| Known variously as Heat Plates, Heat
Tents, Flame Tamers, Flavorizer Bars, Heat Diffusers, and Vaporizer
Bars, heat plates are metal plates of varying size and
shape that sit above the burner to prevent fat and drippings from
falling onto the burner, and, supposedly, vaporize the drippings. The quality and
longevity of heat plates can vary dramatically from one grill to
another. The cheapest plates may last no longer than a season. What
makes a better heat plate? Heavy gauge metal and good stainless
steel.
Those promoting rocks/briquettes over heat plates
believe that the drippings that fall onto the rocks vaporize better,
contributing to better flavor. Some, myself included, believe that
the rocks, when used in proper quantity, can do a better job of heat
distribution.
Many grills can be converted from heat tents/flame tamers
to rock grates quite easily. It is simply a matter of getting the grate
to sit securely in the grill a sufficient distance (about 3") below the
cooking grids. The rock grates last longer than most of the porcelain
steel heat plates common today and it's usually cheaper to replace grate
and rocks than the 3-to-6 individual heat plates common on today's
grills.
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Anatomy of a grill
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