Infrared Grill

What Are Infrared Grills?

If you want to find in-depth information about infrared grills, we have a detailed break down that looks at if they are worth the cost. If you want a quick rundown though, read on to learn the essentials.

The word “infrared” refers to a method of heat transfer. On infrared grills, grill plates are designed to transfer heat into infrared radiation, and then cook the food.

Infrared burners can be positioned like normal gas burners, or above the food in like the Schwank grill.

Some infrared grills like the Napoleon Prestige have one or two grill plates designed to transfer infrared heat, and might be called a ‘sear zone’ or something similar. Other grills are comprised solely of infrared grill plates.

Side infrared burner on the Napoleon prestige.

You might think this sounds very high tech, or you might even think it could be a health hazard.

In reality, the burning coals on a fire also emit infrared radiation. So cooking with infrared radiation has really been around as long as fire has. It just hasn’t been harnessed in a convenient and efficient way until recently.

How Do Infrared Grills Work?

Infrared radiation heats food when electromagnetic waves are emitted from the heated surface. These waves travel at the speed of light and in every direction, so they cook very efficiently and at incredibly high heat compared to other grilling methods.

On an infrared gas grill, the infrared plate is heated by the gas flame underneath the plate. The heat is then emitted off the plate as infrared radiation and cooks the food sitting above.

Infrared Pro’s:

• Speed – These grills cook incredibly fast. They can reach 700°F in around 7 minutes.
• Even heat – When you grill with infrared, there are no “hot spots” or “cool spots”.
• Efficiency – Because these grills heat so fast and burn so hot, you can have your cooking done in a very short time.
• Less flare ups – Some types of infrared burners are less likely to cause flare-ups due to the sheer intensity of the heat.
• Easy to Clean – Those super high temps also make cleaning a breeze. Just crank up your infrared burner when you are done and any food left hanging on will be incinerated.

Con’s of infrared cooking:

• Burns Easily – As you can imagine, such intense heat can end up burning your food if you don’t watch it carefully. When testing the Schwank we found we couldn’t use sweet rubs or marinades as the sugar would burn.
• Less Versatility – Again, the intense heat limits your options. Generally, searing robust meats like beef is where infrared burners come into their own. For this reason, many grills will offer infrared as a “searing zone” with just one or two infrared burners rather than have these burners as your only option on the grill.
• Adjustment Period – Using infrared is unlike any other type of cooking. For some, the first couple of times they fire one up, it all feels unfamiliar and perhaps a bit hard to control. If you can get past this adjustment period however, infrared cooking does have its place.

The best infrared grills are designed to take advantage of the pros while minimalizing the negatives

Should You Buy an Infrared Grill?

Infrared grills burn hot, sear better than any other type of grill and brown your meat evenly.

However they can be a bit of a one-trick pony when it comes to grilling – and that trick is searing.

While you are most likely to see infrared technology in the form of a ‘sear zone’ on a grill, you can get grills which use this technology in the cooking chamber as well, and this opens up a whole new area in which infrared technology is an appealing option.

If your burner has an infrared plate in the cooking chamber, the heat coming up from the gas is converted into infrared radiation.

This means that your food is being cooked by convection (the heat circulating within the oven) conduction (the heat from contact with the cooking grates) AND infrared radiation (coming up off the infrared plate).

In short, every last bit of that heat is going to be used up to cook your meat evenly and efficiently.

Compare that to a normal cooking chamber. Your food is cooked by convection and conduction only.

So yes, your food will still be cooked if you have a “normal” grill, and it will still be mighty tasty. But infrared cooking does have an edge.

But – infrared grills cost more. We’ve included the best budget infrared grill as well as some great more expensive options.

So while there are many advantages to owning an infrared grill, you need to consider your budget too.

Hacks to Turn Your Regular Grill into an ‘Infrared’ Grill

If your budget is tight, don’t despair. There are a couple of handy accessories on the market that can convert parts of your ordinary grill into infrared and give the best infrared grills a run for their money.

We found these infrared hacks suggested over on amazingribs.com.

Grill Grates

These interlocking grates amplify heat, prevent flare ups and sear your food really well. No they are not “infrared” technology, but they produce very similar results for a fraction of the cost.

To use these grates, just measure up your grill and buy the right sized grates. Simply take off your existing grates, replace them with the Grill Grates and enjoy great searing.

Get the latest price on Amazon.

Charcoal Grill for Searing

If you have a charcoal grill hanging around, put it to use!

For big cook ups when you have multiple things on the go, set up your charcoal grill on the side and sear you meat there.

Not only will it leave more space in your grill, but you will get much better results searing over charcoal than you will with other types of grill (aside from infrared, of course).

Griddle Pan

Whack your griddle pan on the grates of your barbecue or side burner, get it piping hot and coat it with just a little oil.

The superheated surface will make better contact with your meat and produce superior results for searing than you could expect from an ordinary grill.

Main Types of Infrared Grill

Deciding whether or not you would like to get an infrared grill is only half the story. Not only are there different types of infrared systems, there are also different infrared grill configurations.

First, let’s have a look at the different infrared systems that are on the market.

1. Ceramic Infrared Burner System

• Generally this type of infrared system is for hot and fast cooking.
• Most ceramic burners are at home around the 600-1000°F mark, which is great for searing, but they don’t offer much versatility.
• Ceramic systems can be prone to flare ups, as the food sits close to the fame.

2. Heat Emitter System

• These systems tend to be cheaper, but they will not produce the same high temperatures as other infrared systems.
• Heat is produced from stainless steel tube burners, and then transferred to the food by a stainless steel heat emitting panel.
• You can expect to reach temperatures between 300-650°F when using this type of burner.

3. TEC Systems

TEC is the name of a company which pioneered infrared cooking earlier on in its commercial history. A couple of the systems they manufacture include:

• Stainless Steel IR Burner and Radiant Glass Panel – You can expect temperatures around 350-850°F from this style of burner. It is not prone to flare ups and will produce even heat across the cooking surface.
• Stainless Steel Conversion Burner and Radiant Glass Panel – This system is basically a slightly improved, more robust version of the system mentioned above. You can expect to reach temperatures of 200-900°F with this system.

4. Hybrid Grills

One of the most popular ways to take advantage of infrared technology is with a hybrid grill.

These grills usually have one or two infrared plates only, and the rest of the grill uses a more conventional cooking system.

Generally, there are three configurations of hybrid grill:

1. One Preinstalled Burner – One of the burners inside the grill is a permanently fixed infrared burner. You will usually find grills with this feature at a higher price point.
2. Interchangeable Infrared Burner – This is a great option if you are after a slightly cheaper and more flexible option than a preinstalled burner. In this configuration, a regular convection barbecue comes with a seperate infrared burner that can be taken in and out as you need it.
3. Sear Station Side Burner – If you don’t like the idea of taking up precious real estate inside your barbecue with an infrared plate, then you can opt for a “sear station”. This is a fixed infrared burner which is located on the outside of the grill.

Wrapping It Up

We have had a look at quite a few grills in this guide. For people on a budget we think the best choice is the Char-Broil Performance TRU Infrared 450 3-Burner Cart Liquid Propane Gas Grill.

If you are after more of a luxury grill, the Napoleon Phantom Prestige is an excellent option.

We hope you have found this article helpful. Do you have experience using infrared grills? Which one would you recommend?