Matte vs. Glossy Cast Iron Grates for the Q???

[Jon Tofte]

I have been doing some research planning ahead for a long-term replacement of the grates (and burners) for my Weber Q3200. I have noticed that there are dealers selling Weber grates with either a "matte" or a "glossy" porcelain coating. It seems the glossy coat may be newer, but that may be reversed because I have noticed that in the Genesis grills the matte version has replaced the older glossy porcelain covered cast iron.

I have never had good luck with the glossy porcelain on my old Genesis grills (I would rather have the even older PLAIN cast iron). In spite of my efforts to care for them, it just seems inevitable that the porcelain starts chipping off and winding up in the grilled food! I have never had opportunity to try the "matte" version on the Genesis or the Q.

I have also noticed an aftermarket matte version on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0195XEWYW/tvwb-20

Hard to tell with this one whether it is matter porcelain plated or plain cast iron.

In addition, Amazon has this very expensive but also very interesting option:

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B074S5484G/tvwb-20

These seem a little thin, but maybe not. At least the design seems to address the need to protect the burners, unlike a stainless steel rod grate.

What is everyone else's opinion about the different versions of cast iron and for that matter about this unusual stainless version? I would love to get some feedback from actual users to help make an informed decision when the time finally comes.

 

[Bruce]

I would probably stick with the CI grates. I didn't realize that anyone made SS grates for the Q grills. It would be interesting to see how they work out.

And just for you information, I just checked at Homedepot.com and they will ship a WEBER grate to my house for $58.28.

But, if you get a good SS grate for a Q, you will have a problem free grill for many years. The burners and igniter might need replacement, but the rest of the grill will last forever.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Bruce,
The stainless grate is pretty interesting but costs over twice the Home Depot price of cast iron. Of course, if it really lasted for years with good results it would ultimately pay for itself. I am a little dubious about the 4mm thickness, but maybe that is enough. Wish I could see a real one.

What do you think about the matte version of cast iron vs the glossy coat?

 

[Bruce]

When you say "Glossy Coat" are you talking about thick ceramic coating or just shiny finish to the iron? I would stay away from any ceramic coated stuff. But, if it is just a shiny coating, then it probably doesn't matter a whole lot as it will probably wear off soon enough.

I would probably stay away from the SS ones. 4mm is pretty thin in my opinion.

 

[LMichaels]

Jon, Weber never made a plain CI grate for the Q series grills. They were always porcelain. Some with that rougher "integrated" coating and some had a "glossy" Over the top coating but always porcelain.
Looking at the Amazon offerings. I would not even bother with that stainless one. It's only 1/16" inch thick. The design of the Q needs a heavy slow release material to achieve proper cooking and heat distribution. Cast iron can hold huge amounts of heat and release it very slowly and evenly allowing Weber to use slightly less BTU and still give the wonderful performance and even heat distribution. Which is another reason IMO those aluminum grill grate products are a sham just as the stainless product offered on Amazon. Also BTW I'll lay odds those grates are NOT high quality SS as the listing states "rust resistant" which IMO screams 430 SS.
Bottom line CI is the way to go on the Q and IMO the OEM product performs so well and lasts so well with just minimal care why bother with aftermarket

 

[TOM BAUER]

Jon-
I’m in the same fix as you... I have been putting my pack of 3 GrillGrates on top of my existing rusty grates to cook with. Whole checking the GrillGrate home page, I noticed an insert for Q’s. Pricier than cast iron, but aluminum doesn’t rust!!
For sure I would avoid the stainless version, but knowing how well the aluminum GrillGrates work these might be worth a look.

 

[Bruce]

To be fair, the SS grates on amazon are not 1/16th inch thick. The are 16/100 which is slightly thicker than 1/6" thick. However, i would not be a guinea pig and buy those. There is not enough feedback on them and like Larry says, they are probably the less expensive and durable 430 stainless. If those things had been on the market for 3 or 4 years and we some feed back that we knew wasn't tainted, it would be a lot more interesting. But at $150, I wouldn't take the risk.

I would go with the Home Depot Weber CI grates. If you take care of them and clean them after each cook, they will last a very long time. The owners that just leave the stuck on food and grease are the ones that wind up buying new grates every two to three years. That stuck on food and grease has acids in it. A 15 minute burn off after the cook, a wire brush for one minute and a quick shot of cooking oil spray and it all ready for the next cook. Then once or twice a year, you can pull it out and clean it up good, top and bottom. It will last at least twice as long that way.

And as Larry suggests, the grills were designed with those grates in mind, so they tend to have optimum cooking properties in the Q grills.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Jon, Weber never made a plain CI grate for the Q series grills. They were always porcelain. Some with that rougher "integrated" coating and some had a "glossy" Over the top coating but always porcelain.
Looking at the Amazon offerings. I would not even bother with that stainless one. It's only 1/16" inch thick. The design of the Q needs a heavy slow release material to achieve proper cooking and heat distribution. Cast iron can hold huge amounts of heat and release it very slowly and evenly allowing Weber to use slightly less BTU and still give the wonderful performance and even heat distribution. Which is another reason IMO those aluminum grill grate products are a sham just as the stainless product offered on Amazon. Also BTW I'll lay odds those grates are NOT high quality SS as the listing states "rust resistant" which IMO screams 430 SS.
Bottom line CI is the way to go on the Q and IMO the OEM product performs so well and lasts so well with just minimal care why bother with aftermarket

Larry and Bruce,

I LOVE cast iron. The stainless thing looked interesting, but I, too, have serious doubts about it - not likely that it is 304 and even if it were, I totally agree about the heat retention issues.

My main question is about the pros and cons of the Weber grates that have the shiny, smooth porcelain coating vs. the Weber ones with the matte (integrated?) coating. As I mentioned, I have not had good luck with the shiny poreclain coated cast iron. I wonder if the matte finish holds up better and/or is less susceptible to chipping. I have learned over the years to be more careful with grates, but it still seems that the shiny coating eventually cracks off. That is why I like plain cast iron better. I just have had no real experience with the matte finish, and it looks like you can still buy either type - at least right now.

Not to keep belaboring this, but I am still interested in what everyone thinks about matte vs. shiny

 

[LMichaels]

I have not personally seen the shiny product for the Q grills. Though I have had some experience with the shiny vs dull version for the Genesis. I have to say cooking on the shiny version is far more "stick free" BUT they're fragile which is why Weber came out with the porcelain "impregnated" version. They're more rugged but seem to mimic bare cast iron more than the shiny ones. Perhaps they came out with a new process for the shiny to hold up better? I really don't know. My Q220 is probably 10 years old now and has the dull version. It shows no sign of giving trouble, I give it no special care doing everything many here say you should not do (leaving them dirty after a cook, etc) and only brush them before I cook and occasionally when I think about it giving them a little coat of oil. I scrape on them with a metal scraper to get burned on stuff off and wire brush them with brass or stainless steel brushes (whichever I have at hand). It has not rusted one bit sears beautifully and works as intended (which is something you cannot say about aftermarket or grill grates) sorry these are the biggest sham going. Plus once that anodizing wears off you have the danger of bare aluminum getting into the brain which has shown cause and effect to various brain diseases i.e. Alzheimer, Dementia, Parkinson's, and Lewis Body Dementia. So give me cast iron or SS. Aluminum has it's place in SOME applications but NOT in a grill

 

[Jon Tofte]

Is this "Glossy" Cast Iron?

I tried to take a few pictures of the current grate on the Weber Q3200 I picked up in December. My grates are pretty well seasoned, so I had to scrub off a small section to get down to the surface. It is hard to get a good picture, but the grates are a somewhat shiny, medium gray color. When cleaned off, they are smooth to the touch. Here is what I can show:

It seems pretty clear to me that these are the "glossy" porcelain covered cast iron. They look a lot like my old Genesis cast iron and NOT like some Q grates I have seen for sale that have a rougher, dark brown finish. Those, presumably, are the "matte" finish.

My current grates are in pretty good condition. I like having some seasoning on them, but I guess some would argue that with the shiny porcelain they are "non-stick" without it. I tend to think that seasoning helps with cooking and may lessen the chance of chipping the porcelain. However, I have read the argument that the left behind oils that "season" the grate might actually contribute to a break-down of the porcelain coating.

Any opinions on whether what I have is better or worse than the "matte" finish grates? It looks like you can buy either one, depending on the dealer. If there was a third option to have PLAIN cast iron, that would have my vote. Nonetheless, what I have has been a joy to cook on and seems to be holding up fine. I am still learning the bigger Q's characteristics which are definitely different than the Q200 I was previously using. Different is not better or worse, since both are GREAT grills in my opinion, but you need to use them somewhat differently to get good results - at least in my experience so far.

 

[LMichaels]

First I can tell you bare CI is a ROYAL PIA to care for if you live in anything but a desert climate. I have them on my Wolf and while they give nice marks and are pretty easy for food release I HATE HATE HATE them for the maintenance headache they are. No matter how much I season them, care for them what have you they continually rust and flake. Porcelain or SS is the ONLY way to go IMO
BTW your grates look to be the shiny product but I have to say that even the dull ones after years of use and "seasoning" tend to get a "shine" on them. So hard to actually tell what you have