DCS Radiant Rod Tray Specifications For Various Models.

stainless steel radiant heat plate dcs
Replacement radiant tray 18 5/8 inches x 9 7/8 inches holds eighteen 9 1/2 inch ceramic rods to radiate even heat in DCS gas BBQ grill models. Radiant tray locking arm is included.

DCS radiant rod tray (only) holds 8 1/2" ceramic rods for heat conduction and grilling distribution.

Replacement radiant rod tray in Thirty inch DCS has the same 9.5 inch radiant rods but has a wider (11.5" wide) Tray.

The 9.5 inch radiant tray above will also easily install in DCS-30 models and 9.5 inch rods fit both. This wider radiant rod tray is available and ships as only the lower stainless tray.

DCS Radiants

The most commonly repaired gas grills by Dynamic Cooking Systems used the 9.5 inch radiants to conduct heat. The porcelain rods in the barbecue have a dual purpose.

The rods absorb and radiate heat from the burner below the radiant tray and radiate that heat at the grilling surface just above the tray. DCS gas grills were the hottest barbecue grill on the market before the invention of infrared burners. The heat was due to this brilliant design. While most barbecues used heat shields, vaporizer shields, briquettes or lava rocks the DCS rods radiated more heat and more evenly distributed heat allowing the grilling area to reach above nine-hundred degrees. Under the hood the convectional (transferred through air) heat may be 550 but the added temperatures coming off the rods turned the barbecue into a grill capable of perfectly searing meats to seal flavor and moisture inside.

The secondary benefit to this amazing new grill design was vaporizing flavor. Most barbecues rely on heat built-up inside the bbq hood. The DCS radiants would get so hot that any grease, sauces, rubs, marinades or even small pieces of food would land on these extraordinarily hot porcelain rods and vaporize. Vaporized flavor adds to the convectional heat that surrounds the food n the barbecue adding flavor. The radiant shields were so effective that DCS stainless steel burners are almost never replaced. The grease that ruins the burners in any other barbecue rarely drips past the radiant layer to land on the burners.

Rods Locked In Tray

The original radiant trays that came in the models manufactured for the past 15 years all have a locking arm to hold the rods in place. The locking arm had a long slit hole and the main radiant had a T shaped tab that poked through this slit. Once the rods were placed into the tray the locking arm was laid in place and the tabs bent down so the locking bar could not be accidentally removed.

New radiants come with a nut and bolt to hold the lock in place. The nut and bolt should not be tightened more than hand tight. This is a more reliable attachment and makes the lock easier to install and remove.

No More Replacing?

Obviously the evolution of the radiant rod tray came from previous DCS barbecues using lava rocks. The lava rock trays could not hold the lava rocks to the trays so cleaning the high-quality materials was difficult without dropping greasy conduction rocks all over the patio. The new DCS radiant had to conduct heat better and had to make the grills easier to maintain.

304 Stainless steel has to have a minimum addition of eighteen percent chromium added during smelting the stainless. Chromium reacts with oxygen atoms to create a protective layer on the surface of the stainless similar to oiling a cast iron skillet.

The rods were not only extraordinarily effective but evenly distributed and locked into place. By locking the rods to the trays the entire assembly can be lifted from the grill, laid in the yard sorayed with a degreaser, lightly brushed and rinsed with a hose in less than ten minutes. A few minutes two or three times a year and the stainless steel trays should never need to be replaced.

The DCS 30 inch gas grills use the same 9.5 inch radiant rods as the 27 inch, 36 inch and the 48 inch barbecue models. However the radiant trays that support the radiant rods are not the same size as all the other models. The 30 inch radiant trays are approximately 11.5 inches wide -- but support the same 9.5 inch radiant rods.

The important feature for grilling with the DCS gas grills is the conduction of heat that doubles as a vaporization layer which triples as protection for the U shaped burners. This benefit is caused by the porcelain rods. The stainless radiant supports are valuable because they are stainless steel but the actual design and the size of the radiant shield is not as important as the radiant rods.

This image shows the radiant tray for the 30 with the radiant tray for the 27, 36, 48 models. The radiant tray for the 30 istwo inches wider but the bend in the steel where the radiant tray is supported in the grill is in the same place.

Important Detail!

The radiant trays install into the grill body by using two stainless steel round dowels welded in the front and in the back of the BBQ. The radiant shields were engineered so the angle in the tray held the stainless dowels within the point of the bend in the stainless.

The replacement radiant tray for the 30 inch model BBQ and the tray that fits the other models above have the bend in the stainless tray at the exact same place. This allows us to use either radiant tray in the 30 inch DCS model BBQs.

stainless steel radiant heat plate dcs
Replacement radiant tray holds eighteen 9 1/2 inch ceramic rods to radiate even heat in DCS gas BBQ grill models. Radiant tray locking arm is included.

DCS heat shield radiant tray (only) holds 8 1/2" ceramic rods for heat conduction and grilling distribution.

Replacement radiant tray for thirty inch DCS grill models. The 30 inch DCS used the same radiant rods but has a wider (11.5" wide). The 9.5 inch radiant above will replace the originals at half the cost but the wider radiant rod tray support is also available.