Grill Grates - Damaged or Dirty?


 
SamF said:
Ha, well, I see I've inadvertently started an SS vs PECI debate. So I guess I should pick a side, which for now....it's definitely gotta be Iron. I would consider SS in future but some of the suggestions made here don't seem to be available in the UK, plus after just 1 year there's no reason for me to be considering a paid replacement.

Now that we've settle that, @Jim Weber it's interesting that you mention that folks 'continue' setting the burners to high then complain etc but in fairness that is the standard cited practice, is it not? I'll certainly try a lower temp next time to see how that goes.

I think to be clear here folks I am not dismissing the suggestion that it's a cleaning issue. My abundance of caution is that my little boy enjoys grilling with dad and if there's a chance there's nasty bits getting in his food then obviously I want to be on the safe side. At the end of it I will have learned some valuable lessons. Weber asked for more photos, they are busy at the moment but I will take their guidance as well as on here.

Anyway now that we've opened up a few other discussions...I have more questions.

@Jim Weber again you said V side UP. Now I like this way BUT someone told me they were upside down and when i checked, even Weber said flat side up. But then I saw some were 'reversible' and left it to preference of how you like the sear lines. Is this a matter of opinion or fact, or was it just that 'upside down' was actually applicable to a different grate/model?

And also, if some of you are only deep cleaning very rarely, don't you get grease fires? I cook a lot but my cookbox, flavouriser bars and deflectors get filthy greasy. I don't use much in the way of glazes, I'm more of a dry rub guy in general. I cook a lot of chicken quarters. I've done 2 pretty deep cleans since April and both times a lot of crap came out.

Sam
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Here's the Weber perspective on SS vs PECI grates. PECI grates retain heat better, so they generally have superior searing capabilities, but can be a bit more work to clean. SS grates are more durable, easier to clean, but food has a higher potential to stick to them vs PECI. The local market demand for SS is much lower than PECI in Europe, so finding SS could be more difficult. Just a heads up, the warranty is only going to cover the replacement of the same style grates, so if the local team decides to send you new grates they will be identical to the ones that came with your grill.

Regarding the correct orientation of the grates. On certain models the flat side is the correct side to have facing up. On other models the grates are reversible. On the grates that are not reversible there's a cross bar on the "V" side that makes it more difficult to brush the grates. If I remember correctly, the grates on Spirit/Spirit II models are not considered reversible. Grates on Genesis II and newer Genesis models are considered reversible.

Regarding deep cleaning, clean the grill as often as you're willing to. It's only going to benefit you in the long run by avoiding the grease fires you alluded to. When I say I only deep clean every year or two I'm referring to getting everything super clean. I'm still scraping out the cookbox, slide out grease tray, flavorizer bars, deflectors, etc. as needed. I recommend at least 4 times a year if you grill a few times a month. Cleaning those components more often is recommended if you grill more frequently and/or cook especially messy food.

To your original question about your own grates...I'm very sure they are fine to use and just need a little bit of a cleaning. To be honest, I'd cook on them as is. It's just a bit of carbon build up. I've had PECI grates that have lasted 15 plus years, so to have them fail after just a year would be very uncommon, and the photo you sent just doesn't match what I'd expect to see with porcelain coming off. It's possible for it to happen, but it's exceedingly rare. For some context, between 2017 and 2020 I handled over 70,000 warranty claims for the Americas region and I did not have a single instance of PECI grates with porcelain cracking off that wasn't caused by them being dropped. I can't speak to other brands of grates, but our PECI grates are pretty solid. #IworkforWeber
 
Bob Erdman said:
I never do a high heat burn off. At the end of my cooks
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I believe Weber changed their thinking on doing a burn off after a cook so I assume you are doing something before you cook the next time, basically leave the grates alone and then do a burn off pre-heat or whatever before you cook. That is what I so with my stainless grates I never burn them off after a cook. Here is a a post from our fearless leader.

virtualwebergasgrill.com

Burn Off Grates Before Grilling, Not After - The Virtual Weber Gas Grill

There are two, maybe three reasons why it's best to burn-off the grates in your gas grill before grilling, not after.
virtualwebergasgrill.com virtualwebergasgrill.com
 
Just a touch up on my CI grates with a nylon brush before preheating. I do a more aggressive cleaning with a wooden scraper after the grill cools down a bit after a cook.
 
Ha, well, I see I've inadvertently started an SS vs PECI debate.

Sure -- let's go there. I've tried all the alternatives on my Weber gassers over the years. My personal preference rankings are:

#1 GrillGrates (aluminum)
#2 Weber PECI

#3 Weber stamped porcelain



#4 SS Rods
#5 Weber stamped SS

As you can tell, I just don't vibe with the SS. Among other things, they always look bad/dirty.

Shiny metal with big patches of baked on carbon that are impossible to keep off without lots of useless elbow grease. While the carbon is fine to cook on, it looks bad. So I prefer grates that are black to begin with.
 
I have tried 1, 2b, 4 & 5.

I like uncoated (I am calling it 2b) cast iron the best. Not sure I can say exactly why, just enjoy it.

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High quality THICK stainless rod grates also deliver excellent results. They certainly take a lot less work. I suppose it is also true they only look really good the day you set them in your grill. I am ok with that and still enjoy them very much. They just somehow aren’t quite as much fun.

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GrillGrate grates have been very controversial here whether discussing whether using them is really grilling or whether their aluminum composition poses a health hazard. I sure don’t want to awaken that battle!😟 My brief comments are that they do help even out uneven cooking grills, reduce flare ups, keep your grill clean and make grilling easier (a crutch?). They are most known for the razor sharp grill lines they deliver. That’s only one facet, and other grates can make nice grill marks as well. I like them for certain cooking situations, but I would never push them on anyone else.

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Bottom line if you're lookin you ain't cookin. Not taking the GG bait as most know where I stand. When it comes to things like SS or CI really all that matters is mass. Equal thickness/weight stainless will work the same as CI and be basically little to no maint other than brushing them down. If you want to deep clean them you heat them up, dip the grill brush in water and go at them. It blasts them clean nearly right down to shiny. Also the quality of the SS matters. the cheap rod grates will pit and corrode a little. 304 won't to any real extent. There is no coating, to wear off, or to care for. No seasoning needed. Just clean good cooking, and to me THAT is what is enjoyable
 
No bait Larry. I just wanted to comment on all (well, almost all) the options presented. I have always agreed with you about the importance of thick, quality stainless. And I agree that stainless is way easier and, as I said, delivers equally excellent results. I just happen to like cast iron enough - for non quantifiable reasons - to think the hassles are worth it at least some of the time. Since moving to the Midwest with its rugged winters, I have, however, come to see cast iron more as a summer option.

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I have to look long enough to take a picture now and then😁!
 
I don't mind it. After all I labored for years to keep the raw CI grates going on my Wolf before I got tired of the constant need to season them, take them inside after a cook (and they were HEAVY), and where to store them. Which is why I dropped the coin with Dave for the SS ones
 
Nice searing @Jon Tofte ! I find if I want lines like that, I need to use THICK steak (anything beyond medium rare isn't for me, unless its a rib-eye in which case a solid medium).

I assume you're not turning too often. I find lines with thick cuts, and meat that doesn't cook in just a few minutes like chicken and pork chops, to give the best results.

For steaks, I get the searing zone up to as high as I can and throw them on, lid down for a few minutes, flip and repeat. but sometimes the charring and overall colour is not as good as i'd like, and not as good a crust as i'd get in my CI skillet, without overdoing the meat.

Any wisdom on getting the good crust on thinner cuts with fast cook times?
 
Yah, Jon seems to have the sear mark process down to a science. I struggle to get nice grill marks.
 
I would have to agree with Larry. It does help to use seasoning which gives some "crust effect" vs. just plain thin meat. The pork chop on the right has nothing but seasoned salt, whereas the other have Dizzy Pig "Tsunami Spin" rub. I realize this is not the same as a crust from the meat itself, but the seasoning does give you more than what my wife's plain one has.

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Years ago, while still on the original (and failing) Silver B grates I thought to myself, too bad the gas grills don't come with the grates used on the kettles. Then I found this wonderful discussion board and a recommendation to order a pair of QuliMetal 304 Stainless Steel 7639 on Amazon. I've been very happy with grill results using them.
 
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