Global “Grill” Warming: Danver’s Firing Up Your Grill in the Dead of Winter

Solaire Infrared burner

As the days get shorter and darker, you might begin to long for those balmy summer months – including, of course, those outdoor days filled with fun in the sun and the mouth-watering smell of grilled delicacies permeating the air.

While we might not be able to make the sun shine brighter, Danver is happy to say that we can add a little “warmth” to your holiday season with our year-round outdoor kitchen products. Infrared grilling technology stays hot, even in the colder weather, and heats your food as if it was Christmas in July.

Danver has been associated with Solaire Grills by Rasmussen Iron Works for almost 10 years. We have come to view infrared grilling technology as the best way to grill using direct heat. With the proliferation of specialty cooking appliances for outdoor use, many people are choosing the best cooking appliances for each cooking style. This means, in most cases, appliances that come from different manufacturers in the same outdoor kitchen (a story for another blog; check out our cooking options).

 Traditional grill burners get hot over a long warm-up period and typically only get up to 600-800 degrees F. Since they produce heat over a relatively small area and transfer that heat into secondary elements (ceramic briquettes, rods, lava rock, etc.) in an attempt to heat the grilling area evenly, hot spots are common and much of the burner heat is reflected downward. The result is circulating hot air, or convection cooking, causing your food to dry out.

The simplest way I have found to describe infrared cooking is to imagine charcoal when it is at its peak of heat. It is a red/orange glow with the highest heat it will produce giving you the ideal heat to sear the food. The problem with charcoal is that it is only peaks for a short time before it starts to lose temperature. With an infrared grill, you can get the great flavor of an intensely-hot charcoal fire with the control, convenience and consistency of gas, and it only takes 3 minutes to heat up! This heat (1200-1300 degrees F) gives a true sear, sealing in the juices of whatever it is you are cooking; steak, fish, chicken, pork or vegetables. Infrared energy actually drives moisture away from the surface and deep into the item being grilled. This process enhances flavor and creates a succulence that is difficult to replicate with other cooking methods.  Interested in more details? Click here for the technical explanation of infrared cooking.

Cooking is time and temperature related and it is no different for grilling. The consistency of infrared burners gives you the same result every time you cook once you determine the time required at each temperature (high, medium and low). The burner always gives you the same temperature with no hot and cold spots, so you are not moving the food around the grates to guess at equalizing the cooking time on the hot and cold spots. One of my favorite recipes for summer and winter  is a flank steak marinated with Allegro Brand Marinade, searing each side on high for 2 1/2 minutes, and then finishing at Med-Low for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare–every time! The cooking time is the same no matter the air temperature!

Email us or call us at 203-269-2300 to find out more about our outdoor kitchen products,  infrared cooking in general, and Solaire in particular.

Here are some infrared grilling recipes to get you started:  Great Grilling Simplified.

Releasing you from the confinement of the indoors, expand your cuisine to include a few new holiday recipes.

From our grill to yours, here are some of our winter grilling favorites. Happy Holidays!

Bobby Flay’s Apple-Sage Glazed Grilled Turkey

Paula Deen’s Pork Tenderloin with Orange and Soy

Gale Gand’s Grilled Bread Pudding with Fresh Fruit

*Recipes courtesy of foodnetwork.com