ONE SYSTEM ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES
"Explore a plethora of grilling possibilities with the Gourmet BBQ System. Grill anything from pizza, casseroles, or even an early morning breakfast - all from the comfort of your backyard."
I do a lot of digging around on YouTube, Reddit, different BBQ related Facebook groups, etc. and from the research I've done, I've found that the old school Weber Kettle 22 inch grill is the most versatile grill you can have in your arsenal. The Weber itself is super basic, and can start as low as $109 at any given big box store, and they have several different options to choose from ranging all the way up to the Mack Daddy Weber Performer Deluxe that will set you back a cool $439. And even though the Performer Deluxe has all the bells and whistles, what makes this cooker so special, and downright nasty in the world of grilling and BBQ, is the aggressive and rapid growing Weber accessory market. And what better place to start than with Weber's very own best seller, the Weber Gourmet BBQ System.
If you're a Weber Kettle owner, this is definitely an accessory you need to own. The Gourmet BBQ System is a series of different replaceable accessories that fits into the middle section of the 22' Cooking Grate. The other accessories won't work without this, so that has to be priority numero uno. The grate itself is sort of heavy and clunky, and nothing to write home about on its own. The sides lift up for charcoal access, but as far as cooking on this directly, it can be a pain because of all the moving parts. However, that's not why you buy this grill grate! You buy it to throw one of the 6 middle section replacements.
And on this Product Review, we are going to focus on one in particular, the Sear Grate.
I got this as one of my Christmas gifts and boy, let me tell you. This may be the gift of the century because I've made some banging steaks on it twice now!! It has taken my steak presentation to the next level. This accessory is in direct competition with something like the GrillGrate or any other presentation based grill grate. From talking to SCA members and other steak enthusiast, what the GrillGrate makes up for in presentation, it lacks in setting that flavor onto the meat itself because it is indirectly cooking.
This is where the Weber Sear Grate shines. I personally chose to set my charcoal inside my Vortex (Product Review coming soon...) and cook directly over the flaming hot coals. I've tried it with the Vortex small side up, and large side up, and large side up fit the area of the Sear Grate perfectly. This would be my preferred method for sure. The grate itself is porcelain-enameled, cast-iron which makes its super heavy duty. I had the coals up to around 600° and this bad boy had no problems.
I sprayed the grate with some cooking spray, let it burn off for a second, and set the steaks on. After 3 minutes, I flipped and basted on some garlic and herb butter as a finisher. After another 3 minutes, I pulled them onto an indirect cooling rack to finish coming up to temperature, checking often as not to overcook my steaks.
Once I reached 125° I pulled them off the grill, and let them rest on my cutting board. After about 10 minutes, we were ready to dig in. I cannot tell you how simple it was getting perfect sear marks. No flipping at particular angles to get that cross hatched sear, etc. Just one flip and done! And, check out that seasoned gristle! That's what you're looking for in a steak: good presentation, a bit of a crunch, while still being tender. All in all I would HIGHLY recommend the Weber Sear Grate to anyone looking to take their cooks to the next level.
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