--- title: "Grill Uneven Heat: Hot Spots and Cold Corners on the Grates: Causes and Fixes" description: "Grill uneven heat shows as steaks charred on the left and pale on the right, a cold front edge, or one corner that never browns while the rest of the grates run…" url: "https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-uneven-heat/" --- # Grill Uneven Heat: Hot Spots and Cold Corners on the Grates Grill uneven heat shows as steaks charred on the left and pale on the right, a cold front edge, or one corner that never browns while the rest of the grates run hot. ## What it usually means. Some unevenness is designed in: most grills run hotter at the back, where rising heat gathers under the lid, and cooler at the front by the knobs. Beyond that, even heat depends on every burner making the same flame and on the layer between burners and food spreading it. That layer is the heat shields, called flavorizer bars by some makers, or ceramic briquettes, lava rock or radiant plates on others. When a shield is warped, rusted through or missing, the flame beneath it strikes the grates directly and makes a hot stripe; when briquettes are soaked with fat, they flare in one spot. A burner with half its ports closed or a web in its venturi makes a short flame at one end. Wind is the outside cause: a breeze across a cart grill with the lid up strips heat from the upwind side. On infrared grills, a cracked ceramic tile or a clogged emitter screen leaves a dead patch in an otherwise glowing field. A bread test, slices laid across the grates for a minute on medium, maps the pattern clearly. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Is the cool area always in the same place, or does it move with the wind? 02 Do all burners show the same flame height when viewed through the grates? 03 Are any heat shields, bars or briquettes cracked, bent or missing? 04 Is it a gas, infrared or pellet grill? 05 Does a bread test show a stripe, a corner or a fade from back to front? ## Check these before you book. Grill uneven heat: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Lay slices of bread across the grates on medium for a minute and photograph the pattern. 02 Cook with the lid closed, and turn the grill so the wind meets its back or side. 03 Once cold, lift the grates and look at every shield and briquette for gaps, warps and heavy crust. ### Also worth checking - Watch each burner's flame through the grates; one short or ragged flame points to that burner. - On an infrared grill, look for dark patches in the glow once it has preheated. ### How soon does it need a visit? Uneven heat is a cooking problem, not a safety one, and an ordinary booking suits it. If one burner also shows yellow flame or flame near the knobs, see those pages first. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things grill uneven heat: hot spots and cold corners on the grates turns out to be, from wind across the grill to infrared tile cracked or emitter clogged. [The cost guide](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Wind across the grill A steady breeze carries heat off the upwind side, more so with the lid open. Turning the grill or setting a solid screen upwind evens it out. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 no repair ### The normal difference from back to front Most grills run cooler at the front. Searing at the back and resting food at the front is how they are meant to be used. No repair: check it yourself 3. 03 low ### Heat shields warped, rusted or missing A shield with a hole, or one that has sagged, lets flame reach the grates in a line. New shields made for the model restore the spread. [Fixed by grill heat shield and grate replacement](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-heat-shield-and-grate-replacement/) 4. 04 low ### Briquettes or radiants soaked with grease Saturated briquettes flare in patches and block heat elsewhere. They are replaced as a set, not scrubbed. [Fixed by grill heat shield and grate replacement](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-heat-shield-and-grate-replacement/) 5. 05 low to moderate ### One burner with blocked ports or a web A burner that only makes flame along half its length leaves a cold stripe above the other half. It is cleaned or replaced. [Fixed by grill burner replacement](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-burner-replacement/) 6. 06 moderate ### Infrared tile cracked or emitter clogged A cracked ceramic face or a screen closed by grease leaves a dark patch in the glow. The infrared burner is repaired or swapped. [Fixed by infrared grill burner repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/infrared-burner-repair/) [On an infrared grill](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/types/infrared-grill-repair/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with grill not getting hot enough to sear, then grill low flame: burners stuck at a weak blue line. [All problems](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`Knob LEDs: 9 lit at HI, 1 lit at LOW` Alfresco · Mode, not a failure](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/alfresco-knob-led-bar/) - [`Burner N failed to stabilize` Lynx · Flame and gas flow](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/lynx-burner-failed-to-stabilize/) - [`Burner N temperature not steady` Lynx · Temperature and probes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/lynx-temperature-not-steady/) - [`Calibration failed` Lynx · Temperature and probes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/lynx-calibration-failed/) - [`Knob bezel yellow, orange or red` Twin Eagles · Temperature and probes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/twin-eagles-bezel-color/) Also related - [**Grill Burners Rusted Through: Holes, Gaps and Ragged Flames** 6 causes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-burners-rusted-through/) ### Grill Not Getting Hot Enough to Sear 6 causes ### Grill Low Flame: Burners Stuck at a Weak Blue Line 6 causes ### Grill Flare-Ups Every Time Food Hits the Grates 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 23 makes on this site; grill uneven heat: hot spots and cold corners on the grates can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 23 brands](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/brands/) ## Grill Uneven Heat: Hot Spots and Cold Corners on the Grates, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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Bread works well. Slices laid edge to edge across the grates on medium for a minute or two give a clear map of dark and pale. ### Do all gas grills run hotter at the back? Most do, because hot air collects under the back of the lid. A little difference is normal; a cold corner at the back is not. ### Should flavorizer bars be flipped over to even the heat? Only where the manual says they are reversible. Bars rusted through are replaced, because turning them only hides the hole for a while. ### Can the cooking grates themselves cause uneven heat? Thick cast iron heats slowly and holds it; warped or thin grates rock and lose contact with the food. They can add to a pattern but rarely create one on their own. --- **[Read on the site: Grill Uneven Heat: Hot Spots and Cold Corners on the Grates: Causes and Fixes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-uneven-heat/)** **[Book a visit with BBQGrillRepair.center](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/schedule/)**