The perfect branding: visuals versus taste?
It is probably one of the most popular motifs when it comes to grilling: a steak or burger patty with the perfect diamond pattern burned onto the surface by the grill grate. At steak competitions, this branding is treated as a near-science. In fact, it is worth taking a closer look at what actually happens when high heat hits the surface of a piece of meat. – By Markus Mizgalski
Maillard Reactions
Many grilling books mention that a Maillard reaction occurs when grilling meat and the surface caramelizes. While that is not fundamentally wrong, it is somewhat imprecise. These processes, named after Louis Camille Maillard, are a highly complex sequence of chemical reactions that begin at approximately 140° C (284° F) and eventually lead to non-enzymatic browning. The basis for Maillard reactions are amines, such as proteins. And herein lies the difference from caramelization, where carbohydrates form the basis of the process. Depending on the food, both processes can occur in parallel if both sugars and proteins are present. Incidentally, neither the Maillard reaction nor caramelization is limited to meat. In french fries, coffee beans, toast, or onions, the corresponding chemistry provides a different texture as well as entirely new flavor experiences. Among other things, these roasted compounds create the famous umami, the savory taste.
Maillard and Grill Marks
Now, it is quite obvious that a grill pattern is created when certain areas are heated more intensely than others. As a result, they become correspondingly darker. In steak contests, the branding stripes are usually nearly black, which corresponds to very advanced Maillard reactions. In plain language, this means that the food at these points has come very close to the point of carbonization; it is burned or at least on the verge of it. Consequently, savory roasted notes no longer dominate the flavor, but increasingly bitter ones do. Furthermore, the patterns are generally created at very high temperatures, which can promote the development of potentially hazardous reaction products. In protein-rich foods, heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) form, which may potentially promote the precursor stages of colon cancer.
Grill Marks, but How?
From both a medical and culinary perspective, a uniformly brown crust is the optimum. This is best achieved on a cast-iron or steel griddle. However, for those who do not want to forgo dark stripes or the diamond pattern, there are various options to achieve them. The most well-known is likely the cast-iron grate, which – depending on the manufacturer – is even available with diamond patterns already integrated. However, caution is advised here: cast iron is an excellent heat retainer and can therefore transfer a lot of energy to the meat for quite a long time. The hotter the grate, the faster an intense branding is created. For good reason, Napoleon recommends setting the Sizzle Zone grate to the higher position; otherwise, it takes less than a minute to get nearly black stripes on the steak. The same applies if you stoke a hellish fire under a cast-iron grate using charcoal. A more moderate heat is definitely appropriate here.
Special grate inserts with diamond patterns save you from having to reposition the food.
With so-called aluminum GrillGrates, a very successful branding can be achieved on most grills.
You can approach things a bit more relaxed with a stainless steel grate. It also leaves a respectable design on the meat, but requires a little more time to do so. Furthermore, many stainless steel grates are constructed with thinner rods, so the stripes become far less wide than is the case with many cast-iron grates.
Special "Branding Tools"
There are so-called Sear Grates that sear the famous diamond pattern directly onto the meat. As a rule, these are a special form of cast-iron grate that you might get as an extra for modular grate systems. The GrillGrates available for many grills are made of aluminum. They conduct heat very well, but do not store it as intensely as iron. Overall, heat is easier to regulate with this system, although you do need a grill with good performance.
Quite new is the Blazinglas from Outdoorchef, which is specifically designed for infrared burners and, so to speak, "tames" them. The result is a very fine, moderate branding, far removed from the aforementioned, all-too-often jet-black stripes that occur when combining 800-degree ceramic burners with cast-iron grates. The secret here is actually not much of a secret: glass ceramic is not a particularly good heat conductor, but it is permeable to infrared rays. The meat itself receives enough heat, but the contact surfaces are far less hot than with a metal grate.
A cast-iron grate is ideal when it comes to branding, as it conjures up beautiful, wide stripes on the meat.
If cast iron gets very hot, a black grill pattern is created very quickly; the food ends up burning in the process.
With an infrared burner, a stainless steel grate can also produce a very good design. And it's much more relaxed than with cast iron.
Outdoorchef brought the Blazinglas to the market specifically for infrared burners. It allows for better heat control and prevents grease fires.
Source: Outdoorchef
The Perfect Branding
But what does the perfect branding actually look like? There is no rulebook that definitively mandates the look of a grill pattern. Most people will associate it with the typical diamond pattern mentioned, in which the lines intersect at an angle of 80 degrees. To achieve this with a standard rod grate, you should first place the meat on the hot grate until it releases well on its own and does not need to be torn off. Then, turn it 80 degrees and place the same side back down again. Repeat the entire process with the other side.
Conclusion
The classic branding primarily provides a visual component. In terms of taste, however, you have to be careful not to overdo it. Otherwise, the grill pattern will quite literally have a bitter aftertaste.
