Modifying Pro 34 to grill steaks, porkchops, or burgers

[bogie102]

My grill has that heavy bridge over the firepot and the large grease pan over that. I could not sear a steak or burger with that in place--more like baking in an oven. Tried with those removed, but then you only have a 5 inch dia. fire, can't sear more than one steak at a time, need to spread the flame out a little.
I bought a cast iron grating, about 12" x 15", had to come up with a way to support it over the fire pot. used (4) long [6 /12"] carriage bolts with double nuts at the corners of the grating to support it about 2 1/2" over fire pot. Then I bought ceramic tiles for barbecue about 4.25" x 7.5" laid on the grating, and then the normal grill above that. Spreads the heat evenly, some of the flame comes thru the perforations. Can sear and grill 4 steaks at a time.

 

[Shedd]

My grill has that heavy bridge over the firepot and the large grease pan over that. I could not sear a steak or burger with that in place--more like baking in an oven. Tried with those removed, but then you only have a 5 inch dia. fire, can't sear more than one steak at a time, need to spread the flame out a little.
I bought a cast iron grating, about 12" x 15", had to come up with a way to support it over the fire pot. used (4) long [6 /12"] carriage bolts with double nuts at the corners of the grating to support it about 2 1/2" over fire pot. Then I bought ceramic tiles for barbecue about 4.25" x 7.5" laid on the grating, and then the normal grill above that. Spreads the heat evenly, some of the flame comes thru the perforations. Can sear and grill 4 steaks at a time.

I guess (in my opinion) that’s one way to go if you don’t have a gas grill, cast iron frying pan or similar to sear steak. Did it make a mess? I would think that setup would be a grill fire waiting to happen but obviously it wasn’t the case. I’m not big on smoked steaks but I guess you could do a reverse sear, put steaks on the standard setup to cook low and slow absorbing some smoke. Then let the steaks cool a bit while you change the setup the sear. That’s why I like this forum, some different but great ideas on here.

 

[RayClem]

I know that PitBoss grills have a sliding flame shield that they claim makes it possible to sear steaks, burgers, etc. However, you can accomplish the same thing by removing the Traeger flame shield and drip tray, but clean-up is going to be a pain.... no thanks.

One thing some folks do is purchase aluminum GrillGrates to concentrate the heat to help with the searing process.. I purchased a set for my Ironwood, but never was satisfied with the results. This spring, I purchased a gas griddle and use it to sear steaks. I like the smoky flavor imparted by the Traeger, so my normal practice is to cook steaks at 225F on the Traeger to an internal temperature of 120F. I then move the steaks to the griddle at a temperature of 425F and finish off the steaks to the desired internal temperature. Before I got the griddle, I finished the steaks in a carbon steel skillet on a gas stove in the kitchen, basting the steaks in butter seasoned with garlic and rosemary.

My preferred method for burgers is using the gas griddle. Whether you do them as smashburgers or thick pub burgers, the griddle works well.