Steak Grilling question

[anthonyk]

I just spent 400 bucks on a new gas grill. Yea, I know everyony says charcoal or wood is the way to go, but I figured a quality grill like this one would make it easier (more convenient) to just throw a steak on.
I seem to have been wrong
It's a Charbroil "Commercial" model in stainless, about 60,000 BTU's.
It's even got a side burner that you can cook on.
For some reason, it just doesn't seem to cook steaks the way I'd like 'em.
Maybe it's not hot enough, I don't know. I preheat it for over a half hour,
But still can't seem to "flame" the steak the way I could on the old charcoal one (69 bucks!)
Any suggestions? I've heard that different grills have hot and cold spots.
I've tried cooking in different places on the grill. The Ribeyes come out either raw, or if you cook them longer, too well done. Can't seem to get that flamed outside, rare or medium rare inside, but still cooked right.
Any tips from any of ya'll that use a gas grill would be appreciated.

anthony

 

[LMTC]

Temperature is certainly a possible culprit. You can buy infrared temp guns in the $40 range these days....we have a good one for the shop (still only cost $100) and I check the cast iron grate on our charcoal grill before tossing on a steak. I like to see the grate at least 700*, and preferably closer to 800* as it will cool quickly when the steak is tossed on. We have a small gas grill we keep on the front porch for burgers, dogs, & metts....when weather prohibits using the larger charcoal grill...but I know ours won't do steaks well, as it doesn't get hot enough.

Or it may simply be learning the nuances of your new grill. If the steaks will not sear on the first side in 20-30 seconds, it's not hot enough IMO.

 

[Dusty]

I had the same problem with my new stainless steel grill, and it turned out to be a defective gas regulator. I still haven't decided if I like it as much as the old one, but I haven't had a bad steak on it either. It also might have something to do with the cut of beef that you are cooking. I have found that very lean meat tends to dry out when cooking over the gas grill, unlike meat that has a little more fat content.
Dusty

 

[MikeD74T]

Make sure your gas connection is giving you full flow. Some of the new bottle valves need to be connected just so & bottle exactly level to get full gas flow. Had problems with an out of level bottle last week. MikeD74T

 

[davemhughes]

After cooking with wood and charcoal for 20+ years I also bought a big 4 burner Weber grill. I experienced the same thing.......3 months later I am finally getting the hang of this gas cooking grill. IMHO.....it just takes time to learn to cook on a gas grill when you have been use to charcoal. Sounds like a great excuse to grill more.

 

[goaliedad]

Not sure if this will help, but it can't hurt- with the new LP as tanks there is a possible problem with high demand- there is some sort of flow restriction in the valve- turn the tank off, then slightly crack it open, wait a little while then open it all the way. I was told to do this with a small space heater. Haven't used it yet, but food for thought.

 

[JoeL4330]

coat the steak with olive oil before grilling

 

[cp1969]

The steak itself probably makes more difference than anything. It's getting hard to find good meat these days. It seems to me like our old charcoal grill did a better job but it was such a PITA. I'm tempted to get one of these outdoor firepots and try cooking over firewood.

FWIW, Ruth's Chris Steak House says they cook their steaks at 1800 degrees...I don't know if that's what makes their steaks so good, but they are good.

 

[johnk]

Give me the good ole charcoal. I save the gas grill for the reheats when the company arrives.......Just kidding. I use the gas grill quite a bit cause it's a lot easier but the food sure tastes better when I cook on charcoal. A lot of the new and better grills, Weber etc have the flame bars over the burners so they can't flare up. Good in some circumstances but poor for others. Enjoy your new grill............Happy New Year...

 

[Chuck52]

Does your grill even allow direct flame to reach the meat? Some gas grills are designed so that the gas heats a grid, which then does the cooking, and the flames aren't supposed to reach the meat. I've got one that lets the flames through, and I've been pretty happy with it. However, after just one year the burners are somewhat stopped up so that the heated area is much less uniform than when it was new. I've tried cleaning out the little holes in the burners with a wire brush without much luck. I may end up using a wire to clean each individual hole.

Chuck

 

[John D]

Anthony check the hose. I have the same grill and when I first used it when I would roll the bottle back in under it was pinching the hose double and slowed the flow. I twisted the bottle and it made all the dif. jb

 

[Highbeam]

I'm with goalidad. I think you popped the high flow safety device in these new fangled propane tanks. You probably did it when opening the tanks gate valve the first time. If you open it too fast and have a bunch of downstream hose to fill, as you do with all those valves and that side burner, you can actually here the little device click in place to limit gas flow to a trickle. I have done this several times on my old gas grill and the amount of propane admitted by the triggered safety device is just enough to create a flame along the entire burner but it would make an awful steak.

Turn off the propane tank, wait a second, then slowly open the tank and relight the flame.

 

[Jimbrown]

I had a charbroil grill and had exactly the same problem. It just would not get hot enough to cook steaks correctly. Mine was one that had the square burners in it. I fianlly just threw it away and bought a different make of grill and the new one cooks fine. The one I have now happens to be a Brinkmann but i don't claim it is the best just far better than the charbroil ever was.

 

[Volfandt]

1st thing I add on a grill that doesn't come with one is a temp gauge. I'm gonna guess that your grill came with one but my smoker and other charcoal grill didn't so I added one.

when I 1st changed over to gas it took me awihle to learn the nuances of this new fangled maethod of cook'n the meat.

What I discovered was to start and run the burners on high until the temp hits max. The lid is closed during this process also.
Once it hits the highest setting I then know that the grill surface is hot enough to "brand" the meat. Leaving the settings still on high, I go about 2 to 3 minutes on side one then flip. Then I crank the flames down to between medium & low. Another 2 to 3 minutes then it's back to the other side but at the opposite angle to get that cross hatch thing going. 3 to 5 minutes later it gets flipped just once more to get that crosshatch on the other side.

This usually gets me a medium well on a 1" thick piece of meat.

 

[anthonyk]

I appreciate all the tips!
As far as flow goes, I'm not using a bottle. I plumbed it right into my 500 gallon propane tank, so that should alleviate that concern (I hope).
As for some of the other questions, it is one of those grills where the flame can't hit the meat. It's sort of under a cover, if you will, but at least the drippings don't clog the burners.
I preheat the thing for 45 minutes sometimes, but the temp gauge (don't know how accurate it really is) never gets above 500 degrees, and that's with all the burners lit and the grill closed!
I've been grilling with it open, as I was advised to, so I hope that's right. I figured with it closed it would dry out the steak even more.
I'm just not sure that it's truly hot enough.
anthony

 

[anthonyk]

oh, and by the way, JohnK, your pictures looked great!

Now I really wanna get this thing working!

anthony

 

[johnk]

Spiders are also famous for laying webs and they get in the orfices that could restrict the flow. Pull the burner turn on the valve and make sure you have good flow. If not, take the fitting off the end of the valve that the burner goes over and check for obstuctions...

 

[HGM]

I appreciate all the tips!
As far as flow goes, I'm not using a bottle. I plumbed it right into my 500 gallon propane tank, so that should alleviate that concern (I hope).
As for some of the other questions, it is one of those grills where the flame can't hit the meat. It's sort of under a cover, if you will, but at least the drippings don't clog the burners.
I preheat the thing for 45 minutes sometimes, but the temp gauge (don't know how accurate it really is) never gets above 500 degrees, and that's with all the burners lit and the grill closed!
I've been grilling with it open, as I was advised to, so I hope that's right. I figured with it closed it would dry out the steak even more.
I'm just not sure that it's truly hot enough.
anthony

Well, you just answered my questions..... I do just as you say here, preheat(lid down) until the lid is smokin hot, then put the meat on the hotest parts of the grill(lid up).. I'll usually give it about 3-5min on each side and I'm done.. All with the burners on high.. If its a cold day, I may even leave them on preheat...I never cook a steak with the lid down, it will cook internally much too quick, long before it browns....

It sounds to me like you have a flow problem..

 

[Highbeam]

So the regulator on your propane tank or your home is set to provide a particular low pressure of propane to your home appliances. This pressure may not be the same as your barbecue is expecting. Is there a way you can temporarily hook up a bottle to the barbecue? Does the barbecue have its own pressure regulator right close to where it hooks to the house?

Big propane tanks make the same pressure in the tank as little ones but at least you now have eliminated the highflow safety device from the list.

500 is too cold. You might as well hold your Zippo under it.

 

[randy41]

I've got a barbecue grillware grill that i got at lowes last spring...it was a leftover from the previous season and i paid $38 for it. its got 2 burners. it cooks my steaks real good...i preheat it on high with the lid down then turn down the burners to low and drop the steaks on and close the lid. turn them over after a few minutes (depends on thickness) and leave them till they look good. my mouth is watering just thinking about it (pavlovian). no temperature gauge.

preheating for 45 minutes is wasting gas. 5-10 should do it. is the flame blue at all levels? if not you need to adjust the venturi thing.