Learn how to hack a gas grill to burn hotter using lava rocks and expandable grill grates. Like many people, some of us have conflicted feelings about the liquid propane grill. It’s handy, but only an imperfect for high-temperature grilling over real charcoal. The cart grills many of us have cook like glorified butane burners: The grill marks are never as thick and black as you want them, and there’s no ambient smoke to flavor the food, unless you classify grease flareups as “smoke.”