This Might Be Why There Are Cold Spots On Your Grill
With hot days ahead for as long as the eye can see, it just makes sense to break out the grill and take advantage of the nice weather. During summer, 20% of Americans grill a handful of times each month, with 17% of that group barbecuing multiple times each week, per Statista. While a ton of people get outside and get cooking, not every element of this time-honored tradition comes easily. Choosing the wrong type of grilling method, skipping temperature checks, and even flipping your food too soon can spell disaster for any grillmaster. While these pitfalls can disappear with practice, one hidden element that can undo any great meal comes built-in to your grill.
Gas grills come with heat plate shields that diffuse the overall temperature throughout your apparatus (via Food Network). While they can't stop your grill from functioning, you definitely don't want to lose this feature, and many who experience cold spots have faulty heat plate shields to blame. When these triangular shields wear out after getting exposed to the elements for too long or simply get covered with grease, they stop diffusing heat evenly through the grill. This results in flare-ups and dead spots throughout your cooking range. Luckily, you can address this problem easily.
How to replace bad heat plate shields
To make matters worse, your brand-new gas grill might not even come with quality heat shields and you may opt to replace this part right off the bat, as Food Network suggests. You can easily pick up replacements that come coated with porcelain, meaning you can easily wipe off any debris that catches onto the shield, while their coating helps easily circulate heat through the grill. To get to this part, first, make sure you turn your gas line off (via Grillers Spot). Simply lift up the grill grate and individually remove any heat shields you see underneath. Make sure to clean these off from time to time to keep them in top shape. Wipe off any food from the area. You can put the new heat plates above the burners in the burner box, making sure they're secure.
If your burgers and hot dogs seem a bit off when they come off the grill, explore your cooking area for any cold spots caused by faulty heat plate shields. With a bit of know-how, you can get your grill back in shape and cooking with the best of them. Just make sure to stock up on food to throw on the fire, because once you get your cold spots fixed, you won't want to stop grilling.