Restaurants can make food in ways you can’t at home because they have cooking devices you can’t have at home. One of the hottest of these – literally – is called a salamander.
A salamander can be thought of as a super broiler, like the one in your oven, but that is much more powerful. They are the secret to rapidly searing and cooking food thanks to their intense heat in a confined space. The hope of having such capability at home has long been a pipe dream.
But not anymore.
The Big Horn Outdoors Infrared Grill brings restaurant-worthy capability to the home. I’ve been putting one through its paces for a few weeks now, and am utterly impressed at what this can do, and the delicious food it has allowed me to cook.
I’ve been cooking up a storm with this thing, and the results are unlike anything I’ve ever cooked with before because it gets hotter than anything I’ve ever used before at home – up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Disclosure: Big Horn Outdoors sent me this product to review, but did not pay for this post or the accompanying YouTube video.
Before I get into what I’ve been cooking with it – and if it could serve you well – I’ll explain what this is and how it differs from the grill you might already have.
Standard Barbecue Grill vs Infrared Grill
Like a standard grill, the Big Horn Outdoors infrared grill uses propane for fuel. Big Horn also makes pizza ovens that work on electricity and wood pellets in addition to a gas model, but this unit works only with propane, specifically a standard 20-pound tank.
Whereas a standard propane grill uses live flames coming from the bottom, this unit heats from the top, and it uses a specialized element to distribute heat. Up top are ceramic burners that get extremely hot – as in glowing hot – and are able to concentrate the heat top down in this unit. And wow does this thing get ripping hot. It’s like having the sun in a box, and is able to create more intense heat than the mere flames of a standard flame grill.
Unlike a grill, the infrared grill is open in the front; you can’t close it like the lid on a standard grill. And there’s no need to. This thing gets rocket hot and stays that way.
And while this is a sizable unit — These come in two sizes, a smaller 9-inch unit or this larger 16-inch model – it’s more portable than a standard grill. I’ve found it’s also less messy, and all the stainless steel components are easy to clean.
Like a standard grill, there is a temperature dial at the top, but the best way to tailor the intensity of heat you want to cook your food is by adjusting the position of the two included stainless steel grates. Setting higher means more intense heat – up to that 1,500 Fahrenheit number if at the top, or down to about 450 F at the bottom. Notably, even at 450 F, that’s a lot of heat — near the top end of most home ovens. Adjusting the grates is easily done by sliding them in and out with an included metal handle.
The Big Horn Outdoors Infrared Grill has an electric ignition, as well as a match-holder backup. Starting the grill is actually the only aspect where I’ve found it problematic at times. I’ve had several instances where it just wouldn’t ignite. The instructions indicate this can happen if the unit is facing into the wind, and provides details on how to counter this. I live where it can be very breezy outside, so that might play into it. That said, I’ve always been able to start it eventually, even if that means using a match.
I should also note that overall, this unit is very well built. It’s solid metal construction, and it arrives mostly assembled. I only had to spend a few minutes to install a few parts to get it ready to cook. One other note: There is a little metal front table, but it will need additional support; the two screws it hangs on leave it truly hanging — don’t attempt to put weight (or a plate) on this alone. And — this is important — the whole thing needs to be set on a non-combustible surface and only used outdoors. It’s a grill, after all.
Cooking With The Big Horn Infrared Grill
Once ignited, the grill heats very fast. In 3-5 minutes it is like a furnace, and heats faster than a traditional grill.
Big Horn Outdoors says this is optimized for steaks, and its cooks them well, but I found it can do a lot more than that. But let’s first talk about the steaks. I found this works best for thicker cuts like rib-eye – in which you can sear the outside without overcooking the inside, rather than thinner cuts. As for how to cook them, you can put the steak directly on the grates, and it cooks in just a few minutes, with one turn.
But I’m just as excited in what else to cook in this. I had fantastic results with Onions and peppers for a fajita-style side or topping, thicker cuts of fish like salmon, and even a quesadilla. And, of course this excels at au gratine dishes where you want to broil the cheese on top to get it nice and crispy. My homemade refried beans are now next-level as I put cheese on top and melt it like they do at some of my favorite Mexican restaurants.
In addition to setting food like steaks directly on the grill, you can use a pan that can withstand high heat. This helps keep drips at bay. Cast iron will work, as well as my go-to for this — a de Buyer carbon steel pan has proved to be a perfect partner for this application.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, the Big Horn Outdoors Infrared Grill can double as a pizza oven. It even comes with a pizza stone, though I have yet to try this out.
Who Is This For?
If you’ve been pining for the ultra-high heat functionality that only a restaurant salamander can give, your product has finally arrived for the home. The Big Horn Outdoors Infrared Grill truly brings professional-grade broiling to home cooks. And because its for use outdoors, that means you don’t have to deal with the smoke — and potentially setting off the smoke alarm — that often happens when using an oven broiler.
And its use case doesn’t end there. From brules to charring peppers in minutes, I’ve found the Big Horn Outdoors Infrared Grill to be the product I didn’t know I needed. And while I also have a fine Monument gas grill and a Weber charcoal grill, I’ve found myself enjoying the ease and speed of this Big Horn model, especially for impromptu broiling. I also think the Big Horn Outdoors grill is a heckuva value — quite a bit less than a traditional grill.
If you like the idea of grilling and having a unit that can do pizza at super high temps, and maybe don’t have the space or want to fuss with a traditional grill, I think you’ll enjoy this one. With a bit of practice, it enables you to get restaurant-quality results, whether that’s broiled steaks or perfectly broiled or gratineed entrees.