Grill Grates - Damaged or Dirty?


 
S

SamF

New member
Hi Everyone,

New around these parts :)

I have a Weber E-325S which is just over a year old. It has the porcelain enamelled cast iron grates. It's used often and well loved. I take the standard approach of using a grill brush on the grates while hot before each cook, and a deep clean a few times a year. I use the Weber non-stick spray before throwing the meat on. No sharp metal is used on the grates (I typically use tongs to turn food) so I don't think I've done anything to damage them.

I've noticed the surface is looking in poor shape. Is this surface damage or just very stubborn burned on food? Do I need to try something with chemicals?

Any tips appreciated.

Thanks!

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Welcome to the forum:
Yah, not sure if if it is the porcelain coming off or not. But if it is, I would dump them even if I can't get them replaced under warranty. I would definitely go that route first though. Then as others suggested. You might want to just get a good set of SS Solid rod grates and never worry about grates again.
 
Thanks everyone - I will try going via warranty. I did actually raise a case but they told me I had not maintained my grill adequately. I'll not give up quite that easily, though.

Are there any safety concerns here; ie should I replace them before cooking again?

I'd been reading about Stainless Steel as an option and this seems the right thing to do if I don't get anywhere with the warranty. I guess most of you are in the US but would be good to get any recommendations I can get in the UK
 
One alternative - if Weber doesn't honor the warranty and you really like cast iron - would be to sand/grind off the remaining porcelain coating and turn at least the top into old-fashioned "raw" cast iron. That will end the peeling off problem, but you will then have to regularly season and care for the grates to keep the rust monster at bay.

I, for one, still love cast iron, but I regularly use stainless rod grates for the same reasons mentioned by others above. THICK stainless rods will deliver pretty similar results.
 
SamF said:
Thanks everyone - I will try going via warranty. I did actually raise a case but they told me I had not maintained my grill adequately. I'll not give up quite that easily, though.

Are there any safety concerns here; ie should I replace them before cooking again?

I'd been reading about Stainless Steel as an option and this seems the right thing to do if I don't get anywhere with the warranty. I guess most of you are in the US but would be good to get any recommendations I can get in the UK
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Your grates are covered by warranty and it's not normal wear and tear. I find that with anything warranty related it's best to read the warranty information coverages and stick to thier language. Providing your cleaning ritual should be described as "following manufactures recommendations" The person on the phone is trained to listen to help and also protect. The more you add the deeper thr conversation goes and there can always be a gray area with that.
 
These look like dirty grates to me. Having spent 10 years in our Americas Consumer Care team, and after reviewing literally thousands of photos of grates, I feel pretty confident in my assessment. They look just like the PECI grates on my Spirit E-310 and my old Genesis Silver B. The darker, glossier black portions of the grate are the dirty part. The matte, lighter portions are the "cleaner" part.

If porcelain starts popping off, you'll typically know because corrosion sets in extremely fast. Personally, I'd just fire up the grill, set it to high, close the lid, and wait about 20 minutes. Then brush them down and cook on them. If you want to try and get them back to "like new" condition, which I consider an effort in futility, take them out of the grill when they are completely cold, put them in the sink and spray them down with Dawn Powerwash. Let them soak for about 10 to 15 minutes and then go to town on them with hot water and a semi-abrasive scrubber. #IworkforWeber.
 
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You will also know by the crunchies in your food. Best advice......................lose those grates and get good solid SS ones. Before you start crunching down on bits you did not expect
 
You should totally listen to the guy from Weber posting above.

I agree with him that your grates are very likely AOK. What JB is saying is another version of the "why is there black paint peeling from the inside of my lid." It isn't peeling paint (or peeling porcelain) -- the black stuff is carbon flaking off.

Fire grill up, brush grates a little, cook. Maybe lay on some bacon, fatty burgers or some hi temp cooking oil to get them seasoned up. So long as you don't have crud chunks, the grates are clean enough to cook on.

Also agree that trying to keep grates (of any material) shiny is a complete futility exercise and waste of time. One reason I switched away from steel grates to PECI grates is that they are dark colored. Got tired of my wife demanding that the SS grates be shiny and carbon free. Now, the grates are always black.

Overtime -- "I use the Weber non-stick spray before throwing the meat on." That is your problem right there. Stop doing that.

Oil on very hot grates causes the black stuff. Because if you leave the oil on the grates too long at high heat, it will carbonize. The more recommended method is to put the oil on the food rather than the grates. Meathead has an MIT professor who contributes to his site. MIT guy says the following (which describes your experience):

I asked the AmazingRibs.com science advisor Prof. Greg Blonder about the pros and cons of lubricating the grill grates: “Metal grill grates, even shiny clean ones, are not really smooth. Under a microscope there are numerous scratches, pits, valleys, and ridges. The compounds in food are much colder than the grates and when the two meet a bond forms between them. If you oil the grates, below the smoke point of the oil, let’s say 400°F, the oil actually does coat the grating and helps release protein and fat. But if you ‘keep it hot’, above the smoke point, the oil cracks, smokes, and carbonizes almost instantly. The carbon and smoke don’t taste good, and the dry uneven carbon layer simply makes sticking worse.

amazingribs.com

How to Keep Food From Sticking to Your Grates

Don't you hate it when food sticks to your grill grates? This article explains how to prevent it: keep your grill grates clean and use the right temperature for the food you're cooking. Maybe lubricate the food (not the grates) with some oil. Some fish baskets and grill toppers may also help...
amazingribs.com
 
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Thanks for the insight & comments - seems we have a divided group! I've seen the videos on the carbon deposits on the lids but that tends to peel off whereas this is a lot more solid. My aim here is not one of a 'like new' look; I agree that's somewhat unrealstic, but clean - and safe - grates are my concern.

I'm also typically a 'oil on the meat, not in the pan' guy but the spray came with the grill and is reccomended to be sprayed on before cooking. However I do sometimes forget and notice no difference at all.

I'll see where things go with Weber. I am tempted to do some more agressive cleaning, but will let the warranty process run it's course first.

Very insightful - thanks all for your input
 
Just to add a little more, I would have to agree that it is certainly possible that what you have is only burnt on stuff. Take a look at this picture of a Q200 grate that looked badly rusted to me:

BEFORE Grate.jpg

Turns out it was virtually all burnt on crud. I cleaned those grates up and still have them years later:

AFTER Grate.jpg

However, if you do have pealing porcelain coating, then you either have to do the griding idea or go with new grates. Thick stainless rods are certainly easier to take care of and will eliminate this issue. They are just not as "primal" fun as cast iron.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Just to add a little more, I would have to agree that it is certainly possible that what you have is only burnt on stuff. Take a look at this picture of a Q200 grate that looked badly rusted to me:

View attachment 78977

Turns out it was virtually all burnt on crud. I cleaned those grates up and still have them years later:

View attachment 78978

However, if you do have pealing porcelain coating, then you either have to do the griding idea or go with new grates. Thick stainless rods are certainly easier to take care of and will eliminate this issue. They are just not as "primal" fun as cast iron.
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This is exactly the sort of thing I saw over and over during my years in Weber Consumer Care. The appearance of debris on the grates can be very deceiving and make them look like they are failing. That said, I do realize that there is a percentage (a small %) that do actually fail and qualify for warranty replacement.
 
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The only thing I might add to the above is to ask what kind of grill brush you use. A good stainless steel bristle brush is pretty much the standard now, but there are many "improved" options that may not be so "improved". If that deposit is left after your pre-cook clean, then "somethin' ain't right". My PCI grates on former grills never had crud-looking stuff like that after any brushing. I don't see any indication (color) of rust, so a good cleaning (even use a grill scraper or steel putty knife if needed), your warranty claim or the recommended SS grate replacement (I agree) are the right approach. Thick SS looks good, but just be sure whatever are made of 304 stainless. My slightly thinner Genesis SS grates are just as good as the thicker Summit SS grates and have no problems after 12 years of heavy usage. (I clean my Genny on a similar schedule to yours.)
 
I'll see where things go with Weber. I am tempted to do some more agressive cleaning, but will let the warranty process run it's course first.

The weber customer service guy on here says your grates are likely 95% fine. I agree.

Take a razor scraper and gently scrape at a piece of the bubbly black stuff. In 30 seconds you can confirm what that stuff is. Which is almost certainly going to be carbon coming off. Not enamel. Post another picture so we all can better tell if you do have an enamel problem.

And even if you do get new grates from Weber, very likely that the exact same thing will happen again. If it really is carbon.
 
I only use brass Libman brushes. They don't hurt either enameled or solid. Even raw CI grates are good with them
 
Take some crumpled up aluminum foil and really get down to town cleaning those. I suspect they will clean up, because as mentioned actual failure of the porcelain will produce rust super quick.

Might take a couple rounds but they should clean up. Then crank the heat up, let them cook a good half hour or so and you should be golden.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Turns out it was virtually all burnt on crud. I cleaned those grates up and still have them years later:

However, if you do have pealing porcelain coating, then you either have to do the griding idea or go with new grates. Thick stainless rods are certainly easier to take care of and will eliminate this issue. They are just not as "primal" fun as cast iron.
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That's quite the transformation, what did you do?

As for the question about grill brush - I use the weber one that I got with my cleaning kit when I got the grill. I'll try the other suggestions, though.

With all of this said, I've followed the guidance on cleaning; or at least I believe I have so off the back of that I have 2 questions:

1) What am I doing wrong?
2) What should I be doing in future?

I've been over them today again and if it is dirt it sure is baked on - I'm quite tempted to have them meet my self cleaning oven which tops out at over 500 degrees celsius - almost 1000 F - I guess they can handle that heat just fine? As it may just turn to ash...
 
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