Steakhouse & Hotel Broilers

Steakhouse Broilers: What You Need to Know

Upright broilers are good for cooking food quickly, evenly, and in large amounts. The heat in these units comes from several gas burners above or below the cooking rack, and some units include burners in both locations. Once the settings are adjusted for a particular food item, little attention is required until the food is finished cooking. The even heat of a commercial steak broiler makes sure the food gets cooked evenly and consistently from serving to serving, while freeing up time for other work. You might hear one called a steakhouse broiler or hotel broiler because you're likely to find one in very busy kitchens.

Common Questions About Upright Broilers

What is an upright broiler?

Upright broilers are pieces of powerful cooking equipment that utilize high heat to cook food quickly, and they almost always use natural gas or propane and output at least 100,000 BTUs. These are utilized by steakhouses, hotels, and banquet halls that need to serve large numbers of guests in a short time frame.

Can I adjust hotel broiler racks?

Most of these units have knobs on the outside that can be used to adjust the vertical position of the racks inside the broiler. This lets you decide how close food will be to the burners when it's cooking because some foods will cook better with more intense heat than others. For example, vegetables, bread products, and thin cuts of meat will do better when cooked quickly near the heat source, while thicker products such as steak and burgers should be cooked on a lower rack height setting, so heat can penetrate and cook them thoroughly.

How is an upright broiler used?

In busy steakhouses, these are often used for cooking nothing but steaks. The most common kind of upright broiler will simply include two broilers stacked one above the other. The temperature and rack height of each chamber can be adjusted once, then steaks can be cooked dozens at a time with consistency and predictability. The two chambers can be set to different temperatures and rack heights to achieve different doneness.

To make them even more useful, these are sometimes built into the same unit with an oven, griddle, or holding cabinet to increase the amount of food you can cook in the kitchen at once. Others will include a full-power broiler with a lower-power salamander, for example, so foods can be fully cooked in one unit and finished in the other by melting cheese on it or adding a caramelized crust.

Should I get a natural gas or propane upright broiler?

Upright broilers can be heated by either propane (LP) or natural gas, though your choice will likely depend on which resource is available to your facility or most affordable to you. Natural gas is usually delivered as a utility by the city, and it can be expensive to get access if your eatery isn't already served by natural gas. Propane, on the other hand, usually requires an on-site storage tank which is refilled periodically from a truck. In the event both are available, the decision will be largely based on comparing the cost and convenience of the two. Like most other equipment that operates on gas, these units must be installed underneath a hood ventilation system, so keep this in mind when you choose one for your facility, as it'll be a major factor in the cost of the equipment and may determine where it can be installed in your kitchen layout.

How can I clean a commercial steak broiler?

These units are made to be easy to clean, because cleaning them is essential for producing fresh-tasting food and optimizing efficiency. You should always clean these units whenever you change the type of food you cook in it. This will help prevent flavor transfer between the different types of food and will also help remove any charred remains that may have fallen down into the cabinet, which will create a burned taste.

Upright broilers usually have drip trays that collect excess fats and juices from food as it cooks. These are removable so they can be quickly emptied when needed and won't slow down the kitchen or make a big mess. It's a good idea to empty the grease tray before it gets full to help prevent grease fires and protect employees because they can become quite heavy and hard to manage when they get full.

The broiler grids, which are the racks inside the unit the food cooks on, are fully removable from these units, so they can easily be taken out and cleaned regularly. These can be cleaned with a wire or high-temp nylon brush and warm water with mild soap. Be sure to thoroughly dry the racks after they're cleaned to prevent rust and corrosion. A clean grid helps keep food tasting fresh and will help prevent items from sticking as it cooks.