Grilling is a fantastic way to prepare food. When you have the added bonus of cooking in the great outdoors, it all adds to a lovely group eating experience.
There are many features that people look at for their grills, but today we are concentrating on grills with cast iron grates.
The best gas grill with cast iron grates will provide enough heat to get a great sear on all your food and should be durable enough to get many years of usage.
Today, the grills we will look at are:
- Char-Broil Performance 300 2-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill
- Char-Broil Performance Stainless Steel 4-Burner Gas Grill
- Cuisinart CGG-7400
- Weber Spirit II E-310
- Weber Spirit II E210
List Of Gas Grill With Cast Iron Grates
- Char-Broil Performance 300 2-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill
- Char-Broil Performance Stainless Steel 4-Burner Gas Grill
- Cuisinart CGG-7400
- Weber Spirit II E-310
- Weber Spirit II E-210
Comparison Chart For Best Gas Grill With Cast Iron Grates
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | |
|---|---|---|
  | our Top Pick Char-Broil Performance 300 2-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill
| |
  | Char-Broil Performance Stainless Steel 4-Burner Gas Grill
| |
  | Cuisinart CGG-7400
| |
  | Weber Spirit II E-310
| |
  | Weber Spirit II E-210
|
5 Best Gas Grills With Cast Iron Grates Reviews
1. Char-Broil Performance 300 2-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill
What are you looking for from your grill?Suppose it is value for money while also offering you the chance to do more than just the most basic grilling. In that case, the Char-Broil Performance 300 2-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill is a fantastic option coming in cheaper than the Weber Genesis grills with similar features.
Yes, this is a small gas grill designed for those on a budget, but it doesn’t have the look or feel of a budget grill. Additionally, it comes with extra features that you wouldn’t ordinarily find when looking for a budget option.
Key features include the cast iron cooking grate, which is covered in porcelain. This ensures the longevity of the product.
You’ll also find four casters that allow you to place the grill in convenient locations. The low placement of the two burners means that the grill takes a bit of time to get to the cooking temperature. However, you can negate the effects of wind by utilizing the casters to move to a sheltered position.
Safety has been considered, with the grill having a feature that prevents it from exceeding a 300F temperature. If you need higher temps, you can get around this by opening the tank valve before turning the grill’s burners on.
2. Char-Broil Performance Stainless Steel 4-Burner Gas Grill
If you like the Char-Broil Performance 300, but want some extra space to cook on and additional burners, then this 4-Burner propane grill should be considered.
Like the Performance 300, it is a grill that offers value for money both in its initial price and the overall fuel consumption. Additionally, owning a grill with porcelain-coated cast-iron grates should mean you won’t need a replacement grill for a good few years.
When assessing a gas grill on sale, consider the number of cooking styles it allows.Convection cooking, cooking using indirect heat, and low-temperature grilling are all possibilities with the Char-Broil grill.
Let’s for a moment discuss the cooking grates. One of the aesthetic aspects of grilling is seeing the burn marks on meat and vegetables left by the grate. These cast-iron grates retain and distribute a lot of heat, allowing for great charring and additional flavor with the foods.
Four burners mean a lot of heat can be generated – combined, they offer 36,000 BTU in total. The lid includes a mounted temperature gauge so you can keep an eye on the heat when pre-heating and cooking. This feature definitely helps in getting the perfect cook.
3. Cuisinart CGG-7400
With plenty of cooking space and four burners, the Cuisinart CGG-7400 is certainly comparable to the Char-Broil Performance 4-Burner Gas Grill. Therefore it makes sense to see how it matches up against that grill in particular.
Heat-wise, the Cuisinart CGG-7400 is superior in that its four burners offer a total of 44,000 BTUs between them. That’s an extra 8000 BTUs of cooking heat.
You also get a smidge more cooking space, with 443sq inches for your primary cooking (an extra 17sq inches) and a 167sq inch warming rack (also an additional 17sq inches) compared to the Char-Broil.
Two side tables of 18×13 inches offer plenty of room to work with or keep your cooking utensils and ingredients.
The remarkable thing about this grill is that it is actually lighter despite all the extra it has compared to the four-burner Char-Broil grill. If you want an easy-to-move portable gas grill with cast iron grates, this is a high-ranking option.
If you love ramping up the temperature, getting a great sear on your meat, you’ll be happy to know that this grill will get to 550F under the right conditions.
Furthermore, cooking times are reduced when comparing Cuisinart grills to traditional ones. This time saving can be anything up to 50%.
Finally, the temperature controls allow you to create different cooking zones. You can have a couple of burners ramped up high, while the others can be doing a low flame job.
4. Weber Spirit II E-310
The first point of note with the Weber Spirit II E-310 is the gimmicked porcelain-coated cast iron grill grates.
Unlike more basic grill models, these cooking grates are reversible, meaning you can cook with them using either side. This feature really is a well-thought-out one that we are surprised isn’t included on all grills.
The Weber grill grate has a thinner side and a thicker side. The thinner side can be used for more delicate dishes and the thicker side for your steaks and other heavy meats that you want to get a nice char on. Weber has created a grate that offers fantastic flexibility.
A criticism of the Cuisinart grill was that the automatic lighter is occasionally unreliable. Our testing shows the Weber Spirit II E-310 to have an ignition that works much more efficiently.
You’ll also find the grill heats evenly and very quickly once the ignition has started.
Cleaning can be a hassle on some cast iron gas grills, but the way this one has been designed with the grease funneled towards a removable grease tray lets you get cleaning jobs done quickly.
With three burners offering 30,000 BTU, this grill is a great alternative for anyone who wants more than the two burners offered by the Char-Broil Performance 300. It’s also an alternative to the Char-Broil Performance 4 Burner or the Cuisinart CGG-7400 if you don’t want four burners.
5. Weber Spirit II E-210
The Weber Spirit II E-210 is essentially a smaller version of the previous cast iron propane grill on this list, the Weber Spirit II E-310.
This grill comes with two burners rather than three burners. While there are fewer burners available, the amount of heat generated by each burner is actually more than the Weber Spirit II E-310. That Weber model generates a total of 30,000 BTU across its three burners, whereas the E-210 generates 26,500 across its two.
Just like the E-310, this grill features porcelain-covered cast-iron grates that are reversible. You’ll be able to cook on a thin side or a thick side, depending on the type of food being cooked. This alone makes us consider the grill overall superior to the Char-Broil Performance 300. However, you will have to pay more for this Weber grill than you would for the Char-Broil.
In terms of cooking space, the E-210 has 360sq inches of primary cooking space and 90sq inches for warming. Overall, this is 60 more primary cooking square inchesthan you would get with the Char-Broil. The warming space is 10 square inches less.
Gas Grill with Cast Iron Grates Buying Guide
If you want the best gas grill with cast iron grates, take a look at these features when making a decision.
Bare Cast Iron Or Porcelain Coated
This article is about grills with cast iron grates, so this seems like a logical first point to make.
With cast-iron grates, you know you are always going to get fantastic heat retention. Visually, as well, you will get wonderful grill marks on whatever you are cooking.
However, an issue with cast iron can be that it is hard to clean and that food will stick to it if it hasn’t been well seasoned.
For this reason, we suggest looking at porcelain-coated grates. They will help achieve a non-stick cook without losing the heat retention and meat searing properties. The non-stick coating will also aid cleaning.
Be aware that dropping the grate will damage the porcelain, and over time this will come away from the grate.
Grate Features
Specifically, look at the gap between grates.
A key criticism some have of the Char-Broil cast iron grates is that the gap between grates is large. This gap impacts cooking in two ways. Firstly, you may not get as nice charring on the food as you would with grates with smaller gaps, and secondly, food can drop between the grates. It may not be a huge amount of food that gets lost, but it can be annoying.
Another feature with a more positive side is the ‘double-sided’ grate. This feature is specific to the Weber grills we looked at. It allows you to use a thin side for delicate items such as fish or a thicker side for heavy items such as a huge steak.
Price
Your budget may determine the type of grill you have to go for.
While Weber may be the best brand out there, their grills come at an extra cost. If possible, we’d suggest saving for a Weber grill because they come with a 10-year guarantee, which means the higher price balances itself in the long term. With other grills, you will more likely than not have to replace them at least once before you have to replace a Weber.
When considering the price, consider how much use you will get out of the grill. Suppose you are only going to be grilling very occasionally. Is it worth spending a lot of money on something that will spend most of the year sitting outside doing nothing?
Cooking Space
The number of burners doesn’t necessarily mean you will have a lot more cooking space. For example, the Char-Broil Performance Stainless Steel 4-Burner Gas Grill offers 575 square inches of cooking space (primary and warming combined) across 4 burners. In comparison, the Weber Spirit II E-310 offers 529 square inches across only 3. That’s not a huge difference.
So how much space do you actually need?
Consider that 500 square inches can accommodate 24 burgers.
Therefore, you can expect the Cuisinart CGG-7400 and Char-Broil Performance Stainless Steel 4-Burner Gas Grill to offer enough primary cooking space for 20 burgers. The Char-Broil Performance 300 2-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill should have enough space for 14 burgers, as should the Weber Spirit II E-210.
Heat Output
Put as simply as possible, the higher the BTU of the grill, the more powerful it is.
If you want a grill to reach the temperatures needed to make a great steak, you need to ensure it can get high temperatures.
To start with, you need to check the BTU per square inch is high enough. Ideally, you want between 80-100 BTU per square inch of cooking space.That makes the Char-Broil Performance 300 2-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill perfect for a steak, taking this factor alone, as it offers 80BTU per square inch.
However, you should also consider the full temperature range. Low temperatures, such as those used for smoking meats, may not be possible unless you have good temperature controls like Weber grills.
FAQ
Are Cast Iron Grill Grates Better?
If you have a choice between cast iron grill grates or stainless steel grates, then both have advantages.
Pitmasters around the world will tell you that grilling is an art form, and you can’t create incredible art without the right equipment.
Cast iron grill grates tend to be long-lasting. You will also get better non-stick properties, especially if you have seasoned the cast iron properly in the early stages of owning the grill.
By way of contrast, you are less likely to get rust on a stainless steel grate. Additionally, stainless steel is an easier material to get clean.
Additionally, cast iron grates will retain heat very nicely and transfer the heat to get a great sear on meats. This cooking feature would lead us to choose cast iron grills grates over stainless steel for any grill barbecue.
Which Is Better, Porcelain Or Cast Iron Grill Grates?
Both porcelain-coated cast-iron grates and non-coated cast iron grates work well.
Whether porcelain is coated or not, the cast iron will retain and distribute very effectively.
Which is better for you depends on the amount of time you are prepared to give is getting cast iron seasoned.
Seasoning improves the non-stick properties of cast iron and can help enhance the flavors of cooking.
If you don’t want to spend time seasoning cast iron, opt for the porcelain-coated grates. But should you be happy to season, there’s no reason not to go for uncoated cast iron.
What Is The Best Gas Grill On The Market?
Overall, Weber has a reputation for producing the best gas grill, especially for those seeking affordable products. They also provide some ‘smart’ accessories that bring grilling into the 21st century.
However, if you are looking for a high-budget, high-end grill, Hestan is a brand that can give Weber a run for their money.
Are Weber Grills Really That Much Better?
Weber is considered a superior brand for grills, and that is, of course, reflected in the price.
However, if you’ve ever purchased a cheap, inferior grill, you’ll know that you’ll be lucky to get more than a couple of years of good usage out of it. Rust will set in, and you will need a new grill.
A Weber grill will last much longer. Most come with a ten-year warranty but can last much longer than that.
Additionally, Weber grills perform better for longer. A lot of this comes down to the extra labor and higher-grade materials used. The effort that has gone into the design of Weber grills is clearly reflected in features. Examples include the double-sided grate for more cooking options and grease channels that remove grease more effectively.
Conclusion
Sure, you could look for grills at Home Depot, but why do that when we’ve found 5 of the best gas grills with cast iron grates Amazon has to offer?
Remember, features such as the overall cooking space and the power of the burners are vital. They will determine how much you can cook and the type of cooking you can do.
Another major decision you will have is whether you want a cast iron grate with a porcelain coating or not. That coating can be very convenient, especially if you want a non-stick, easy to clean grill grate.
