Infrared & Gas Grill Combinations

Origins

• The original patent on combination gas and infrared grills was possessed by TEC. TEC filed a variety of patents related to this technology in the early 1980s. This meant that the company had a monopoly on this segment until the patent ran out in the year 2000. At this time, many other big-name grill manufacturing companies decided to start competing in the infrared market.

Infrared Heat

• Infrared grills use propane or natural gas to heat up ceramic heating elements instead of applying the gas fire directly to the food. When the fire is directly under a grill grate, the extremely hot air and hot metal grates cook the meat. Infrared elements cook food by conducting the heat directly into the food instead. This type of heating is called radiant heat.

Infrared and Gas Heat Combination

• Many barbecues are now available with more than one type of burner. On these types of grills, the main burner is still often a direct-heat gas powered flame. However, there is also a second rotisserie burner on these models. The even heating power of infrared elements makes them appropriate for rotisserie cooking. Gas barbecues designed for operation with a rotisserie unit are often equipped with a secondary infrared burner that applies heat directly to anything on the rotating spit.

Benefits

• Using infrared heat as either the primary grilling surface or as a secondary burner has benefits. First, the heat is more efficient, as there is less heat loss during the cooking process. Second, the food you cook often turns out juicier than when it is cooked with an equivalent gas flame. Regular grills have hot air continually rising past the food which dries it out. Infrared grills help seal all the natural moisture inside the object being cooked, which makes for juicy results.