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Cooking barbecue in a gas grill could cause uneven heat distribution that can also burn your meat outside and uncooked inside. Are you thinking of using lava rocks to upgrade your grilling experience? We have the answers for you!
Lava rocks have been used for gas grills for a long time before new technology in grilling came out. You can use lava rocks in a gas grill to retain, reflect, and provide an even distribution of heat. These rocks from a volcano's lava can help maintain the temperature for a long duration.
Would you like to know how to use lava rocks to grill your meat, fish, and veggies? What gas can you use with lava rocks? Are they safe to use in cooking food? We have researched these topics and put all the answers in this article for your reading pleasure.
Lava rock is ideal in indoor and outdoor natural gas firepits because of its natural temperature regulator. Lava rocks reflect and retain heat which is best for cooking. However, these rocks flare up and are hard to clean, so you need to check with your grill manufacturer if the lava rocks can void its warranty.
If you decide to use lava rocks in a gas grill, follow these easy steps:
Watch the video to learn how to cook using lava rocks.
In the past, gas grills often used lava rocks by default. However, this changed over time as manufacturers use the latest technology. Here are the reasons why manufacturers replaced lava rocks in gas grills:
Lava rocks are porous and come from volcanic eruptions. Since these rocks are porous, the drippings of oil, grease, and food remain on the rocks. Lava rocks absorb these drippings and may cause the building up of harmful bacteria if you don't clean the grills and the lava rocks well.
If you use the uncleaned lava rocks and the smoke they create touches your food, contamination may arise and that is a health risk. You should replace the lava rocks if they accumulate too much oil and grease.
Too much grease and oil on lava rocks and around the gas grill will result in excessive smoke. Charred food has carcinogens, and extreme charring of food may increase the threat to health. Cleaning the grill and regularly replacing the rocks may reduce the health risk.
While manufacturers have moved away from including lava rocks, here are the reasons why lava rocks are still great for gas grills:
Aside from natural gas, propane gas is also ideal to use because it emits too much heat. Lava rock will equally distribute the heat propane gas produced. The question is, can you use propane gas in a natural gas grill? The answer is yes if the manufacturer stated that the grill could hold propane. Refer to your manufacturer's user manual for further instructions.
Grease, oil, and charred food scraps make the grill untidy and dirty. Cleaning such a dirty grill could even lose your appetite even before cooking. The good news is there is an easy way to clean the gas grill. You can use a pumice stone to clean the gas grill. Here are the steps on how to clean a gas grill using a pumice stone:
Lava rocks will last from 1 to 2 years of constant use. Although if you use them for grilling, it is best to change them yearly, as long as you clean the stones regularly to avoid food contamination.
The water gets trapped inside the lava rock. If you leave the lava rocks wet and use them immediately using extreme heat, the water expansion could break open and makes the lava rock explode.
Ensure to heat the rocks with low fire to dry them before using them in grilling. Also, be sure to use cured lava rocks and get them from a legit supplier.
Fresh lava rocks are poisonous if uncleaned, cured, and not yet weathered. Ensure that you buy lava rocks from an aquatic dealer or legitimate manufacturer.
Listed below are some of our recommended lava rocks brands:
Skyflame lava stones are ideal for BBQ grilling, landscaping, fire pit, and more. These stones are perfect for indoor and outdoor use; improving the gas dispersion in all directions.
You can use this product in landscaping your garden or pathway to add aesthetics to your home. You can also use Medium Lava Rocks in aquariums, a fireplace, a fire pit, and gas grills for cooking barbecue.
You can use these lava rocks in gas grills to evenly help distribute heat and provide your food with the perfect grill. The fat drips get soaked in the lava rocks, which avoids control flare-ups. Best use in BBQ grills and charbroilers.
Check with the manufacturer's user manual if your grill or charbroiler is compatible with lava rocks before buying.
Mr. Bar-B-Q is ideal for gas grill charbroilers. It reduces flare-ups and provides even distribution to perfectly grill your food. You can also use this product in gas fire pits.
Aside from landscaping, Venetian Princess Lava Rocks is also perfect for gas fire pits and fireplaces. You can also cook food in BBQ grills and charbroilers using this product.
Summary
In this article, we discussed you could use landscape lava rocks and how to use them in a gas grill. We also mentioned other important topics for future reference.
If you have any questions regarding this topic or you have suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below. You may also read these posts for other helpful topics about landscaping:
22 Ideas For Landscaping With Moss Rocks [Inspirational Picture List]
How To Remove Rocks From Your Yard Soil