What are flame tamers in gas grills?

You’ve probably seen moments when bursts of ferocious flames erupt from the burners beneath the cooking grates as you’re grilling a thick, luscious steak over a hot grill. This typically occurs when you put oily food on the grill or turn it over.

Flare-ups are not ideal for grilling, especially if they get huge and out of control. Despite the fact that this might appear amazing (and undoubtedly Instagram-worthy), they leave a burnt and offensive taste on your food.

Furthermore, if they continue, there’s a significant potential that they’ll damage your burners permanently. Flare-ups can be dealt with in a variety of ways, but there is only one surefire way to stop them altogether: by employing a flame tamer.

What is a flame tamer/flavoriser bar? #

A barrier between the gas burners and cooking surface is all that a flame tamer is. To minimize flare-ups or at least to keep them to a minimum, it helps to protect them from the fat, sauces, and marinades that drip from the food cooking on the grill.

The best thing about them is that they not only assist in spreading heat uniformly across the cooking grid from the burners, but they also transform drippings into smoke, which adds to the flavor of the grilled food even more.

Metal flame tamers #

These are available in stainless steel or porcelain-coated steel. They can also be full-width, where a perforated metal piece is positioned across the entire grilling surface, or they can be burner-width, where an angled piece of metal is placed just above each burner.

They mainly perform three functions:
1) Protect the burner tubes from grease drippings that will otherwise clog up the tubes.
2) Distribute heat more evenly across the entire grilling surface.
3) Due to the high heat it absorbs, will turn any grease that drips on it into smoke to flavor your food with that delicious smoky BBQ flavor.