Lower quality cooking grates


 
Chris Allingham

Chris Allingham

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Staff member
I'm not happy with the quality of recent Weber cooking grates I've purchased. The last one I had for my 18.5" WSM (top grate) had the finish wear down to what looked like copper...never saw that in the past. Bought a replacement and the metal appears to be thinner. Looks like Weber has reduced the quality of their cooking grates... :(

Might make a trip to Ace Hardware...they often have old Weber parts gathering dust. I will try to find some older grates.
 
That's one of the reasons I bought Craycort Cast iron grates. I was looking for stainless steel grates too, but really hard to find
 
Chris; that's interesting. I'm a bit surprised and maybe Weber is more focused on the bottom line and this is a result. I recently bought directly from Weber a SS hinged grate for a 22.5" kettle that is just as hefty as the older ones; it was about $30 plus shipping. They are not offered at Amazon and the local Home Depot / Ace / other don't have them on the shelf.
 
Chris Allingham said:
The last one I had for my 18.5" WSM (top grate) had the finish wear down to what looked like copper
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When re-chroming car parts they usually start with a layer of copper, then a layer of nickel and finally the chrome. The copper layer makes the nickel layer adhere better so instead of chrome chips flying you might see the copper layer when the chrome and nickel wears down (maybe too quickly if the layers are too thin)
 
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yep, have noticed that for some time. but i keep my grates clean and they seem to function perfectly fine so just not a stress point for me
and ya'll know how i jump on weber !
and keeping them clean and oiled, pam, i get no rust or corrosion at all. oh, and so far that copper look has not worn off yet for me.
 
I just did a burn off on my wsm and my silver grates turned the lovely copper color. My ot grates turned that color after the first cook. I usually just wait for Target to rub a clearance and pick up a replacement. It does appear that like most things quality as dropped over the years.
 
I just pulled my WSM from the dark corners of the yard where it has been sitting unused for a couple years. Having realized I've wasted two years of livin without homemade BBQ, I Decided today to get it back up and running, but man my grates are extremely rusted, so looks like I need a new set of them. When swapping out the grates is there a recommended brand and type? Is this the time to go to cast iron? (I hope so... LOVE cast iron)
 
how rusted are they ? you can sand them down and then treat them with oil, i prefer pam, and they will last you for a long time.
not sure that any ci will fit and for sure i see no reason for ci in a wsm. i bet you will have rust issues with the ci also.
 
Well I got the charcoal grate cleaned up a bit, its definately got pitting, but its only for charcoal so it shouldn't be a big deal. The cooking grates on the other hand are really rough so I decided to replace them at Ace hardware today. I bought the top grate with the fold up sections (only kind they had) and the only thing I could find for the size of the lower cooking rack was the 17" charcoal grate for the 22.5" grills.

I thought about trying to find a cooking grate that size, but being as I believe I have a WSM Classic (bought in 2007) I understand the parts are harder to find.
 
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all the wsm lower grates are the charcoal grates but nickle coated. if ya keep it well oiled it should do just fine as a cooking grate.
 
Chris Allingham said:
I'm not happy with the quality of recent Weber cooking grates I've purchased. The last one I had for my 18.5" WSM (top grate) had the finish wear down to what looked like copper...never saw that in the past. Bought a replacement and the metal appears to be thinner. Looks like Weber has reduced the quality of their cooking grates... :(

Might make a trip to Ace Hardware...they often have old Weber parts gathering dust. I will try to find some older grates.
Click to expand...

I noticed that on the single grates also, but I just picked up some 18.5" hinged grates from Target on the CL rack ( part # 7433 ) and the quality is just like the old ones and the 22.5" grate seems the same.

Tim
 
new they may look the same. but it seems the nickel coating isn't thick at all. as if it was thicker before.
i have a stock of them as i buy them if i see them cheap.
 
even if that nickel wears off it will be fine as long as you keep the grate oiled. pam is yer friend.
i have grates that were rusted that i cleaned up and still cook on. doubt the grill or the meat really care.
 
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