Cast Iron Burners vs Stainless Steel (Update)

Is your gas barbecue grill on its last leg?  Is it well beyond giving it a good cleaning and replacing a few parts?  It might be time to look into buying a new gas grill. Now comes the big question.  Which way do I go, cast iron burners vs stainless steel?

Today’s gas grills come with a ton of options, but at the heart of any gas grill are the burners.  The burners come in different sizes and shapes based on the model of grill you purchase. But one of the main factors for selecting a grill should be what material are the main burners made of.

As you’re probably aware, not all burners are created equal.  We would like to share our experience in this area in an effort to help you make your decision.  We have owned several gas grills over the past 35 plus years and have seen a vast difference between the quality and life between the grills we have purchased.  Let’s take a look.

Gas Grill Burner Options

We recently had to replace our grill, so we have been doing our research on what types of burners are available.  Combined with our past experiences here are our thoughts and what we were looking for in a new gas grill.

Stainless Steel Burners

I have to admit that it appears stainless steel burners have come a long way since the last grill we bought with stainless steel burns.  The types of stainless steel materials being used have greatly improved and the designs and manufacturing processes appear to have significantly improved.

Prior to owning the grill we just replaced, all the other grills we owned had stainless steel burners of different types.  They came with lava rocks or ceramic briquettes and none of them had the heat deflectors commonly used today.

As a young couple just starting out in life we didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a grill, so we bought the less expensive models.  At that time most of them came with either the straight tube type or a “stamped” stainless steel burner design. Both were typically constructed of a thin metal touted as being stainless steel.

The stamped designs were often two-piece burners crimped together and were typically in an “H” or oval shape.  They seemed to be the worst offenders when it came to failing and needed to be replaced every couple of years. Although the tube type didn’t last much longer.

Let’s hope the above-mentioned improvements in stainless steel burner designs makes the difference.  Stainless steel burners are typically the least expensive to replace between the cast and stainless steel burners.  However, without improvements in quality, their likelihood of being in the running for best burner is much lower.

Cast Iron Burners

The grill we just had to replace was the first grill we had ever bought with cast iron burners.  It also had the “heat deflectors” over the burners, which was a first for us too. The downside was we paid about three times more for this grill than any other grill we had before.

However, the cast iron burner provided us with years of trouble-free grilling and required very few replacement parts, including burner replacements.  If a burner replacement is required it would run in the $20 to $50 range for a single burner. There are more elaborate shaped cast burners that run considerably higher.

Cast iron burners usually take a little longer to heat up but, on the positive side, they seem to provide a much more even heat.  Their biggest downfall is they do rust and require a good thorough cleaning at least once a year. 

Infrared Burners

Although not directly included in the topic of this article, I do want to briefly mention the infrared gas burner.  Our new grill has an infrared “searing” side burner and an infrared “rotisserie burner”. We wanted to try both of these features, so obviously we have limited experience using them.  They do work well, but, in the case of the searing burner, we want to see how well it holds up with the fats and grease dripping on it. We also want to know how durable and long-lasting they are before requiring replacement.

Some of these ancillary infrared burners are only to be operated at full heat, which is understandable for the job they are designed for.  The newer gas grills with infrared main burners are fully adjustable. They heat up quickly and are good for grilling steaks and putting those gorgeous sear marks on your food.

The potential downside I see at this point is their replacement cost.  They can range in price anywhere for $80 to well over $100. My issue at this point is how hardy they are and how long they last.  We will be sure to update this article as we gain more experience in using our infrared burners.

Which Is Better Cast Iron Burners Or Stainless Steel?

Our experience has been that the cast iron burners are superior to the old stainless steel burners.  Why? Simply due to how long they lasted and the even cooking temperatures we experienced. You see our old grill with cast iron burners went for over 15 years before we ever had to replace a single burner. Sure we had to replace the heat deflectors a few times and even the cooking grates, but never a burner.

That reduced the overall maintenance costs over the years, which made the upfront price a cost-effective choice in our opinion.  We have no regrets and it makes investing in a good quality grill much easier today.

This link to Amazon shows an example of the replacement cast iron burners for our old grill (see affiliate disclaimer at the bottom of the post or in the sidebar). It shows that the cost of the cast iron replacement burners is typically twice as much as most stainless steel replacements. However, the life of these burners easily lasted more than twice as long as any stainless steel burners we have used to date.

Our Gas Grill Burner Experiment

With that said, I have to admit our new gas grill has stainless steel tube burners.  I know I just recommended cast iron and then tell you we bought stainless steel. Give me a moment to explain.  I think it has the potential to help all of us.

The new burns are made of 304 stainless steel and have a much heavier wall thickness than any stainless steel burners I’ve used in the past.  I agreed to try them to see how well they stand up.

My goal is to share that info with all of you. If they don’t hold up we’ll all know going forward.  At that point, I will move on to the second part of the plan.

When researching this grill I discovered they make a replacement, or alternative, burner made of cast aluminum.  It was actually suggested to keep a couple of the cast burners on hand so you can quickly install them and use them for certain foods.  The cast aluminum burners produce a high temperature and are great for grilling steaks and getting those nice sear marks. Interesting thought.

If the stainless steel tube burners do not hold up well, my plan is to replace them with cast aluminum burners.  I suspect these burners should hold up well and not rust or corrode as badly as the cast iron burners. Not only am I willing to be a guinea pig for all of you, but we got all the specific grill features my wife was looking for.

Especially the rotisserie burner that we can use with our “rotisserie basket”. Click on the link to check out our article on the basket. After all, a happy wife means a happy life! I’m hoping we’ll all become winners from this little experiment and I will be sure to update this post with my findings.

New Stainless Steel Burner Update (2023)

We’re 3 years into this little experiment and the stainless steel burners on our new grill are still holding up just fine. I usually run the burners on high to heat the grill up and again at the end of the grilling, to help burn off the grates.

I normally give the grill a good cleaning at least twice a year and let it sit outside (covered) all year round. Even during our Michigan winters. I’ll keep you posted with any changes.

Do Gas Grill Burners Need To Be Cleaned?

Absolutely!  The truth is all burners need cleaning; some just need it more than others.  I decided to add this last little section because I do highly recommend cast iron burners, yet one of the biggest drawbacks or complaints is they rust and need cleaning.

However, that is true for practically every burner out there.  The owner’s manual for our new grill with the stainless steel burners says the burners require occasional cleaning, to remove food debris and dirt.  Face it, you’re not going to completely get away without having to clean your grill and burners.

On our old grill, I cleaned the cast iron burners once a year, in the spring, and it was good for the grilling season.  I used a wire brush on a 4″ angle grinder to clean the burners. It did a good job of cleaning them up.

It is important to know that wire brushes will throw material when they are being used, so always wear safety glasses when using a wire brush.  For more information on safe work practices when doing home improvement projects I recommend reading our article on personal protective equipment (PPE).  Safety should always be a consideration for any project.

 Conclusion

There are many things that go into determining what makes the perfect gas grill for you and your family.  The size of the grill and the cost are among the biggest. However, along with that, I suggest you consider the benefits of cast iron vs stainless steel burners too.  The potential long term cost saving will allow you to invest in a higher-quality grill today. Why not take advantage of that saving.

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