How Does an Infrared Grill Work?

Since the invention of the iconic Weber grill in 1952, grilling technology has continued to evolve. Finding a gas, wood pellet, or charcoal grill that delivers incredible backyard results has never been easier.

But what if there was a grill that could cook food in half the time as other grills? A grill that can reach cooking temperatures well above 1000 degrees — while still keeping the meat juicy and tender?

The infrared grill brings convenience, flavor, and power to the grilling scene by using a radiant heat cooking system as opposed to the convection system on traditional gas grills

How does an infrared grill work? Let’s break down the technology behind infrared grilling, exploring what it is, how it works, and how you can use it to take your barbecuing to the next level.

What Is Infrared Technology in Grills?

In a conventional gas grill, the burner technology is called open flame because of the blue flames that come out of the burner port holes.. The flames gets dispersed from the heat plates or briquettes then to the cooking grates, which then cook the meat. In an infrared grill, the infrared technology does not use a heat disbursement system as it the infrared element radiates indirect heat to the food.

Let’s dig deeper into how this works.

How Infrared Grills Work

Infrared is a type of radiation, running on a similar wavelength to the microwave. Grills use these infrared waves to produce heat transfer through the radiation of heat energy.

Imagine standing in the sun or sitting by the fire, feeling the heat on your face. It’s the same kind of indirect heat energy that powers an infrared grill. Only with infrared technology, the radiation is much stronger and more concentrated.

That’s why when an infrared grill is lit, you’ll feel an intense heat. This infrared heat is concentrated directly onto the meat, producing faster cooking times and a more pronounced sear. It also delivers consistent heat across the grilling surface, minimizing the chance of hot or cold spots.

How are Infrared grills different from Traditional grills?

Traditional Grilling is also called Blue Flame Grilling. This where you actually see fire coming through the burner port holes. It requires a some sort of heat disbursement system to spread the fire that comes from the burners across the grilling surface to get even heat. Pre-heating times on these burners can range about 15-20 minutes. With infrared, the preheat is about 3 minutes and does need a any heat dispersing part as the heat radiates from the ceramic burner not flames. You do not have as much heat control with Infrared as you do with Traditional Grills. There is a learning curve.

Infrared Burner System Types

When deciding on an grill that has all infrared burners or has the option to add one, your first step should be determining the type of infrared burner that works with your grilling style.

There are two common types of infrared heat grills, each with its own unique design and range of cooking temperatures.

Ceramic Burner Systems

Ceramic infrared burner systems are by far the most common option on the market today. They feature a stainless steel burner topped with a ceramic honeycombed surface. The burner is positioned a few inches beneath the cooking grid.

This infrared grill design produces intensely hot flames that can reach a temperature range of 600 to over 1,000 degrees in a matter of minutes.

While it heats up quickly and reaches high temperatures, this burner type struggles to operate in the lower temperature range. Some brands say their burners can reach low temperatures but we found it’s best used for faster cooking, searing meat and sealing in juices. 

TEC Grilling System

The founder of infrared grills, TEC, had a long standing patent on the sear burner and were the only ones offering this in grills for many years. When the patent ran out, everyone jumped on the infrared bandwagon. Now, they reinvented the searing burner and created a new proprietary infrared burner system. The infrared TEC grill uses a radiant glass panel instead of ceramic.

In this system, the burner is topped by a radiant glass panel, which sits beneath the cooking grid. Due to its glass construction, these grills keep heat levels stable while still allowing you to reach lower temperatures of 200 degrees. While it can’t reach quite as high as ceramic systems, the range is still impressive — about 200 to 900 degrees.

Difference Between Infrared and Traditional Grills

Conventional grills, like gas and charcoal, cook primarily through convection. As the burning charcoal or gas flame heats up, the hot air rises and circulates beneath the hood of the grill, cooking your food.

An infrared system, however, doesn’t rely only on hot air as a heat source. Instead, it uses a heating element that sends infrared radiation directly into the food sitting on your grill grates.

Heating elements also heat the air, creating some convection. However, it doesn’t circulate the air as much as other grill types, which helps the food retain moisture as it cooks. In some types of infrared grills, like the heat emitter infrared system, dry air is deliberately funneled away from the meat for maximum moisture retention.

The next big difference is the temperature range. Conventional gas burners can reach high temperatures, but infrared grills create substantially greater temperatures. Some burner types can reach as high as 1,000 degrees. Most infrared burners can achieve at least a high of 800 degrees.

Benefits of This Type of Grill

Infrared grilling enthusiasts say that these grill types can elevate the grilling experience when used correctly. Here are some infrared grill advantages:

• Fast preheating times — as little as three to five minutes before you can start the cooking process.
• Even heat across the grilling surface, reducing the risk of cold and hot spots.
• Less heat is lost during cooking, making it more energy-efficient.
• Capacity to reach extremely high levels of heat, cooking your food much more quickly.
• Retaining more of the meat’s natural juices to produce more tender results.
• High-searing temperatures that produce restaurant-quality meats.
• Less risk of flare-ups from grease and food particles.
• Impervious to wind - Flames do not get blown around causing uneven heat

Accessories for Enhancing Your Infrared Grilling Experience

While you can buy a grill for the sole purpose of infrared grilling, many models on the market today offer hybrid options. These gas grills offer a combination of your traditional convection grill and an infrared burner zone, allowing you to grill more traditionally while still getting a high-temperature sear.

If your grill doesn’t come with an infrared option, you may be able to add an infrared burner as an accessory. Brands including Solaire, Delta Heat, Artisan and Twin Eagles have Sear Burner upgrade kits to easily change one burner to infrared giving you this grilling versatility. Some brands, like Alfresco, offer an independent infrared sear station mounted on the side of the grill, giving you the ability to sear meats without losing any open flame grilling space.

If you own a TEC Grill, they offer accessories you can use to expand your grilling abilities. Traditional ceramic burners cannot use these accessories as it will potentially warp the stainless whereas TEC uses a Glass Shield over the burner allowing more versatility.

Popular Grill Brands for Infrared Cooking on the Market

To get the most out of your infrared grilling results, you need to find a brand with a good reputation for quality equipment and innovative infrared technology.

Here are some of the most popular grill brands for infrared cooking that you can find on the market today.

TEC

TEC first developed the infrared gas grill back in 1980, going on to dominate the market until their patent expired in 2000. While new competitors have emerged since then, TEC continues to stay at the forefront of infrared grilling technology. With high-grade materials and quality engineering, these grills provide precision temperature control, self-cleaning functionality, customizable add-ons, and more.

TEC’s unique radiant glass feature, incinerates food drippings and creates a rich vapor that flavors the food. Allowing you to enjoy the charbroiled flavor of charcoal without the ash.

What’s more, these grills are made to last a lifetime. Every model of grill still has replacement parts available — even some of TEC’s earliest grills.

Alfresco

Alfresco is known for manufacturing premium and luxurious outdoor kitchen appliances. Their grills come with a range of impressive features, from their air-cooled control panels to their commercially-inspired Accufire heating system.

However, it’s their “Sear Zone” that draws the most attention from infrared grillers. This infrared burner, not only can be added in the grill as a Sear Zone but they offer an independent built-in version style. With the grill option, it sits next to their traditional gas burners. This allows you to sear your meat first, creating a beautiful sear and caramelized crust then transfer your meat to the blue flame burners to finish your cook at a lower temperature.

Lynx

Lynx grills offer a top-of-the-line infrared grilling experience with their Trident Burner. Made in the USA, premium construction and easy-to-use design, these grills help you bring restaurant-quality meals to your backyard.

The Trident Sear Burner delivers 23,000 BTU's of intensive power by directly heating the grate beneath your food. It offers temperature control ranging from 300˚-1000˚ and is the grilling method used by the world’s leading steak houses, and now it’s in your grill. This burner has the capability to create a caramelized char on romaine lettuce or a perfectly juicy steak. 

When it comes to infrared grills, you can choose a grill with all Trident Burners or one that has a combination of traditional and burners and their patented trident infrared cooking system. 

Solaire

Solaire grills feature infrared burners or a combination of infrared and convection technology. They also offer conversion kits, allowing you to interchange your burners from traditional to infrared and vice versa.

While some of their larger grills rival brands like TEC and Alfresco in price, they also offer a more affordable option — the portable, tabletop Solaire Everywhere and Solaire Anywhere grills.

Twin Eagles

Twin Eagles grills feature either an option for an infrared burner or if you choose a grill with all blue flame, you can get a kit, allowing you to interchange your burners from traditional to infrared and vice versa. If Twin Eagles is out of your budget, be sure to check out their sister brand Delta Heat.

Upgrade Your Cooking With the BBQ Depot’s Infrared Gas Grills

If you’ve already tried everything gas, charcoal, and pellet grills have to offer, then an infrared outdoor grill or one with the feature might be the solution to level up your grilling experience. While they’re not always the most affordable grill options, they make up for the price with incredible grilling power and restaurant-quality results.

Infrared grills provide faster cook times, energy efficiency, professional-level sear marks, and juicer meats. Some brands also offer advanced features to further improve your grilling experience.

Shop our selection of top-quality infrared grills and side burners today, or get in touch with our team of BBQ experts to learn more.