Grillgrate


 
Bruce said:
Ed: That looked very good with the Simple green. If it works that good with grill grates, I wonder how well it would work on CI grates?
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Bruce, I've got 2 sets of grates (one of them the Weber SS, not solid rod, and the other set the porcelain enamel) sitting in a covered container in the sun since Saturday. Those came off of the last 2 grills I picked up, so you know how caked up they are. A covered container gets hotter and the water doesn't evaporate as quickly. Anyway, I really want to recover the SS grates so I started on those first. I'm using Simple Green Extreme and the gunk just turns to goo but the carbonized stuff takes some scraping. I'm going to bring them into the house and use some Sam's Club GC on them in the sink at some point because my wife likes how clean her sink is with the GC. Just a tip..lye (GC) feels greasy between your fingers and doesn't wash
away easily. If you get any on your hands, keep rinsing with water until the greasy feeling goes away.

EDIT: I think CI would rust up really quickly, so have the cooking oil handy, and season it right away.
 
Bruce said:
I think this is what Jon was talking about: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086XHR7Y7/?tag=tvwb-20
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So I followed the link and I also went to the GrillGrate web store where they offer the Pro version with the custom-sized tip with notches pre-cut to fit the gg.

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Now that right there is some serious notching going on! But I have that old trick shoulder that locks up sometimes when I reach for my wallet...$40 for a chunk of wood? I've got some poplar and I've got a bandsaw...and I've got an order from Home Depot to pick up soon where I could pick up some oak or cedar...

Anyway, I'm going to assume that I don't need notches cut to the bottom of the valleys but it would shorten the break-in time if I cut some shallow notches to match the gg spacing. If I ever needed to scrape the valleys, I could easily cut something to fit. I'm not a fan of pushing all the char to the back end of the grate like Walter White's twin suggests, I'd rather sweep it out as I go, Weather here is supposed to be in the triple digits over the long weekend but maybe next week I could get a round tuit.

EDIT: Anyone else wanting to DIY a grill scraper. there's plenty of resources out there. Here's one:

www.instructables.com

Cedar BBQ Grill Scraper

Cedar BBQ Grill Scraper: After redoing my cedar deck, I had a bunch of small cut offs around 18" long. I didn't want to throw them out, and as it is softwood, it isn't great for burning, so I decided I would make some cedar BBQ grill scrapers. Along with cleaning grill nic…
www.instructables.com www.instructables.com
 
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Thank you for accepting my feeble attempt at humor; that's all it was. I know you have no interest in GG's and your cooks illustrate why you hold that opinion :)
 
Bruce said:
I think this is what Jon was talking about: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086XHR7Y7/?tag=tvwb-20
Click to expand...

Yes, that is the one! Bruce scooped up a number of those at a Walmart clearance and let me get in on the deal. They work perfectly on GrillGrates. I think they would work equally well on stainless rods, but like some others here I use my Chargon. I haven't tried that much on cast iron grates, but I believe some other here have had success.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Yes, that is the one! Bruce scooped up a number of those at a Walmart clearance and let me get in on the deal. They work perfectly on GrillGrates. I think they would work equally well on stainless rods, but like some others here I use my Chargon. I haven't tried that much on cast iron grates, but I believe some other here have had success.
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Jon, how do you scrape the griddle side?
 
I have only used the wood on actual grates. You pretty much need to pick a grate and use that scraper for it and it alone. Over time it burns in with grooves that follow your grates. The one I use on my GrillGrates looks like dental molding, whereas one used on rod grates would have rounded "teeth." If you started with a new flat one, that would work great on a griddle as long as that is all you used it for.
 
That is the beauty of those wood scrapers. They wind up burning in to perfectly match your grates, regardless if they are round, oval or whatever.
 
Why couldn't you use one of those cedar planks that are used for grilling fish?
 
I was going to buy a cedar fence picket, maybe a 1x6, and make a few of them.
 
Ed: I think oak or hickory is a better choice for the scrapers as it is much more dense wood and will with stand the scraping without falling apart like cedar would.
 
Bruce said:
Ed: I think oak or hickory is a better choice for the scrapers as it is much more dense wood and will with stand the scraping without falling apart like cedar would.
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And I can use the scraps in the smoke box! I love the taste of oak.
 
Ed, there shouldn't be any "scraps". The scraper should last years. It will just keep burning a new edge on it every time you use it, but it will happen very slowly.
 
Oh, I was talking about the area of the handle where you narrow it down...not that I am going to use this pattern necessarily, but you get the general idea...


1599191709107.png

(picture taken from Instructable here: )

www.instructables.com

Cedar BBQ Grill Scraper

Cedar BBQ Grill Scraper: After redoing my cedar deck, I had a bunch of small cut offs around 18" long. I didn't want to throw them out, and as it is softwood, it isn't great for burning, so I decided I would make some cedar BBQ grill scrapers. Along with cleaning grill nic…
www.instructables.com www.instructables.com
 
I used 2 sections of my GrillGrates for my 22" kettle this past weekend. Used them on a gas grill, just laid them on the grates. The grill I was using was a POS, but the GrillGrates saved the day. I was able to make 4 pounds of smash burgers for our party. I was a little worried the meat would squeeze through the holes when I went to smash the burgers, but it was totally fine.

I will say though, I still prefer using the Hunsaker griddle on my kettle....way more real estate to work with and manage the food, toast buns, etc...
 
Jon, how do you scrape the griddle side?

The perfect tool for GGs is one of those 5in1 painter tools. Metal on metal. $5.

The griddle side and the flat top of the rails get scraped with the putty knife blade. Thinner and more flexible than my BBQ spatula. If anything, you have to be careful not to overdo it and take off too much seasoning.

And the smaller pointy parts are great for detailing the tongue/groove parts and the vallies.
 
I can see how that painter tool would work. I guess what I like about the wood is that it seems less likely to damage the anodized coating. If that comes off then you are cooking directly on raw aluminum.
 
I got the painter tool idea from GG, which sells a similar metal scraper for like 10 bucks that looks to be stiffer and sharper than the painter tool.

They also sell the wood version for 45 bucks!
 
Jon Tofte said:
I can see how that painter tool would work. I guess what I like about the wood is that it seems less likely to damage the anodized coating. If that comes off then you are cooking directly on raw aluminum.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm, I never knew that could be an issue..... :unsure:

After I got done making my burgers I used a stiff flat spatula to scrap the flat side of the GrillGrates pretty harshly. Guess I'll lighten up next time....
Another reason to stick with the Hunsaker, it can take a beating!
 
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