| Rock grates are usually located above
the burner and below the cooking grids. They are used to hold the lava
rock or ceramic briquettes that catch the drippings from fat and sauces.
When buying replacement rock grates,
remember that the critical dimension is front-to-back. Grates can be an
inch or more narrower (side-to-side) and still be fully functional. Heat
plates/Flame Tamers can also be narrower as long as they are wide enough
to cover the burner. Measure the front-to-back support area in your
grill to determine the minimum and maximum grate or heat plate depth for
your grill.
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 sufficient quantity, offer better 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", which
allows room for the rocks or briquettes) below the
cooking grids. The rock grates last much longer than most of the
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.
Also see:
Are lava rocks or ceramic briquettes better than metal heat plates?
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