Do I need an Insulated Jacket?

QUESTION: I am working with a local cabinet company to design an outdoor kitchen using Starboard by www.kingplastic.com. Would you still need an insulated jacket when using this outdoor marine board?


ANSWER: Solaire makes Insulated Jackets for all of our grills so that they may be installed in combustible materials (such as wood or other materials that will burn). I have been onto the King Plastic site and looked at the Starboard material. My first clue that it needs the insulated jacket is that it is plastic. While it may be designed to be impervious to outdoor element and salt water corrosion, I would not expect heat, other than the intensity of normal sunlight, to be one of these elements. While I can find no exact guidance saying that when used in a grilling island you should use an insulated jacket, two things I found on the site lead me to the conclusion that it would be extremely prudent to include the insulated jacket in this installation:
1) The Physical Properties Sheet shows two temperatures limits for various physical properties of the material. The lowest is 84 degrees C, which is 183.2 degrees F. That is pretty low in grill terms.
2) The second clue is the photo of a grill in an island that they show on their website (see above). It is apparent to me that an insulated jacket was used.

Accordingly, I advise you to use an insulated jacket with an island made from the Starboard or any other plastic type material. I do not think it prudent to run the risk of melting the structure that is supporting the hot grill.

Is the Infrared or Convection Burner Better with Solaire Accessories?

QUESTION: For the Solaire steamer/fryer or griddle, is the convection or infrared burner better to use?

ANSWER: I recommend using the Solaire Infrared Burner for these accessories. The Solaire Infrared burner will provide the concentrated heat needed to bring both of these accessories up to working temperatures in the shortest amount of time, compared to the convection burner.

Cleaning the Grilling Grates

The grilling grates of all Solaire Grills should be placed in the “V” configuration. The V-shape grilling grates are an integral part of the infrared grilling system. Unlike other types of grilling grates, such as round rods, the Solaire V-shape cooking grates help to control flare ups as well as contribute to the flavor of the food.

We recommend brushing the grilling grates with a stiff bristle brush after the three minute warm-up (stainless steel or brass is preferred. Carbon steel brushes can leave deposits on the grate and overall grill that will turn into surface rust) before placing the food on the grill. After removing the food, during the five minute (minimum) burn off, we also recommend brushing the grilling grates clean.

You may clean the grates in your dishwasher on the Pots/Pans cycle.

You may also clean the grilling grates with Easy-Off oven cleaner. Allow the cleaner to sit for 15-20 minutes then hose them off with the garden hose. You may do the same thing for the grill itself, after you remove the burners (which you do not want to get wet).

The grilling grates will never be as nice looking as when they were brand new and unused. The intense heat will bronze the stainless steel. But the Easy-Off treatment will bring them as close as possible to new. If there are deposits left on the grilling grates that are objectionable, you can use Soft Scrub mild abrasive cleaner, a cloth and a bit of elbow grease to remove them.

Solaire Infrared Burner Removal

Removing your Solaire Infrared Burner in order to deep clean the grill's firebox is easy. Please follow these steps:

Step 1 - After grill is completely cold, remove grilling grids to provide access to burner.














Step 2: Grasp the back portion of the burner with both hands. Lift upward slightly to free the burner from the support in the bottom of the firebox (the 27G and Anywhere portable models have tension retainers that require more upward force to accomplish this step).














Step 3: Continue to lift the back portion of the burner in order to remove the venturi (burner "pipe") out through the hole in the front face of the firebox. **Be careful that you do not bend the igniter electrode during this step**



























Step 4: Remove burner from the grill and carefully place in an area where it will be free from impact or moisture (water on a cold burner ceramic will permanently damage the ceramic tiles).














Step 5: While the burner is removed, inspect the holes in the ceramic tiles for any blockage. Clear blocked ports by either carefully scraping away surface deposits, or hole by hole with either a small wire or twist drill. Be careful not to enlarge any holes. Give the burner a good shake with the venturi (pipe) pointing downward to remove ash from inside the burner.

Step 6: Place the burner back into the grill by reversing the above sequence.

Rotisserie Burner Adjustment

QUESTION: How do I lower the heat on the back burner? (Rotisserie burner)

ANSWER: The rear rotisserie burner is supposed to be either ON or OFF. You can reduce the gas flow by adjusting the knob to a location between ON and OFF. Be careful that the burner does not extinguish from lack of gas.

If the direct IR energy is too much, than you can turn it off at a certain point and, using the BBQ Tray accessory filled with water (to prevent warping and to add moisture to the food), you can use the indirect method of heat. Placing the BBQ tray over one of the burners (and under the meat on the rod) converts its IR energy to convected heat.

In any rotisserie cooking, be sure to cook long enough to achieve the recommended internal temperature, as determined by an instant read thermometer. Recommended temperatures for various meats may be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/is_it_done_yet/

Retrofit Solaire Infrared Burner to Another Manufacturer's Grill?

QUESTION: I have a natural gas grill to which I would like to retrofit an infrared burner. I saw a blog about doing this using a Solaire burner and the installer implied he had spoken to someone at Solaire who had offered to help spot weld brackets to help fit the burner. My questions then, is this true? Can you use one of the Solaire burners (i.e. Part IR17A) as a upgrade for an older natural gas grill?

ANSWER: No, this is not true. We do not facilitate the retrofit of our burners to other manufacturers' grills, as there is more to making a good infrared grill than merely placing an IR burner in it. Our Solaire Grills have been designed from the ground up with the many relationships of heat and space that are required to optimize the infrared heat. You can't necessarily do that by replacing a conventional burner with our IR burner.

We recommend using our Solaire Anywhere Portable Infrared Grill alongside your conventional grill. Sear on the Anywhere, then transfer to the lower heat of your conventional grill to finish it off. This will actually increase your effective grilling area while greatly increasing the taste and succulence of your food.

Learn more about the Solaire Anywhere Portable Infrared Grill

Hot Dogs on Solaire Anywhere

QUESTION: Hi there. I have the Solaire Anywhere which works fine for most of my needs it is not so good for other items such as hot dogs (yes I know you can cut them in half to cook). I noticed your larger products have interchangeable burners. Do you have a conventional burner that will fit Solaire Anywhere?

ANSWER: We do not have a conventional burner for this grill. We designed it as an introduction to our full line of grills that feature infrared burners.

I grilled hot dogs for my family on my Solaire Anywhere last Sunday, and they came out great. Everything goes fast on the Anywhere, so you have to keep rolling them, on the lowest heat setting, so they do not dwell on the same spot for any length of time and burn. You definitely cannot throw them on the grill and walk away. The benefit is you sit down to eat real quickly, so everything else for the meal needs to be ready when you start grilling the hot dogs.

Solaire Anywhere Igniter Issues at Altitude?

QUESTION: My Solaire Anywhere worked fine until I moved from Louisiana to Denver. Does the higher altitude have an effect?

ANSWER: Not at 5000 feet. We have successfully used the Solaire Anywhere at over 10,000 feet. Please try the following actions:

1) Shake out any debris that is left inside the burner from use.

2) Inspect the burner port holes to make sure they are all clear. Open any clogged ones with a small twist drill or wire.

3) Observe the spark to ensure it is between the electrodes, and if not, make adjustments as needed.

4) Ensure the battery in the igniter is fresh.

5) Allow a bit more time from when you turn on the gas to when you push the igniter, so as to allow the burner to be filled with gas.

Insulated Jackets for Combustible Grill Islands

QUESTION: Do you have liners to install your 30" grill and dual side burner into a wood cabinet?

ANSWER: Yes, we have insulated jackets for the grills so they may be installed in combustible islands. They are top-supporting, self-trimming, just like our grills. The cut-out dimensions for the insulated jackets are specified at http://www.rasmussen.biz/grills/install.html The insulated jacket is placed in this cut-out, then the grill is placed in the opening of the insulated jacket.

The model number for the 30” is SOL-IRIJ-30.

An insulated jacket is not necessary for the side burner. All of the heat is above the surface of the island, and insufficient heat to create a hazard is conducted through the stainless steel to the edges that support the side burner in the island.

Solaire Anywhere Blowing out from Wind

Question:
My brother has a Solaire Anywhere, which he loves. He uses it on his boat on Lake Michigan, but occaisionally has the burner cut out, most likely from wind. Any solution?

Answer:
Infrared grills do not have the vaporizer plates or other flame-spreading devices to protect the burner from the elements. While this is a disadvantage against wind, it is an advantage for grilling, as the high direct heat gives unmatched grilling performance.

Other than reorienting the grill with regard to the wind, I have no other solution. Since IR grills grill so fast, you need to keep an eye on the food closely, and the potential for blowing out by wind is another reason to be vigilant.

Sorry I do not have a magic silver bullet solution, but try as we want, we can't cure every issue.

Rasmussen Receives Trademark Registration for Solaire®

On August 29, 2006, the United States Patent and Tradmark Office issued to Rasmussen Iron Works, Inc., Registration No. 3,135,703 for the trademark Solaire in Class 11 (for gas grills). We are authorized to use the ® symbol with Solaire to give notice of our ownership of this mark. The Certificate of Registration we received constitutes valuable intellectual property for Rasmussen. We will use the ® symbol in the first use in a document to evidence our ownership, such as:

Solaire^®

Solaire^® Infrared Grills

Solaire^® Infrared Grilling Systems

Happy Grilling!

Can I use Solaire® Infrared Burners In Another Brand of Grill?

Question: Could I use one of your Infrared Conversion burners for one of the 3 conventional burners in my Jenn Aire 30" Propane Grill?

Answer: Honestly, I have no idea if it would either fit or work. We have built a whole grill around our infrared burners. There are many relationships that come into play with regard to the orifice size, bracketing of the burner, distance from burner surface to grilling grids, firebox size, etc. I know nothing about the Jenn Aire design. Besides these, a common problem in the gas grill industry is that virtually all other manufacturers who say they offer infrared have taken their conventional grills and merely placed IR burners in them, but have not taken into account the critical design issues needed to ensure proper grilling outcome with infrared. Solaire is one of only two grill lines in which the grills were designed from the ground up to be infrared grills (TEC is the other). Rasmussen has addressed these issues thoroughly in our Solaire grill models.

A better alternative to allow you to enjoy the benefits of infrared with your Jenna Aire grill is to purchase our Solaire Anywhere Portable Infrared grill (http://www.rasmussen.biz/store/categories.asp?cat=13 ). You would sear n the Solaire Anywhere, then transfer the food to the lower heat of the Jenn Aire to finish it off. This high heat sear, low heat finish is my favorite technique that I use on my 42” Solaire Infrared Grill. The key is the high heat sear, which locks in the juices and results in a more succulent and tasty grilled food that any conventional grill alone can deliver.

Happy Grilling!

Welcome To Our New Solaire® Infrared Grills Blog!

Welcome to our new blog for Solaire^® Infrared Grills. I created this blog as a means of sharing the many questions we receive about Solaire^® Infrared Grills, infrared burners, grilling with infrared, the grill industry and grilling in general. We invite you to view our quality USA-made (Whittier, CA) line of Solaire^®Infrared Grills at www.solairegrills.com.

Please also visit our corporate site, www.rasmussen.biz, where you may learn more about our 99-year-old family business, our Rasmussen vented gas log sets, Chillbuster vent-free gas log sets, and our modern alternatives to traditional gas log (FireBalls, FireShapes and FireStones).

Happy Grilling!