Grate Prep - How do you do it?


 
J

James H

TVWBB Pro
Hello all, enjoying a bluebird day on long island and will be doing spatchcocked chicken under a brick. Question is....

to stop thinngs from sticking on the grates i spray Pam on the hot grates before putting the food on. I have seen others brush oil on the grates. What do you guys think is the best way to set up your grates?

Thanks all!!!

James
 
I don't profess to know the"best" way, but this is how I do it:

I pre-heat the grill or smoker :wsm: (whether charcoal or, gasp!, gas), run a wire brush over it briskly, then oil it with a folded paper towel dipped in canola oil. That both lubricates them and cleans the grates.

Dale53
 
Robert McGee said:
I don't profess to know the"best" way, but this is how I do it:

I pre-heat the grill or smoker :wsm: (whether charcoal or, gasp!, gas), run a wire brush over it briskly, then oil it with a folded paper towel dipped in canola oil. That both lubricates them and cleans the grates.

Dale53
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Exactly what I do. Gasp - I do primarily use gas. My grates are stainless. I find that once they become seasoned, food sticks less. I don't know if they are actually seasoned like cast iron, but they have a thin black coat on them (carbon?) that I don't try to scrap off. When I wipe with the paper towel, the first few wipes the towel comes back dirty (black) but after a couple wipes, it comes back pretty clean so I think it's a carbon coating.
 
Robert McGee said:
I don't profess to know the"best" way, but this is how I do it:

I pre-heat the grill or smoker :wsm: (whether charcoal or, gasp!, gas), run a wire brush over it briskly, then oil it with a folded paper towel dipped in canola oil. That both lubricates them and cleans the grates.

Dale53
Click to expand...

I do the same thing. It is also important not to flip food too soon. It will stick initially then pull back as it cooks, so I try to drink a beer while I grill to keep me distracted so I am less prone to do this...
 
I just clean, wipe and put the meat down. Most of what I grill usually has a good dose of EVOO. Helps with the non-sticking aspect.
 
I just brush my grate. Only oil it after a high heat pizza cook to keep it from rusting.Never have sticking problems.
 
I oil only the food. I have CI grates and use charcoal. Preheat grate for 15 minutes, brush and on goes the food. Flip, if necessary, after first side releases.
 
On America's Test Kitchen tv show they oil the grates before the cook. I always thought this was wrong, thinking the oil would just burn off the hot grates before giving any benefit.
The salesperson where I bought my gasser said, "Oil the meat, not the grates." In my mind this went along with my own line of thinking.
I've tried both and lately I seem to have a liiiitle better results oiling the grates.
So much for my original way of thinking. :D
 
The reason I oil the grates and not the food is because I watched Steve Raichlen a lot. He always says not to oil the food. Everyone has their own way of doing things. As long as the food tastes good, then who cares. :cool:
 
i've used the oiled paper towel method with good results. I've recently read that w/proper heat, no treating is needed. last couple cooks on Buddy has shown that to be true. no treatment and no sticking. I have, however, seen a utensil shaped to hold 1/2 an onion. supposedly w/some heat in the grill and onion in the holder, you can clean the grates and add flavor to your cook. haven't tried those yet, but am curious if they are worth the $$ to buy and get onions to use w/them.
 
I oil the grates using a paper towel and normally lightly oil the food also. One thing I have learned is to allow a little time for the oil on the grates to heat and the drippings to burn off before you add food. If not, you will sometimes get a gray/black color residue on the food from it burning. It can really be noticeable on light colored items like chicken, pork, or corn.
 
MikeB said:
On America's Test Kitchen tv show they oil the grates before the cook. I always thought this was wrong, thinking the oil would just burn off the hot grates before giving any benefit.
The salesperson where I bought my gasser said, "Oil the meat, not the grates." In my mind this went along with my own line of thinking.
I've tried both and lately I seem to have a liiiitle better results oiling the grates.
So much for my original way of thinking. :D
Click to expand...

I have seen ATK demonstrate oiling the grates many times and like you I do not believe this will help prevent the food from sticking. I do believe it helps to clean the grate and so I do it. I also oil the meat as I find that helps prevent it from sticking.
 
You don't really need a tool to hold the onion. A welders glove or grill glove works fine.
Bill said:
i've used the oiled paper towel method with good results. I've recently read that w/proper heat, no treating is needed. last couple cooks on Buddy has shown that to be true. no treatment and no sticking. I have, however, seen a utensil shaped to hold 1/2 an onion. supposedly w/some heat in the grill and onion in the holder, you can clean the grates and add flavor to your cook. haven't tried those yet, but am curious if they are worth the $$ to buy and get onions to use w/them.
Click to expand...
 
James H said:
Question is....

to stop things from sticking on the grates i spray Pam on the hot grates before putting the food on.

James
Click to expand...

I can add to the list of what not to use.

I remember WD-40 had a lawsuit against it in the early 80's from someone who had the bright idea of using their product to lubricate his grill and he was badly burned as a result. I think the company settled this out of court. :wsm:
 
Don't oil, no sticking problems either. I typically cook indirect and let the meat cook instead of constantly flipping. By the time it's really time to flip, the meat has come un-stuck.
 
I was chastised by Weber representatives for oiling the grates. They say to oil the food. I still oil the grates.
 
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