Cleanup Time Saver


 
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Tom Ferguson

Banned
I don't know about the rest of you, but cleaning the dang grates after a long cook is a pita for me.

I was in Home Depot today and picked up some aluminum grate covers. They are shaped to go over the grates and have openings between the bars. There is no company name on them at all, which is strange, but the are named Clean BBQ. Made of 3-mil thick heavy duty aluminum, like disposable cooking pans.

They were about $10 for a dozen. They are rectangular in shape, 12" x 20" so I'll have to trim them to fit the WSM.

Not recommended for hit fat meats because of flare-ups, but that shouldn't be a concern in the WSM.

I'm going to do some BB's tomorrow, so I'll report back on the results.

I don't have a digital camera, but I did a patent search and here's a pic that will give you a better idea of what they look like:

CleanBBQ.gif
 
Well Bob, first of all it doesn't match up with the grate bars on the WSM. Now they say it will fit any grate, because you can "accordian" it to fit. That's fine, but it is wider than the WSM bars, so it has to be compressed. Even though it is aluminum, it still retains a bit of spring when compressed. Hold down one side, the other pops up. /infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif

I guess tying it off with wire in a few strategic places might work, however, the second problem is that even though I coated it with PAM, the ribs stuck to it. And once it is pulled loose, its over. Again tying it down in a few places might help.

I guess the pain of cleanup is one of the minor prices to pay for the quality of Q that comes from the WSM. /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif
 
Too bad, it looked like a good idea. I don't like cleaning the grates either. I spray mine pretty good with Pam. That helps and then I put them in the dish washer. Anything that is still left on the grate will clean easily with a Brillo pad. You might try that, good luck.

Bob
 
My favorite grate cleaning tool is a coarse Scotch Brite pad, which I think was originally designed for use in paint removal. Since it's coarse, it doesn't clog up with food residue and is easier to clean when you're finished with it. And it doesn't rust like a Brillo pad.
 
I use the new Dawn power dissolver spray on the grates and then pop them in the dishwahser. The only drawback of this method is the look from my wife when I put the grates in the dishwasher.
 
Cooking grates in the dishwasher!! OMG My wife would shoot me dead on the spot. Hehehe.. but really I know what you mean I love the cookin' but the cleanin' part really is a pain. I have tried spraying the grates but meat is gonna stick no matter what after the low and slow method. I am going to get a good grate cleaner (or should I say cheap) a wire brush on one side and a notched piece of metal to scrape the grate on the other with a long handle. So far I have been cleaning outside with a SOS pad and hating every minute. One a side note.........if Chris is watching here is something I noticed. I just got a Weber One Touch Silver Kettle 22 1/2" and the charcoal grate from this grill is the same size as the bottom cooking grate of the WSM except the one from the WSM is nickel plated. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
I most recently cleaned the cooking grates on my WSM from a 19 hr, 3 butt (av. 7+lbs) cook and used a Genesis Silver at 500 F for about 10 min. I then scraped the grates, both sides, with a brush. Worked great and the time was about what it took me to dump and clean the charcoal bowl and area around the smoker. Thus, I didn't forget and leave the gas on with the grates inside.

Downside - perhaps more wear and tear on the grates and they end up a dull red rather than sparkley bright. The latter doesn't bother me.

As an aside, on a 19 hr cook, don't watch your temp tooo often or it will drive you nuts. Also, unless you just love stress, don't cook two or more butts for guest unless you do it overnight. They reached 195 at 4:00 p,m. and I started pulling at about 6:15. Finally, pull and disribute in a single layer in your pan. Then sprinkle rub over the layer. Add another layer, sprinke rub, etc. till complete. Really benefits the seasoning.

Paul
 
A product called Greased Lightning was handed out at the 2003 American Royal in the expo hall, it does a pretty good job - I found large sprayers of the stuff at Lowe's, and now use it for the racks and water pan. I'd be interested in trying the Dawn spray, though, they make darn fine stuff.
 
I tried like heck to keep my grates shiney clean for about three months after I got my WSM. Then I started thinking...(bad move)...when I use my gas grill or my Weber kettle, do I go through all this trouble-NO. I take a good wire brush I got from the hardware and brush the grates clean . Prior to the next cook, I brush them again and spray with Pam. Whatever is left on their only adds character and depth of flavor to the cook.
 
Ditto what Bruce and Paul said. I posted this last February:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Stop wasting your time. The brown stain doesn't hurt anything. When I first began using my WSM, I was anal about cleaning my grates to shiny nickel new every time. It was 30 minutes of elbow grease in the sink after every cook.

After lamenting about the work to get em clean on this site, others gave me the same advice I'm giving you: Stop the madness! Just burn off the residue either by putting them on the coals after your cook is done, using propane torch or weed burner, or as I do now, put them on the gas grill on high for 10-15 minutes and then use a brass grill brush to knock off the charred chunks. After a year and half of this method, my grates are black, but not rusted. I spray em with PAM before each use and the meat doesn't stick.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The only thing I would add is don't forget about your grates and leave on the gas grill for extended periods of time. (2 1/2 hours on high in my case) You can burn off the nickel plating which lets rust begin. But 10-15 minutes is no problem.
 
Agreed, easiest to just burn 'em reasonably clean. No sense getting them spotless since a couple hours into your next cook ... they'll be nasty anyway.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

 

Back
Top