Heavier duty grate for 22" kettles?


 
C

ChadVKealey

TVWBB Pro
I got my first hands-on look at the Summit Charcoal Grill yesterday. It's an impressive piece of equipment, to say the least, and I'm especially envious of the super-beefy cooking grate. Aside from serious abuse or neglect, I can't imagine that ever needing replacement. It'd be great (or grate?) if Weber made one like that for the "normal" sized grills. I think Amazon is selling an aftermarket one made of stainless steel, so there is definitely a market for it.
 
I agree that one of the weaknesses in the Weber Kettle grill line is the cooking grate. I'm sure it's a trade off between price and performance. I like a heavier grate for grilling as it has a very nice impact on the appearance of the food. I recently acquired a small set of Grill Grates and like the way they work for searing. I've done that with both steaks and tri tip but I haven't has the opportunity yet to so any direct or indirect grilling with them. If they work well, I'll invest in a set designed to fit my 22" kettle.
 
for the lazy:

Cheap chrome or nickel plated wire grates such as the Weber Hinged Cooking Grate
Best in BBQ Bronze Medal
Yes, they warp under extremely high heats. Yes, after a year or two they pit and the plating chips off, then they rust, and you've got to heave them. But they're so cheap that replacing them is not painful. Their chief advantage is that they stay out of the way of radiant heat from below leaving the surface open for real searing. They're the next best thing to no grates at all. The only love they get is from this Meathead.
Much better than the grate that came with your 22.5" Weber Kettle, this hinged grate let's you easily add charcoal for long low and slow cooks. Made from nickel-plated steel, you just lift the flap and drop in coals. No fumbling to lift up the whole grate only to have your meat slide off and onto the coals. Yuk. They are perfect for adding coal to the Smokenator, something you must do on long cooks, and it even works with GrillGrates which are cut to leave room for you to lift the hinged section.
If you have a Weber Kettle, I strongly recommend you upgrade to the hinged grates so you can easily add more coals and wood. Click here to order the Weber Hinged Cooking Grate.
 
Just get a Gourmet grate it will last forever. Just keep it greasy after the chrome wears off.
 
if anyone were to see my cooking grates, you'd a think i clean'em by pushing all the crud to the far edges...

and i basically do.
it'll burn off or eventually fall off.

and i have no concerns with the wimpiness of the cooking grate.
over all the years of grilling and sometimes being exposed to the weather,
i can only remember replacing one or two of the dozens i've own (and i've been at it for over 30 years).

if Weber made them "beefier", they'd be to heavy.
not to compare, but the cooking grate for the 36" Ranch Grill is a pain in the highknee to lift (no handles). I is BIG TIME BEEFY and weighs well over a flippin' TON!
 
Above is the nickel plated gourmet grate for 22.5" Weber part #8835
Below is the stainless Weber grate for 22.5 " Weber part #80728

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Craycort cast iron for 22.5"

CastIron1.jpg
 
Thanks for the replies. I ended up ordering a "Grill Care 17436 SS 22.5" grate" from Groupon (got an 18.5" one as well, for my JJ). The price for the 22.5 is the same as Amazon's price for the "stainless" one, although the 18.5 is about $5 more (although it's stainless vs. the nickeled steel and should - in theory - outlast the Weber grate). When they arrive, I'll post some photos & opinions.

And while the Craycorts are sweet (I love me some cast iron) and I'm sure would last pretty much forever, it's hard to justify the cost.
 
While my OTS is admittedly all I need to cook almost anything, in the fantasy recesses of my imagination my dream kettle has cast iron grates.
 
I know what you mean about the fantasy grill recesses! I have never used anything more expensive that the "Gourmet grate" set up my wife got me for Christmas last year(2years ago?) the cast iron appeals to me but, I am really cheap.
That said why is it that when I look at a "Vortex" on Amazon, I get one ($90.00) and, if I look at the "Owen's BBQ" site, they have three all under fifty? Something is screwy with that.
Continuing the trip on the ultimate grill thru way, in third gear right now.
 
So, one of the Grill-Mates grates (the 18.5") arrived over the weekend (I'd ordered an 18.5" for my JJ and a 22.5" for the Performer). Gotta say, I'm not impressed with the build quality. The material seems a bit thinner than the stock grate (I don't have a caliper to measure exactly) and it actually feels less rigid than the original. There seems to be a sourcing problem with the 22.5", so they offered to refund, which I accepted. The kicker is that I didn't really need the 18.5, I only added it to get free shipping. I really kind of need a new one for the Performer, so I guess I'll be ordering one elsewhere or checking the clearance racks at Wally World or Target.
 
It's that time of year Chad!
I must be doing something wrong, I have only "used up" one set between four kettles in my whole grilling life. How does one wear out a set? I mean, unless you leave all the vents open and fill the freaking bowl with charcoal how do you really damage them? I live in a snowy place and grill year round, this complaint really eludes me.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
How does one wear out a set? I mean, unless you leave all the vents open and fill the freaking bowl with charcoal how do you really damage them?
Click to expand...

I think I may be a little overzealous in scrubbing them and scrape the nickel plating right off. My WSM's grates are still in decent shape after about 2-1/2 years, but they're subjected to much lower temps. And the grill that needs a new grate is the used (12-year-old) Performer I bought at the start of the Summer. I believe it's the original grate and it's starting to rust on the bottom. It still cooks fine, it just looks like garbage.
 
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