A Little Debate

[Stile88]

Well its been a long time since i have cooked on stainless I usually cook on iron 

So the other day i decided to leave the iron off and to be honest the ss did not get hot enough for me even though i was cooking at 450 500 now this could be because of the thinkness and perhaps the quality of it but i am going back to iron even though its a pia to clean i love how you can cook on it 

 

So my question cause i dont own a kk yet how it it to cook on those grates because they are thicker and better quality do they heat up better then iron you think???

 

Let the debate begin

[CeramicChef]

@Stile88 - I've had cast iron in the past and I'd would cook on cast iron again if you paid me major money! Cast iron rusts and there is nothing you can do to stop that.  The temps CI is subjected in searing types of cooks destroys the seasoning.  You have to constantly reseason CI.  I've lived in both Houston and Denver and I can tell you no matter how humid or dry the climate, CI rusts. CI is a very brittle metal and breaks all the time, especially in cold climates like Denver in the winter.  To me, CI is a pain in the arse.  There is a reason why high end kamado and other high end grill manufacturers don't use CI.  

[ckreef]

I use to be an Akorn owner (CI grates) now I'm a KK owner (SS grates). I found no real difference. Once either gets up to 500* it'll leave grill marks.

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I believe it wouldn't matter what the material was, as long as it doesn't melt and it's at 500* it's going to give you grill marks.

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With that said, CI might heat up a little quicker which would give you the perception of doing a better job. But I've never tested that out.

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Reef's Bistro

[tony b]

I am not able to confirm this, but memories tell me that the heat transfer coefficients between most iron based materials isn't that different. 

[CeramicChef]

Right you are, Tony!  

[dstr8]

Ditto CC:   I had cast iron grates on one of my big gas barbies years ago.   And even though I have decades of cast iron & carbon steel pan use, and use them nearly every day, under my belt I wouldn't go back to cast iron grates; too maintenance intensive even here in the dry high desert.

Season the KK's SS grates and they'll perform admirably for all types of grilling/baking on the KK.

 

 

Edited June 7, 2016 by dstr8

[kjs]

I like the SS grates on the KK and get excellent results. I have used carbon steel and cast in the past and do like those  as well. From a maintenance stand point stainless is the way go.

[Stile88]

Well maybe i havent given ss a chance i have been using cast iron for many years now

You gurus talk about a lot of maintence and rust i have not experienced any of that 

In fact all i do is brush off the food after a cook like i would normally do to me cleaning my ss is the same as cleaning my cast grate

I am going to give my ss grate another whirl very interesting points that you all made 

 

With the kk grates would you say there is a better heat transfer cause of the thinkness? ???

[CeramicChef]

I don't know about better heat transfer, but I do know that when you go to turn the steaks looking for grill marks, recovery time is really good.

[ckreef]

I don't know about better heat transfer, but I do know that when you go to turn the steaks looking for grill marks, recovery time is really good.

I started to post the same thing earlier but my connection went bonkers.

Flip a steak and put it back in the same spot just as good of grill marks like the first side. This is because of the size of the SS grates. With thinner grates you have to flip to a fresh spot on the grate - not with KK grates.

Reef's Bistro

[tinyfish]

No issues with my SS grates. 

I forgot to mention, when you first see the quality and weight that goes into KK grill it will amaze you.

Edited June 8, 2016 by tinyfish

[tony b]

Not trying to be a size queen, but size does matter when it comes to heat capacitance/retention. 

[Hogsfan]

I have had a Weber gasser for many years before owning my current pellet smoker and KK. The gasser had CI grates and in our climate over here i didn't notice any rusty areas accept over parts where i never really cooked (usually the edges or far off to one side), so the CI was ok for me. It stayed nice and seasoned as well.

However, once moving to my pellet smoker and KK setup which both have thick gauge SS, there is no turning back. SS is definitely the choice here. I can still get the same heat into the SS as i did on the CI and there is less cleanup. The SS you just heat up the Q to a high temp, then the crap left on it will carbonise and you just chip/scrape it off, job done. No need to leave it oiled or any other maintenance (from what i have found).

So i personally think you will be very happy with the SS grates. The only other thing i have on my smoker is the grill grates. These are aluminium and they are awesome.

The SS grates also give amazing sear marks as well. reverse sear the steak then sear on the SS grate and boom you have a killer looking steak.

The thicker gauge that Dennis has on his grills makes a world of difference too. The SS will come up to temp a lot quick after you throw on a colder piece of meat than the thinner SS grills out there. 

Weber grates don't rust (much) because they are either infused or coated with porcelain to prevent that process from happening. It's the same thing they do with their cast-iron woks and griddles for the bbq gourmet system.. It's a little different animal then raw cast iron.

[Cookie]

A scroll through a few threads with pics in the forums will yield enough visual evidence to convince you don't need CI.  If you get a dome temp of 500-600F, the pit temp is going to be well over 1000F (I think Dennis has this data if you want it).  You can get the KK set up for searing just above the firebox / basket.  I don't care if you had super thin SS, at that temp, everything is going to sear in a hurry.  It doesn't hurt that the SS used in the KK is heavy-duty.  You do not need CI.

All of that said, @ckreefuses a  cast iron skillet pretty often and turns out some killer cooks.  The CI skillet has its place, but CI grates not required.

[Stile88]

27 minutes ago, Cookie said:

A scroll through a few threads with pics in the forums will yield enough visual evidence to convince you don't need CI.  If you get a dome temp of 500-600F, the pit temp is going to be well over 1000F (I think Dennis has this data if you want it).  You can get the KK set up for searing just above the firebox / basket.  I don't care if you had super thin SS, at that temp, everything is going to sear in a hurry.  It doesn't hurt that the SS used in the KK is heavy-duty.  You do not need CI.

All of that said, @ckreefuses a  cast iron skillet pretty often and turns out some killer cooks.  The CI skillet has its place, but CI grates not required.

Oh i am not doubting that the 3/8 ss wont do the job

I dont own a kk atm and for a lot of years i have used cast iron and its worked well for me but again i will rethink the ss grate and see how it goes maybe its a comfort thing cause the cl has been my go to grate i will just have to give it a chance

Now on the kk i dont doubt that its a better deal cause of the 3/8 inch ss 

[Cookie]

22 minutes ago, Stile88 said:

Oh i am not doubting that the 3/8 ss wont do the job

I dont own a kk atm and for a lot of years i have used cast iron and its worked well for me but again i will rethink the ss grate and see how it goes maybe its a comfort thing cause the cl has been my go to grate i will just have to give it a chance

Now on the kk i dont doubt that its a better deal cause of the 3/8 inch ss 

My Dad has a Weber gasser with CI grates, he never scrubs them other than lightly on top to knock off any crud from the last cook, they are so seasoned now that I'm starting to question the airflow in the grill; however, he has no hot spots and zero rust.  If I remember, I will take a pic when I'm home in a few weeks and post it.