The upgrade that changes the marks more than the barbecue does · review
A reversible porcelain-coated grid — pointed for sear marks, concave to vaporize the juices.
What we would actually buy The only reversible grate here — a pointed side for sear marks and a concave side that catches the fat and vaporizes it. It is also one grid of 108 square inches, not a set, which is the thing to read before buying.
One cooking grid. Not a set.
At 17.5 × 6.17 inches that is about 108 square inches, and a three-burner Baron or Crown takes three of them — so the real cost is around $63 for 324 square inches.
Against the rest of this shelf:
So this is not the entry price it looks like. The genuine cheap option on this shelf is the Direct Store three-grid set.
A pointed side and a concave side, cast into one grid.
And both reasons given are mechanically right.
The pointed side concentrates contact pressure on a narrow apex. That is what makes a dark, hard sear line rather than a wide grey band — the same reason a hot pan browns better than a warm one.
The concave side is the more interesting one. Channel juices and promote vaporization.
On a round or flat bar, dripping fat falls straight through to the burner below. A concave bar is a shallow trough: it catches the fat, holds it on hot cast iron, and the fat vaporizes there and rises back up through the food.
That is where grill flavor comes from. No other grate on this shelf is designed for it.
Steaks on the pointed side. Chicken thighs and sausages on the concave side.
QuliMetal, a few dollars above this, states flatly that bare cast iron outperform[s] enamel-coated versions in heat retention, durability, and searing ability and won’t chip or rust easily.
The first half is defensible. Bare iron touches food directly with no glass layer, so it sears harder, and there is no coating to chip.
The last three words are not. Bare cast iron rusts — that is its one weakness. The two listings on this shelf that publish detailed anti-rust routines, COGRICHBF and KAMaster, are both for bare and coated iron respectively, and QuliMetal publishes none at all.
Porcelain coating trades a little searing for food release, easy cleaning and no rust. Its weakness is chipping, and a chip rusts.
No listing here publishes a casting thickness, so the weight and area stand in for it:
Thickness is stored heat, which is what keeps a grate hot when cold food lands on it. This grid is well up that list for twenty-one dollars.
No care instructions, where COGRICHBF publishes a standing-water limit and KAMaster six numbered anti-rust tips.
No warranty. Four bullets — the fewest on this shelf.
And it fits Broil King Baron and Crown only. For any other grill, nothing on this page applies.
On sale at around $21 on the American Amazon store at the time of checking.
Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 4 October 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Quantity | ONE cooking grid — not a set |
|---|---|
| Size | 17.5 × 6.17 in — about 108 sq in |
| Reversible | Yes — the only grate on this shelf that is |
| Pointed side | For professional searing marks |
| Concave side | To channel juices and promote vaporization |
| Finish | Porcelain-coated cast iron |
| Fits | Broil King Baron 300/400/500 series 2013 and newer; Crown 300/400/500 series 2012 and newer |
| Weight | 1814 g (64 oz) |
| Metal per square inch | 16.8 g (0.6 oz) |
| Cost per square inch | $0.194 |
| Dimensions | 447 × 163 × 20 mm (17.6 × 6.42 × 0.79 in) |
| Cost for a three-grid grill | About $63 for 324 sq in — see the FAQ |
| Published bullets | Four, the fewest on this shelf |
| Care instructions | None published |
| Warranty | Not published by the maker |
| Amazon reference | B08NJ753L4 |
| EAN | 0626821112410 |
As many as your grill has grids, and the price only makes sense once you have counted. This listing is for one porcelain-coated cast iron grid measuring 17.5 × 6.17 inches — about 108 square inches. A three-burner Baron or Crown typically takes three of them, so the real cost is around $63 for 324 square inches, or nineteen cents an inch. For comparison on this shelf, the Direct Store three-grid set is $31.99 for 472 square inches — under seven cents an inch — and the COGRICHBF two-pack $35.99 for 450. So this is not the cheap option it looks like at $20.99. What it is, is the only grate here that gives you two cooking surfaces in one casting, and it is the correct part for a Broil King.
It turns dripping fat into smoke, which is where grill flavor comes from, and Broil King is the only maker here to design for it deliberately. The bullet says the concave side "channel[s] juices and promote[s] vaporization". On a round or flat bar, fat drips straight through onto the burner or the flavourizer below. A concave bar is a shallow trough: it catches the fat, holds it on hot cast iron, and the fat vaporizes there and rises back through the food. That is the mechanism behind the taste people associate with grilling. The pointed side does the opposite job — a narrow apex concentrates contact pressure, so it makes a dark hard sear line instead of a wide grey band. Two different cooks, one casting, flipped over.
It depends which failure you mind more, and one listing on this shelf picks a fight about it. QuliMetal states that bare "solid cast iron grill grates outperform enamel-coated versions in heat retention, durability, and searing ability. They won’t chip or rust easily." The first half is defensible: bare iron touches the food directly with no glass layer between, so it sears harder, and there is no coating to chip. The last three words are not — bare cast iron rusts, which is its one weakness, and the two listings here that publish detailed anti-rust routines are both for bare iron. Porcelain coating trades a little searing for food release, easier cleaning and no rust; its own weakness is chipping, and a chip rusts.
Close prices, same category: comparable cookware and knives. We keep only the specifications all of them publish, because a column with gaps compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Size | Weight | Cost per square inch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broil King 11241 Grid-Baron | $21 | 17.5 × 6.17 in — about 108 sq in | 1814 g (64 oz) | $0.194 |
| Lodge L15RCGT | $24 | 15 × 12 in | Not published by the maker | $0.133 |
| Direct Store DC121 | $32 | 16-7/8 × 9-5/16 in each; 16-7/8 × 27-15/16 in total — about 472 sq in | Not published by the maker | $0.068 — the lowest on this shelf |
| COGRICHBF G13 | $36 | 17 × 13-1/4 in each; 17 × 26-1/2 in total — about 450 sq in | Not published by the maker | $0.080 |
A Broil King Baron or Crown, where the reversible faces are worth buying several of
Amazon reports what buyers took in the month before this page was last checked: at least 50.
The figure is a floor, rounded by Amazon, and read through Keepa — it says what buyers picked, not what a maker claims.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for cookware and kitchen knives and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
A 21.5 in round cast iron cooking grate 0.5 in deep for 22 in kettle grills, with a porcelain enamel coating, for Weber Kettle, RecTeq Bullseye and barrel grills
A 21.5 in round cast iron grate for a 22-inch kettle, at 3629 g (128 oz) — the lightest casting here.
Best for: A 22-inch Weber kettle, if you want one solid casting rather than two half-moons
≈ $80
A 2-pack of matte cast iron cooking grates, 17 × 13-1/4 in each and 17 × 26-1/2 in in total, for Nexgrill, Charbroil, Expert Grill, Cuisinart, Kenmore, Members Mark, Uberhaus, Uniflame and K-Mart grills
Two matte bare cast iron grates totaling 450 square inches, with a published standing-water limit.
Best for: A Nexgrill or Expert Grill, for anyone willing to oil the grates after every cook
≈ $36
A set of three polished porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grids, 16-7/8 × 9-5/16 in each and 16-7/8 × 27-15/16 in in total, for Charbroil, Master Chef, Kenmore Sears, Backyard Grill and Thermos models
Three polished porcelain-coated grids totaling 472 square inches, the cheapest cast iron here.
Best for: A Charbroil or Kenmore — the cheapest complete set of cast iron grates on this shelf
≈ $32
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
