Parts Explained 6 of 8
Ceramic Briquette Trays
A tray of ceramic briquettes between a Viking grill's main burners and its grates: the briquettes take up burner heat, spread it across the grill and burn off most of what drips onto them.
Are briquette trays the same thing as flavor plates?
It depends on the grill. Viking’s 5 Series and older outdoor-grill guides describe ceramic briquettes carried in trays, burners below and grates above. Its T-Series and S Series literature names that part “flavor generator plates” instead, so go by your own guide’s word.
Both keep drippings off the burners and even out the heat. Briquettes are burned clean rather than scraped, and a replacement is ordered for that exact grill, never as a universal plate.
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How is a tray put together?
Viking’s older outdoor-grill guide shows a stainless steel cover shield, held by four screws along its top, keeping the briquettes in their tray. With the screws out the shield lifts and the briquettes slide out and in, so a cracked one is changed without a new tray.
On a 5 Series grill the brass main burners run directly beneath the trays; with the grates off, each tray lifts at its front edge and draws out toward you.
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Why do loaded trays cause flare-ups?
Fat that lands on hot briquettes normally burns away; the 5 Series guide says so. A big spill or a season without a burn-off is more than they can clear, and the residue waits for the next flame. The older Viking guide puts it plainly: trays left to build up debris over a long period can flare.
Foil does not help. Viking’s troubleshooting names foil lining the grill as a cause of low heat, so the trays stay bare.
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How are the trays burned clean?
With the grill cold, the grates come off and each tray is lifted out, turned upside down and set back on its mounting points. The main burners then run on high. The older guide allows 20 to 30 minutes for this; the 5 Series guide asks for 5 to 10 minutes on HI, a soft brush for anything left, and trays fully cooled before they go back the right way up.
Use the time printed for your grill. Crumbling briquettes, or a tray still crusted afterwards, are the point to book the visit.
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Follow-ups
Should I cover the briquettes with foil to keep them clean?
No. Viking's troubleshooting lists foil lining the grill among the reasons a grill runs short of heat, and drippings that land on foil never reach the briquettes that are there to burn them off. Bare trays and an occasional burn-off do the cleaning. If a tray will not come clean, ring Woodinville Viking Repair on (425) 321-3414.
Where do replacement briquette trays for a Viking grill come from?
Viking's 5 Series guide sends owners to a dealer for replacement trays, and a tray has to match the grill it sits in, so the model comes first. On the $89 visit Woodinville Viking Repair identifies the grill, looks at the burners under the trays and quotes the right tray before one is ordered. Call (425) 321-3414.