Hi all,

Just picked up a Jenn Air 461P (Vermont Castings) grill from Lowes...
has the porcelain coated cast iron grates on it.

Only used it once since picking it up a couple of days ago, but I
wanted to ask about the grates... Before buying I read that the PCI
grates were excellent for searing & not sticking to the food.

I cooked some burgers (stuffed with Bleu cheese on the grill...
Heated it up to around 450 for 20 minutes or so... Put the burgers
on, dropped the lid. Flipped after a little over 4 minutes.

The burgers had nice sear marks on them, but when I flipped them each
one stuck to the grate to some degree or another - which I wasn't
expecting.

Do I need to oil the grate up before cooking, or will the sticking
lessen as I use it over & over?

Any tips appreciated!

(Alex Ferguson) wrote in
m:

> Hi all,
>
> Just picked up a Jenn Air 461P (Vermont Castings) grill from Lowes...
> has the porcelain coated cast iron grates on it.
>
> Only used it once since picking it up a couple of days ago, but I
> wanted to ask about the grates... Before buying I read that the PCI
> grates were excellent for searing & not sticking to the food.
>
> I cooked some burgers (stuffed with Bleu cheese on the grill...
> Heated it up to around 450 for 20 minutes or so... Put the burgers
> on, dropped the lid. Flipped after a little over 4 minutes.
>
> The burgers had nice sear marks on them, but when I flipped them each
> one stuck to the grate to some degree or another - which I wasn't
> expecting.
>
> Do I need to oil the grate up before cooking, or will the sticking
> lessen as I use it over & over?
>
> Any tips appreciated!
>

My grill has PCI grates and I love them, but it ain't teflon! I usually
coat the meat itself with oil or a spray of pam. Works every time.

--
Wayne in Phoenix

*If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
*A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

(Alex Ferguson) wrote in
m:

> Hi all,
>
> Just picked up a Jenn Air 461P (Vermont Castings) grill from Lowes...
> has the porcelain coated cast iron grates on it.
>
> Only used it once since picking it up a couple of days ago, but I
> wanted to ask about the grates... Before buying I read that the PCI
> grates were excellent for searing & not sticking to the food.
>
> I cooked some burgers (stuffed with Bleu cheese on the grill...
> Heated it up to around 450 for 20 minutes or so... Put the burgers
> on, dropped the lid. Flipped after a little over 4 minutes.
>
> The burgers had nice sear marks on them, but when I flipped them each
> one stuck to the grate to some degree or another - which I wasn't
> expecting.
>
> Do I need to oil the grate up before cooking, or will the sticking
> lessen as I use it over & over?
>
> Any tips appreciated!
>

My grill has PCI grates and I love them, but it ain't teflon! I usually
coat the meat itself with oil or a spray of pam. Works every time.

--
Wayne in Phoenix

*If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
*A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

I like PAM, after years of resistance. It is just canola oil, which
tolerates high heat better than olive oil.

"JK" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 15:49:13 GMT, Wayne > wrote:
>
> (Alex Ferguson) wrote in
> om:
> >
> >> Hi all,
> >>
> >> Just picked up a Jenn Air 461P (Vermont Castings) grill from Lowes...
> >> has the porcelain coated cast iron grates on it.
> >>
> >> Only used it once since picking it up a couple of days ago, but I
> >> wanted to ask about the grates... Before buying I read that the PCI
> >> grates were excellent for searing & not sticking to the food.
> >>
> >> I cooked some burgers (stuffed with Bleu cheese on the grill...
> >> Heated it up to around 450 for 20 minutes or so... Put the burgers
> >> on, dropped the lid. Flipped after a little over 4 minutes.
> >>
> >> The burgers had nice sear marks on them, but when I flipped them each
> >> one stuck to the grate to some degree or another - which I wasn't
> >> expecting.
> >>
> >> Do I need to oil the grate up before cooking, or will the sticking
> >> lessen as I use it over & over?
> >>
> >> Any tips appreciated!
> >>
> >
> >My grill has PCI grates and I love them, but it ain't teflon! I usually
> >coat the meat itself with oil or a spray of pam. Works every time.
>
> I am not real fond of Pam. I don't know why. It is just a thing with
> me. I would rather fold up a paper towel and put a little Olive Oil on
> it an then rub on the grates. I think it sticks better and adds to the
> seasoning on the grates.
>
> I rubbed mine with Olive oil before the first cook and have not had a
> problem since then. I always turn on the burners full and heat them up
> real good (get the grill to 500) before putting the meat on. The cast
> iron will maintain a hot enough temp after you open the lid to cool it
> down to your target grill temp and scrape and brush of any gunk. The
> grates stay hot enough to mark and release the meat when it is ready
> to turn. Just a good scraping and brushing to get all the gunk off but
> not a hard cleaning that will rub the season off them. Preheating the
> grates is the key, I think.
>
> You get GREAT grill marks with those Weber PCCI grates.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Yesterday: Ten bone in Chicken breasts for the week and a big sirloin
> steak for lunch on the Silver C. Veggies with ranch on the side.
>
> A packet of Oak pellets in the flavorizers worked but not good enough.
> (still experimenting in that aspect of gasser cooking.) Will try a
> foil packet of chips next time.

I like PAM, after years of resistance. It is just canola oil, which
tolerates high heat better than olive oil.

"JK" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 15:49:13 GMT, Wayne > wrote:
>
> (Alex Ferguson) wrote in
> om:
> >
> >> Hi all,
> >>
> >> Just picked up a Jenn Air 461P (Vermont Castings) grill from Lowes...
> >> has the porcelain coated cast iron grates on it.
> >>
> >> Only used it once since picking it up a couple of days ago, but I
> >> wanted to ask about the grates... Before buying I read that the PCI
> >> grates were excellent for searing & not sticking to the food.
> >>
> >> I cooked some burgers (stuffed with Bleu cheese on the grill...
> >> Heated it up to around 450 for 20 minutes or so... Put the burgers
> >> on, dropped the lid. Flipped after a little over 4 minutes.
> >>
> >> The burgers had nice sear marks on them, but when I flipped them each
> >> one stuck to the grate to some degree or another - which I wasn't
> >> expecting.
> >>
> >> Do I need to oil the grate up before cooking, or will the sticking
> >> lessen as I use it over & over?
> >>
> >> Any tips appreciated!
> >>
> >
> >My grill has PCI grates and I love them, but it ain't teflon! I usually
> >coat the meat itself with oil or a spray of pam. Works every time.
>
> I am not real fond of Pam. I don't know why. It is just a thing with
> me. I would rather fold up a paper towel and put a little Olive Oil on
> it an then rub on the grates. I think it sticks better and adds to the
> seasoning on the grates.
>
> I rubbed mine with Olive oil before the first cook and have not had a
> problem since then. I always turn on the burners full and heat them up
> real good (get the grill to 500) before putting the meat on. The cast
> iron will maintain a hot enough temp after you open the lid to cool it
> down to your target grill temp and scrape and brush of any gunk. The
> grates stay hot enough to mark and release the meat when it is ready
> to turn. Just a good scraping and brushing to get all the gunk off but
> not a hard cleaning that will rub the season off them. Preheating the
> grates is the key, I think.
>
> You get GREAT grill marks with those Weber PCCI grates.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Yesterday: Ten bone in Chicken breasts for the week and a big sirloin
> steak for lunch on the Silver C. Veggies with ranch on the side.
>
> A packet of Oak pellets in the flavorizers worked but not good enough.
> (still experimenting in that aspect of gasser cooking.) Will try a
> foil packet of chips next time.

You have to oil it first, with any kind of oil rubbed on the grate. This is
true for any porcelain grate. Also oil anything you are cooking, even steak,
rubbed on very thinly.

"Alex Ferguson" > wrote in message
m...
> Hi all,
>
> Just picked up a Jenn Air 461P (Vermont Castings) grill from Lowes...
> has the porcelain coated cast iron grates on it.
>
> Only used it once since picking it up a couple of days ago, but I
> wanted to ask about the grates... Before buying I read that the PCI
> grates were excellent for searing & not sticking to the food.
>
> I cooked some burgers (stuffed with Bleu cheese on the grill...
> Heated it up to around 450 for 20 minutes or so... Put the burgers
> on, dropped the lid. Flipped after a little over 4 minutes.
>
> The burgers had nice sear marks on them, but when I flipped them each
> one stuck to the grate to some degree or another - which I wasn't
> expecting.
>
> Do I need to oil the grate up before cooking, or will the sticking
> lessen as I use it over & over?
>
> Any tips appreciated!

You have to oil it first, with any kind of oil rubbed on the grate. This is
true for any porcelain grate. Also oil anything you are cooking, even steak,
rubbed on very thinly.

"Alex Ferguson" > wrote in message
m...
> Hi all,
>
> Just picked up a Jenn Air 461P (Vermont Castings) grill from Lowes...
> has the porcelain coated cast iron grates on it.
>
> Only used it once since picking it up a couple of days ago, but I
> wanted to ask about the grates... Before buying I read that the PCI
> grates were excellent for searing & not sticking to the food.
>
> I cooked some burgers (stuffed with Bleu cheese on the grill...
> Heated it up to around 450 for 20 minutes or so... Put the burgers
> on, dropped the lid. Flipped after a little over 4 minutes.
>
> The burgers had nice sear marks on them, but when I flipped them each
> one stuck to the grate to some degree or another - which I wasn't
> expecting.
>
> Do I need to oil the grate up before cooking, or will the sticking
> lessen as I use it over & over?
>
> Any tips appreciated!

On your next attempt, try swabbing the grill with peanut oil which has a
much higher temp before smoking. Helps to keep the meat from sticking.
This was demonstrated to me by a chef who specializes in bbq's.

Alex Ferguson wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Just picked up a Jenn Air 461P (Vermont Castings) grill from Lowes...
> has the porcelain coated cast iron grates on it.
>
> Only used it once since picking it up a couple of days ago, but I
> wanted to ask about the grates... Before buying I read that the PCI
> grates were excellent for searing & not sticking to the food.
>
> I cooked some burgers (stuffed with Bleu cheese on the grill...
> Heated it up to around 450 for 20 minutes or so... Put the burgers
> on, dropped the lid. Flipped after a little over 4 minutes.
>
> The burgers had nice sear marks on them, but when I flipped them each
> one stuck to the grate to some degree or another - which I wasn't
> expecting.
>
> Do I need to oil the grate up before cooking, or will the sticking
> lessen as I use it over & over?
>
> Any tips appreciated!

On your next attempt, try swabbing the grill with peanut oil which has a
much higher temp before smoking. Helps to keep the meat from sticking.
This was demonstrated to me by a chef who specializes in bbq's.

Alex Ferguson wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Just picked up a Jenn Air 461P (Vermont Castings) grill from Lowes...
> has the porcelain coated cast iron grates on it.
>
> Only used it once since picking it up a couple of days ago, but I
> wanted to ask about the grates... Before buying I read that the PCI
> grates were excellent for searing & not sticking to the food.
>
> I cooked some burgers (stuffed with Bleu cheese on the grill...
> Heated it up to around 450 for 20 minutes or so... Put the burgers
> on, dropped the lid. Flipped after a little over 4 minutes.
>
> The burgers had nice sear marks on them, but when I flipped them each
> one stuck to the grate to some degree or another - which I wasn't
> expecting.
>
> Do I need to oil the grate up before cooking, or will the sticking
> lessen as I use it over & over?
>
> Any tips appreciated!

"JimBob" > wrote in message
...
> On your next attempt, try swabbing the grill with peanut oil which has a
> much higher temp before smoking. Helps to keep the meat from sticking.
> This was demonstrated to me by a chef who specializes in bbq's.

I'd suggest grape seed oil. Even higher smoke point.

"JimBob" > wrote in message
...
> On your next attempt, try swabbing the grill with peanut oil which has a
> much higher temp before smoking. Helps to keep the meat from sticking.
> This was demonstrated to me by a chef who specializes in bbq's.

I'd suggest grape seed oil. Even higher smoke point.