My first charcoal grill


 
C

CChuck

New member
hey everyone,
I have been wanting to purchase a charcoal grill for sometime now. I want to learn the art of grilling and smoking with charcoal.
I just picked up an 18.5" One-Touch kettle (OTS?...still trying to understand the lingo) on CL here in Florida. Apparently it was used a handful of times. I don't have any pics at the moment, but the thing does need a good cleaning on the inside. the grates and the one touch cleaning system needs some TLC. I will take some pictures of the grates so I can get some advice on how to clean them and what to use.

i hope to learn from you all, from the cooking to the care of these grills. thanks in advance!

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nice, i just looked at the pics. does it say in your thread what you used to clean everything up? from the rust to the grates and cleaning system?
 
No, just used suggestions in my into to the forum. Basically I used some simple green, oven cleaner, 0000 steel wool and my variable speed buffer with automotive polish and wax. I used a rubber mallet to get the handle straightened out and a couple of dings. I didn't put to much effort into cleaning the inside as I wanted to get grilling on this kettle. I might get some razor blades and clean up some of the buildup on the inside later. This was just a couple hours of work.
 
CChuck,
I have a 22.5 OTG that I bought new back in 2005. I used it often and rarely cleaned it up (it kept cooking just fine, so other than a wire brush along the grates every once in a while, I never saw the need to clean the other parts). Once I discovered this site, I've taken a much bigger interest in caring for my grill and keeping it clean all over. I've found that EasyOff oven cleaner (in a yellow can) and a scrub pad will really remove the built up gunk on the inside of the bowl and lid. Just spray it on and let it sit for a while. It took me a few cans of this earlier this year, but it literally makes the bowl and lid look brand new. Now, I figure maybe half a can every spring and I can keep the grill looking new! I also invested in some wooden handles made my a member here. I highly recommend them for looks, as well as functionality.

The fine steel wool also works awesome for polishing up the legs, triangle, ash catcher bowl (maybe the ash catcher pan, in your case. If you have a bowl, you have a One Touch Gold. If you have the frisbee-looking ash catcher pan, than it is a OT Silver), and even the exterior of the bowl and lid as well.
Good luck....Post some pics too!
 
Congrats on your find and welcome aboard. There are a a lot of good people here with tons of experience and they are willing to help - you'll be a pit-master in no time.

OTS is a "One Touch Silver" - can usually tell by the simple pan ash catcher under the bowl.

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OTG is a "One Touch Gold" which uses the upgraded ash catcher under the bowl, it looks more like a cooking pot which can be removed to dump the ash. This is my Performer which shares the same ash catcher as the OTG.

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Thanks for the tips , Brian.

Yeah, I read the New Members thread that helped explain some of the stuff. Thats why I thought I had an OTS.
I posted some pics of the grates and ash catcher pan in my first post now. they aren't the best pictures but hopefully you guys can tell the condition.

right now i am gonna scrub them and hope it all comes off. for the ash pan i will use some steel wool and what else to shine it up?
 
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On your new 18.5 inch kettle, the bottom charcoal grate doesn't matter. Use it until it collapses. From looking at the top grate, I wouldn't spend a lot of effort trying to clean it. You can buy a new one at Home Depot for $13.99. Or the hinged upgrade for $14.99:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Weber-Steel-Replacement-Cooking-Grate-7432/100092479

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Weber-Plated-Steel-Hinged-Cooking-Grate-7433/100657908

They also have the charcoal grate for $8.99. I usually replace those when they rust thru and break in the middle. They start to sag before that, but can be prolonged if you flip them over.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Weber-Pl...te-for-18-1-2-in-Kettle-Grills-7440/100683984

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Once the cooking grates get that rusted, there's a limit on how much you can clean them up, although you can certainly brush off the surface rust and do a thorough "burn off" with a big hot charcoal fire and make them perfectly serviceable for a while.
 
Like Harold said, don't invest a lot of time or concern on the charcoal grate, the charcoal doesn't mind some rust ;). Some time with a wire wheel attachment on a drill will bring the food grate back to life or as Harold said, $15 and a new one can be had at the HD or Lowes. Enjoy.
 
thanks! ill try the burn off. if it doesn't work, then ill buy new ones.

are there other grates they make for this size or the weber steel hinged one is best?
 
Looks like good advice on the grates, bottom doesn't really matter and if you don't want to use the used top grate buy new. As far as cleaning the kettle the only thing I use is a plastic scraper, the build up is just seasoning the kettle. Get cooking and post pics :)
 
im in the process of rehabbing a an $8 craigslist find myself. I bought a new cooking grate (upgraded to hinged) but tried to clean the existing coooking grate and charcoal grate. Had i done that first i would have skipped the new one as they came out ok.

I dont have a true "before photo but they were as rusty as your's were. The charcoal was even worse.

First step was putting them in a garbage bag with Vinegar and Baking soda over night.

They started foaming up immediately and broke up caked on grease and loose particles. This was after an overnight soak, I threw the one touch blades in as well since they were worse. IMO they were worse that the photo shows:
IMG_2809_zpscda82064.jpg.html


Step 2 was then hitting them with a $4 drill mounted wire wheel from home depot the next day. This was were the improvement really showed:
IMG_2810_zps7368eed5.jpg.html


I hit them with some scrap sandpaper in a few nooks and crannies as well:

The top grate still has some rust down the center but no pits or loose particles that will come off into food. They were both oiled down after cleaning.

Vinegar, baking soda, wirewheel. assuming you already have a drill the total cost is $7.
 
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Welcome to the forum all you new guys! A lot of very helpful people here

I will add to the comment about oven cleaner. It will not hurt the inside or outside of your grill and if you rinse with a little soap and water does not leave a residue. Also to get a better, more efficient clean with the oven cleaner, spray your item to clean, then put it in a large plastic garbage bag and let it soak for a while. How long depends on how gunky. It keeps the oc from drying out so quick. I found this to be an excellent cleaning method.

Some people swear by NOT using oven cleaner, but I have never had a problem and all my grills and smokers are used from CL
 
Charlies pics





Charlie, when you go to a pic on photobucket, click on the 4th link down, the "img" link. It will automatically copy it, then just come here to your post and paste it. The pictures will come up when you submit

Otherwise, people can click the links you provided and see all of your photobucket library. (this may not bother you)
 
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now i have to clean the One Touch Cleaning system

i just use oven cleaner and 0000 Steel wool for that?
 
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Not for nothin', but my honey do list is long enough. Bless you if you have enough time to rehab rusty cooking grates, but for under 20 bucks I get a fresh one every year. I'm not saying I have money to throw around, but this is really my only hobby. Go Crazy! Treat yourself. There's nothing like a shiney fresh cooking grate at the start of the season!
 
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