Grates upside down?


 
T

TGodsil

TVWBB Member
On the OEM Cast Weber grates, they have little "corners" and the grates are supposed to be flat side up.
On the aftermarket ones I ordered..if I were to turn them so the flat side faces up, the corners would also point upwards.
Is there any issue with this?
 
No, it really comes down to personal preference in my mind. It does appear that over time Weber went from making grates that were theoretically intended to be placed "pointy side up" and then to ones like the one you reference that were clearly meant to be "flat side up." Some suggest that the newer grates have fewer bars and that Weber went to making them to be used flat side up to compensate for the wider gaps. Who knows?!! And, on your aftermarket, who knows what, if anything, they were thinking. So, just use them the way you like:smilekettle:!

I will just offer these pictures of the OLDER version of Weber grates (that I believe they intended to be used pointy side up).

First, flat side up:

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Then, pointy side up:

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Like I said, it is whatever you like. For me, at least with these grates, the choice was clearly pointy side up.
 
Weber's official stance is flat side up. However, I agree with Jon: Do what you want! When I was using cast iron grates I at first had them pointy side up, then learned that the official stance was flat up. I went flat up, and liked it. Your mileage may vary. Do what you like!
 
Well on their older CI grates it was easy to use them either way. But, on their new grates the field bars are intersected with raised cross bars making it impossible to have an uninterrupted field area to grill on.
 
Reviving this thread...

Last week my wife were out together, and we stopped at Target which is not really close so I don't get their very often. While she looked at women's stuff, I perused the grill section, mostly sizing up what might be on clearance in September (or at least on sale for Memorial Day). They had a Spirit II there. I actually kind of like it. It had cast iron grates, so I decided to update myself on what Weber is doing with these since mostly I work on the really old ones.

They had the grates on display "pointy side up," so I took the liberty to experiment with them. I know many of you say they are NOT to be used that way, I couldn't see any reason why a person couldn't use them either way depending on personal preference. Here are a few pictures. Am I missing something?

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You're not missing anything Jon. It's personal preference. Larry's point is valid for the grates that have those "feet" so in that case, life is easier flat side up, but really who cares what people do with their grates? I don't. I just hope they grill on them! Or sometimes take them out to use the rotisserie :)
 
On that style they're universal. Use them however you like. But Weber also makes some where the cross bars stick up above the the field bars when reversed and I see people suing them like that and simply SMH as it makes me wonder how they can do simple tasks like laying a piece of protein flat or flipping burgers easily
 
On my E320 I have the flat side up, on my Gen 2000 I have the pointy side up, on the skyline I have SS, on my Gen2 I have stamped porcelain grates. Decisions, decisions what's the best choice, oh I'm not so sure.
 
That's a good one Rich I have a set of the Stamped Stainless from BBQ parts I know most hate the stamped grates but I really love them, have the q's for the C which I have not used yet so don't have to stress either way which way to face them. CI in ATL not a viable option anyway to much maintenance even then with the humidity they would be toast if you did not maintain them.

Jon, I like the sear marks on the pointed up grates much better than the flat. You are in FL must be a chore to maintain the CI your humidity worse than ours I would imagine.
 
Brian,
It does take regular use and re-oiling. If I stick to that regimen, though, they do fine. Definitely can’t leave them outside, unused and not oiled or else you are back to the drawing board:(!
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
That's a good one Rich I have a set of the Stamped Stainless from BBQ parts I know most hate the stamped grates but I really love them, have the q's for the C which I have not used yet so don't have to stress either way which way to face them. CI in ATL not a viable option anyway to much maintenance even then with the humidity they would be toast if you did not maintain them.

Jon, I like the sear marks on the pointed up grates much better than the flat. You are in FL must be a chore to maintain the CI your humidity worse than ours I would imagine.
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There's really nothing wrong with the stamped stainless grates at all. I used them initially on my old silver A. They worked well.

And my Dad had those on his old 1000 that I now have. Those grates were still on the grill when I inherited it several years ago. They needed to be replaced at that point but they lasted almost 20 years...
 
Greg, I think it was you who turned me on to those BBQ stamped parts grates. At the time the Q rods were not for sale nor many other knockoffs and I will tell you that I have been totally satisfied, they are USA made fairly heavy and the quality is excellent. They are on the 1000 which is going to my daughter next year when she buys a house and I have no doubt those grates will outlive me.
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
Greg, I think it was you who turned me on to those BBQ stamped parts grates. At the time the Q rods were not for sale nor many other knockoffs and I will tell you that I have been totally satisfied, they are USA made fairly heavy and the quality is excellent. They are on the 1000 which is going to my daughter next year when she buys a house and I have no doubt those grates will outlive me.
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Yeah it's hard to beat those for $48 for a 1000 ($40 for an A). Like you said American made and GREAT quality.

Their rod stainless grates are pricier. $90 for a 1000 and $70 for an A. But still priced well for grates that are near rcplanebuyer quality.
 
The stamped grates do work but the welds tend to fail after a few years. Almost all the used grills with stamped grates I worked on had broken welds. And they rust. Especially the enameled ones. The SS are not much better. Short term they work but long term they are a disaster.
 
I agree Stefan. I get lots of grills with the stamped stainless grates and 8 of 10 have a broken weld and the other two are usually otherwise trashed.
 
Jon Tofte said:
I know many of you say they are NOT to be used that way, I couldn't see any reason why a person couldn't use them either way depending on personal preference. Am I missing something?
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Well, I was about to write a strong defense for wide-side up, but first decided to READ THE SPIRIT II OWNER'S MANUAL!

"The reversible cooking grates empower you to be even more creative with your dish. The thin side of the cooking grate is ideal for delicate food such as fish and shrimp, while the wider side creates a thick sear mark enhancing the flavor of your food."

So these grates are MEANT to be used on both sides!
 
Some were and some were not. The ones with the protruding support bars IMO I don't see how anyone could deal with that. But the ones where the cross (support) bars are flush either way winy not? I used mine both ways. Flat side up is especially nice when doing smaller items too as you don't sacrifice the food to the flame gods
 
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