Grill Mats Solve Multiple Issues

I do a lot of grilling, some on a Weber Gas Grill and some on a Kamado Joe grill with lump hardwood charcoal.  There are three issues that I have struggled with over the years when grilling:

• Food falling between the bars on the grill grate and lost forever – Most often this is when I am grilling sliced vegetables, one of our favorite things to do.  When flipping them over some of them slip between the bars on the grill and fall into the flames.  We like to grill slices of onion to accompany a grilled steak and when flipping them the slices can come apart and pieces fall through the grate.  I have had small shrimp fall through the grate and that is a bigger loss then vegetables. 
• Food sticking to the grill – I generally spray the grill grate with PAM before lighting the grill and I have cast iron grill grates that are well seasoned by this time. But some foods still stick to the grate. If I let them cook long enough to release, I am way off the cooking times for that recipe. If I use a spatula to free them from the grate I can tear the skin or the surface of the meat and it just does not have that great appearance when served.
• Food with a high fat content that causes the grill to flame up and scorch the food –  Most recipes that are using one or more ground meats have a pretty high fat content in some of those meats and when that fat starts to render, it drops into the flames and they can flare up.  Some flame is good but if the fat content is high the flames can burn the surface while the insides are still not cooked to the desired temperature. Depending on the fat level in the meat used, hamburgers can do this. 

I have found a very simple answer to all three of these problems – a heavy duty plastic Grill Mat.  The mat provides a continuous non stick surface that eliminates all of the issues above.  The mat picks up the temperature from the grill mat and I get the same grill marks as is the food was directly on the grill grate and not on a mat. 

The ones I use are certified to work at grill temperatures up to 600 degrees which is as high as my gas grill goes and I have to go all out with my Kamado to get it to 700 degrees so not a problem to keep it under 600 degrees.   This lets me use the mats whenever I think they are appropriate if I am grilling low, medium, or at high heat on the grill. 

The picture above is when I cooked Lamb Kofta Kabobs that had a high fat content and the recipe was very concerned with them sticking to the grill grate.  You can see the grill marks on the meat and the fat that was rendered stayed on the mat so there were not flare ups with the grill at high.  If the recipe calls for searing and them finishing the cooking at medium or low heat on the grill, I can use tongs to slide the mat with the food on it from the very hot part of the grill to where there are no coals or little or no gas flame.  When I did the Lamb Kofta Kabobs, I left the mat on my grill with the top down overnight and the next day the fat had congealed, and I easily scraped it off into a fat can and then scrubbed the mat with a soapy sponge and it was ready to use again. 

And the mats have a 7 year warranty.  I have used a mat multiple times for over two years with no issues.  At some point they start to get a little bedraggled and I then retire them.  The Amazon link below is for the ones I am using now, and two mats cost $20.  If the two mats last a total of 4-5 years, that is an insignificant cost.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KJVTB96/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I confess that when I first got a grill mat I was a skeptic and had visions of melted plastic destroying my gas grill.  There are different thicknesses and I have gone with the heavyweight ones for a little more money.  I am sure now that the lightweight ones will not melt either, but what I have been using has worked well so when it was time to replace my mats a few months ago, I went back and got more of the same.  They have made my grilling much easier and more fun, and eliminated food lost through the grate. 

I suggest you give them a try. Let me know what you think.