Craycort questions


 

Laura D

TVWBB Fan
I'm Laura and I have some questions about the Craycort grates. I have them for my Smokey Joe and have some coming in the mail for my Go Anywhere. I was looking at them for my 22.5 OTG last year but Craycort fell off the planet briefly and was out of stock/not communicating and it seemed like a lot of care so I went ahead and bought the Weber Sear Grate system for my 22.5. It's been fine, but I have fallen in love with the Craycort for sure.

So - I'm good at grilling but not kitchen saavy. I am one of the few people on this planet capable of destroying cast iron. I have been researching online the best ways to take care of these grates but I can't think of a better place to ask than here.

First off - when I use the grates I brush them with a stainless steel brush to get food off, let them cool and I brush them with oil. When I go to use them to grill again, I also season them with more oil. I do this when the grates are cold, should I let them heat up a little first or does it not matter?

Also I understand that to get good searing I need to let them preheat a little longer than normal grates. For my little Smokey Joe I've been doing 10 minutes. Sound good?

A problem I've discovered is that I need to set the grates down when I light the chimney starter in the grill and also at the end when I need to empty the grill of ashes/coal into my coal bucket. I've been using the cardboard package the grate came in, but it is becoming a greasy mess. I grill outdoors, but I have to bring everything out when I start and bring it all in when I'm done. So I try and keep things I'm carrying back and forth to a minimum. I saw a griller on YouTube use a separate Weber aluminum drip pan/cake tin to light his chimney starter and then take out a section of his Craycort, pouring the chimney hardwood briquettes/lump in there - I might try that. I also might dedicate an old baking sheet for the Craycort when I need to set it down, and then just have one more thing to clean up when I'm doing grilling. If anyone has any helpful hints, let me know.

I've been grilling on my own forever, so nice to have people to ask questions. Thanks for any help/advice - much appreciated.

Laura
 
hi laura!

here's how i maintain my cast iron grates.

When I'm done grilling, i leave the food particles and stuff on there. Sometimes I scrape them off, but then i immediately brush on a light layer of oil while the grates are still hot.

before cooking, i let the grates warm up for 10+ minutes. Then I brush/scrape them if they're not clean. THEN i brush on a light layer of oil (grapeseed).

It also helps to have a light layer of oil on the food.

as for taking the grates out and putting them somewhere - i haven't found a good solution for that. I use the table of my performer, which always makes a mess.
 
I just give mine a light brush down after a cook and then spray a little Pam on it and close it down.

When I need to remove it I set it on my ash can and do my cleaning.

Laura, please share a picture of the CI's on your GA. I think you are the first one here with one.
 
Thanks, both of you. That's really helpful. I dug out an old baking sheet and I'll try that for holding my grates. I'm also trying peanut oil for seasoning.

I wrote Craycort months ago, asking if there would be grates for the GA. They wrote me back and said yes, eventually. I kept sharking their site and in late April they finally were for sale! I bought and paid for the grates. They let me know they'd ship mid June.

So, hopefully any day now they will arrive. The second they do I will post a pic. I think I bought the first ones.
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More soon -

Laura
 
That IS great. I just don't have anything good enough to hang it off of. I have a table I bring out to do prep work, etc., but I don't think it'd be able to handle that. But if someone had a table that could, that'd be perfect.
 
I'm pretty sure I had posted this before in a thread somewhere but I can't seem to find it thru the Search function so I'll be brief here.

For temporary storage of the craycort while you're accessing charcoal I made a holder out of scrap wood and an old rusty 22.5 cooking grate

IMG_20110802_181752%2520%2528Large%2529.jpg


Could've just made one w/ the wood scraps but I wanted to include the grate so I can hang it on the backside of my Performer when not in use.

Also echoing others' desires to see that Craycort for you GA!
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*edit* found the old post:
http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...311070126#2311070126
 
JohnnyS - I did see your post, I made sure to search before I asked just in case anybody has already answered my question. I think that's great what you have. My problem is I find myself making a mess with the grill grates - maybe some food that got scraped off the top falls to the ground, I got a spurt of oil, etc. I don't know how well my old baking sheet will work but at least I'll have an area that I can get messy that I can then run up to the house and wash off for next time. I'll try it. I am going to grill next week, woo hoo!

Laura
 
And the second that GA Craycort grate arrives in the mail - any time now I hope! I will definitely take and post pictures.

Laura
 
All good advice. I've been using Craycourts from day one. As soon as they were imported and before they were actually advertised.

I simply use a oil drip pan from an auto supply store to set the grates on during prep.

I also use a Raichlen Grill lifter to remove a section or more, remove the whole assembly in one piece as well as lift and rotate with food on them.

That lifter is a great tool. About $30 I think. Learn to use it when everything is cold so you under stand balance, etc.

I do what others have said in terms of pre/post prep.

I don't worry about maintaing a heavy seasoning as you would on cast iron pans, etc. This is different. They will get exposed to very high heat at times which will burn off the seasioning. Just brush, wipe with oil let them heat up a bit then wipe again.

If you get a little rust - wire brush it. Clean of the residue with an oiled paper towel. Then heat up as normal.

Often after the cook I will move the sections over the coals over top of the two that are indirect and let everything cool down cover with vents closed. This helps maintain seasoning, especially if you brush off then wipe lightly with oil.

After the initial seasoning when new I have never stripped or re-did it. Just maintained as above.

Again - if you are looking on line you will see all kinds of cleaning/maintianing references that are really about cast iron holloware (pans, dutch ovens and the like). That can become confusing.

BBQ Grates are different animal and purpose. You're not cooking fried eggs on them and expecting them to slide around
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