Is there such thing as "Cast Stainless Steel?"


 
Jon Tofte

Jon Tofte

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
We have discussed in the Q grill section about the Stanbroil flat stainless steel grate not really being "cast" but more likely "stamped." Well, here is a grate for the Broilmaster grill that LOOKS identical to the cast iron set but alleges to be made from stainless steel. Would this be "cast" stainless steel?

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This is what I wish someone made for the Weber Q. Same shape and thickness as the the cast iron grate only out of quality stainless steel. It seems like that would be the perfect long term fix for these otherwise long-lived great little grills.
 
Jon Tofte said:
We have discussed in the Q grill section about the Stanbroil flat stainless steel grate not really being "cast" but more likely "stamped." Well, here is a grate for the Broilmaster grill that LOOKS identical to the cast iron set but alleges to be made from stainless steel. Would this be "cast" stainless steel?

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This is what I wish someone made for the Weber Q. Same shape and thickness as the the cast iron grate only out of quality stainless steel. It seems like that would be the perfect long term fix for these otherwise long-lived great little grills.
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HI Jon, I wonder if they are cast aluminum like MHP grills https://www.grillparts.com/mhp/wnk.asp?product_id=GGGRIDS-SET
 
Hmmm! I have never seen that before. Kind of a cross between GrillGrates and a cast iron style. At least also rust resistant, but you have that aluminum issue. I would think they would get very hot, very quickly but not hold the heat like cast iron does.

I will give the company I posted about the benefit of the doubt and believe them when they say their Broilmaster replacement grate is stainless steel. I once visited a high end grill store that had one grill that had similar appearing grates. The brochure said they were cast stainless steel even though the sales person said "cast" wasn't the right description. They were thick and shaped with texture like real grates vs. the flat ones Stanbroil makes for the Q and now the Genesis.
 
I had an MHP grill with cast oval stainless steel burners. The had a lifetime warranty against everything except rust. They rusted out.

GGHCSSB-2.jpg
 
Well, that burner may say "cast" but it looks like thin sheets of probably low grade stainless pressed together. When I think of "cast" I am expecting a thick metal that looks like it was poured into a mold.

Even the best stainless will not last forever in a grill environment, but I have found that good stainless rod grates WILL last a long time if given reasonable care. Top drawer ones like BBQParts.com or rcplanebuyer will probably last longer than the grill (and user for that matter :oops: !) So, thick, "cast" stainless grates seem like a winning idea.

I have some old heavy brass(?) burners that came with the Lynx grill I have. They do seem to be "cast" metal, but I can't say I really know the distinction. They are very thick, one piece burners or at least look that way.
 
Yes there are cast stainless parts. Some of the higher end companies use or offer cast stainless. I know many years ago before I bought my Summit I fell victim to the shiny SS grill from Member's Mark made by Grand Hall. At the time that grill was primarily made of 304 BTW. It came with cast iron burners but Grand Hall offered cast stainless burners (at a very high price) with a lifetime warranty. I nearly bought them but sadly everything else on the grill that was not stainless rotted away in just over a year. The back panel where the IR Rotisserie burner rotted away and the burner came loose, the entire drip tray crumbled, the burners were a constant hassle, and the grates were stainless wrapped around an iron core and the core corroded and split the wrap. Bottom line Sam's has a lifetime satisfaction guarantee. I brought it back for a full refund and bought the Summit 3X the price but sadly not the quality really. Grand Hall was so close to having a top notch product. Too bad. When it worked it was one of the best grills I have ever used.
Also there are cast stainless grates like you saw. Like you I as well would be right in line for cast stainless like the OEM. I know some on the board are falling all over themselves about the rod type ones for the Q. But, if you read the actual literature from Weber when they came out with the Q and how the design of the grates is integral to the PROPER performance of a Q you'll understand why I stuck with the oem design CI grates. My originals lasted a VERY long time with minimal care so even if these only go a few years I don't care. I will simply replace them and keep the performance the Q was designed to give.
 
Thanks for the insights, Larry. A cast stainless grate for the Q grills, in the same shape and design as the OEM cast iron ones, seems like the perfect solution. I don't know much about heat distribution, but from my own use of all three size Q grills - including the charcoal CharQ - I would have to say that I agree with your assessment of how integral the cast iron grate seems to be to the wonderful operation of these grills. I don't know if a cast stainless grate would do as well, but if it did, that's what I would want.

It seems like people have very uneven success with cast iron grates. My CharQ is 12 years old and still has its original cast iron grates in extremely good condition. (You can't even buy the replacement now and would have to make do with a 200/2000 grate with the thick bands that protect the burner tube on a gas Q but which would be just a useless pain on the CharQ.) I know others report doing their very best to regularly oil and protect their cast iron only to have it rust away in a very short time.
 
On your CharQ you could easily get away with rod type grates as the CI ones are not integral to the design and heat distribution. They rely on mostly radiant/IR heat from the burning coals. On a gasser you have no such heat
 
Got a CharQ not long ago. The grates do have some rust on them. I guess I could use just regular grill steel wire and cut it with dremel to fit. Would a 18 inch kettle grates work ? :unsure:
 
LMichaels said:
On your CharQ you could easily get away with rod type grates as the CI ones are not integral to the design and heat distribution. They rely on mostly radiant/IR heat from the burning coals. On a gasser you have no such heat
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Yeah, I agree with that Larry. If my CharQ grates finally go to pot, that might be a good fix. I have to admit, though, that one of things I really like about the CharQ is the combination of charcoal and cast iron :coolkettle: .
 
Jon Tofte said:
Yeah, I agree with that Larry. If my CharQ grates finally go to pot, that might be a good fix. I have to admit, though, that one of things I really like about the CharQ is the combination of charcoal and cast iron :coolkettle: .
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That was my favorite upgrade to my Performer, I found a Stok grill for sale, swiped the cast iron grate out of it and resold it for the same price with the old weber wire grate
 
So the Stok grill grate works on a Weber 22"? That's a good piece of info. Great execution on that on, CWalker! :coolkettle:
 
Broil King tried including cast stainless steel grates with their Regal line of grills but then they switched back to 9mm rod grates. I guess they were too expensive? You can still buy them as optional accessories.

broilkingbbq.com

CAST STAINLESS STEEL COOKING GRID | IMPERIAL™ & REGAL™ - Broil King

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One of our members did a fantastic write up/comparison of different SS grill grates and that string is chock-full of good advice and educated opinions. I tried cast iron grates on my Weber Genesis and got about 3 or 4 years of heavy use out of them (lots of cheeseburgers, steaks, and chicken).

Here's a pic I took of the grates before I tossed them in the dumpster. I probably could have gotten more miles out of them if I had kept them a bit cleaner and dryer between cooks. I decided to change them out because the metal was peeling off in places and I didn't feel good about cooking on them anymore.

cast iron grates.jpg


I installed some new grates from Hongso and they fit nicely and seem to be holding up well so far. Here they are doing their job on cheeseburger night. I have a little dish of butter up on the warming rack getting ready to brush onto some buns!

new SS grates.jpg
 
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