.

    How Do Infrared Grills Work

    Char

    Infrared radiation is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is invisible to the human eye. At very short wavelengths like with your infrared remote this energy can’t be seen or felt. But at longer wavelengths, infrared can be felt in the form of heat. When you walk barefoot on hot sand at the beach, the heat you’re feeling is the infrared radiation emitted by the sand .

    When it comes to grilling, that’s all infrared radiation is: heat waves that are emitted by a hot object which has itself been heated by a propane or natural gas-powered heat element.

    The hot object in an infrared grill is usually a piece of steel, ceramic or glass, with a gas element underneath it.

    So the difference between infrared and conventional grilling is that conventional grilling is accomplished by heating air that then cooks the food whereas infrared grills don’t produce hot air, they simply produce heat . As a result, infrared grills are capable of emitting much higher amounts of heat directly onto the food, rather than using air as a medium.

    This is how infrared grills can produce temperatures of up to 1,200 F. Compare this to the 550 F or so you probably get from your conventional grill or maybe 700 to 750 F when you max out one of those Kamado-style charcoal grills. Moreover, it only takes two to three minutes for infrared grills to start producing these temperatures, which saves a lot of time with preheating.

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    Best Infrared Grills Buyers Guide

    With so many great infrared grills out there it can be hard to find one which perfectly meets your requirements, and can be even harder to choose between two that do.

    There is a range of options and features to choose from and which set apart different grills, from their size and materials to additional features and their performance.

    In this buyer’s guide, were going to look at these features and highlight what it is you need to keep in mind when looking at grills to ensure you get one thats perfect for you and your plans, helping you get the best performance possible.

    If you have further questions feel free to take a look at the FAQ where weve listed some answers to some of the most common questions regarding infrared grills and their characteristics.

    How Does An Infrared Grill Work To Heat Food

    Infrared burners use radiation to cook food. Infrared radiation heats food when electromagnetic waves of energy are emitted from a heated surface. Infrared burners work off this principle. These waves travel at the speed of light and can travel in any direction. This means that they are extremely efficient at heating food.

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    Infrared Grill Vs Gas Grill: Which One Is Better For You

    Charcoal grilling is fun but I dont always have time to set up the charcoal and wait a long time to get hot so that I can finally get cooking. Thats where gas grills come in.

    They are much more convenient and get the job done faster.

    While searching for the best gas grill for you, Ive also stumbled upon a similar type of grill, called an infrared.

    They are a new-ish type of grill that started growing popular in recent years.

    So which one to choose?

    In this infrared grill vs gas grill comparison guide, Ill show you the differences and similarities between these 2 grills.

    In the end, youll have enough information on which grill to choose.

    Which Is Better Char

    Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Gourmet T-22D 2 Burner Gas Grill

    Weber has several grills that could be compared directly to the Char-Broil Grill2Go, but the Weber Q2200 stands above the rest. Not only does it offer more total cooking space280 inches, as opposed to 200its single burner cranks out 12,000 BTUs for fast, even cooking. Decent amount of cooking space for a travel grill.

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    Benefits Of Infrared Gas Grills

    Just like many other sectors, technological advancements and innovations have changed grilling as we know it. There has been a recent entry into the grilling world. It is technologically driven by a different kind of heat transfer, which reduces the chances of stomach aches and cancer. These side effects occur when food is charred or under-cooked.

    Unlike other traditional grills that work with direct heat, infrared grills adopt a method known as radiation. Infrared grills cover most of the benefits of charcoal and gas grills added together and even more. They are fast and effective when it comes to cooking meals. Fueled by gas or charcoal, it covers everything you need for a barbecue meal.

    Pros

    • They run on both charcoal and gas
    • Cooks food faster
    • Radiation allows even distribution of heat
    • Food is tastier and juicier

    Cons

    • Come in large sizes making them hard to move about
    • Quite expensive compared to its traditional counterparts

    An infrared grill is the best choice for you if you make more food frequently. You could get a combined value and much more if you look over the prices and sizes. While they are very efficient, they cannot substitute all meals, exceptionally soft meals, due to the lack of a low-temperature regulator. If none of these cons set you back, then you should consider moving up the barbecue ladder.

    How Infrared Cooking Works

    When the charcoal turns white on a charcoal grill, it is producing heat at approximately 1200°, which is classified as infrared heat. Infrared cooking has been used in commercial kitchens for over 50 years. Infrared burners produce a consistent heat so that restaurants can produce consistent quality and doneness regardless of the type of food! Every time you visit a Mortons or Capital Grille, thats how they get it right every time.

    To achieve this same consistency and cooking quality for the home grilling market, several years ago the Thermal Engineering Corporation obtained a patent to position an infrared burner below the food in a grill. These grills are powered by either natural gas or propane. They led the revolution that continues to this day with infrared grills. The burners in these grills are rectangular shaped ceramic, stainless or Inconel units with approximately 300 gas jets that reach a temperature between 1200° and 1400°. At these temperatures, you can truly sear food. These burners allow the cook to achieve white hot charcoal temperatures in 3 minutes, and maintain that temperature for as long as the cook needs to. That is the breakthrough of infrared grilling!

    Give Danver a call today to learn more about adding an infrared grill to your outdoor kitchen layout. Danver helps transform the outdoor living space. Happy Grilling!

    This article uses trusted sources with references hyperlinked to the source material.

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    Start finding answers in our Resource Center full of videos, buying guides, and checklists

  • Key Takeaways
  • Will you be shopping for a new grill this season?

    If so, you have most likely seen the term infrared burner. What is an infrared burner, how does it differ from a traditional gas grill burner, and is it right for you?

    In this article, you will learn the answer to these questions. You will also learn how a sear station doesn’t necessarily mean the grill sears.

    Reasons To Switch From A Charcoal To An Infrared Grill

    Are Pellet Grills Better Than Gas Grills? Ten Reasons That ...

    To our charcoal-loving friends: Let us just say, we get it. Youve devoted years to perfecting the art of grilling over coals and the very thought of using a gas grill has a traitorous ring to it. Its like admitting you drink light beer or prefer veggie burgers over beeftheres something just not right about

    To our charcoal-loving friends: Let us just say, we get it.

    Youve devoted years to perfecting the art of grilling over coals and the very thought of using a gas grill has a traitorous ring to it. Its like admitting you drink light beer or prefer veggie burgers over beeftheres something just not right about that.

    Were here to help. Once youre able to let go of the guilt, there are plenty of reasons to go gas, especially if youre upgrading to an infrared grill. Here are our favorite reasons to make the switch from charcoal to infrared and to embrace it.

    Reason #1: Less Fuel

    Every time your grill with charcoal, youre filling up the firebox with a new batch of charcoal or wood. With infrared, youre using a propane tank or a natural gas setup- both last longer than one grill-out. With propane, you do have to replace the tank once empty, but with the SABER® grill, you save at least 30% of the fuel per grilling session, which means every third tank is free.

    Reason #2: Searing

    Reason #3: No flare-ups

    Reason #4: Tender, Juicy Meats

    Reason #5: Grill Faster

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