Plating on WSM grates wearing off?


 
C

ChadVKealey

TVWBB Pro
When I was cleaning up my WSM on Monday, I noticed that the plating on lower grate seems to be wearing off or something. There's sort of a brassy tint coming through on some parts, particularly the very top edges. This WSM is just over a year old and has been used about 2 dozen times, with the grates cleaned (with a stainless wire brush) after each use, usually immediately when they were still warm. Is this wear normal?
 
I got my WSM eight months ago and have cooked on it approximately 15 times.
I see the same coppery/brassy hues but don't see any signs of rust or pitting.
I used to clean the grate with a Weber stainless steel grate brush and Dawn in a hot water heater pan, the last 5 or 6 cooks I have been running them through the dish washer before brushing them off with the grate brush.
I don't have any complaints about the grates, I think they are holding up pretty good.
 
I barely get a year out of my grates anymore. They don't make them like they used to. The grate in my 78 is the original and still going strong. I got one of those new heavy duty grates where the sides lift up and it's already got rust and it's not surface rust either. Just got that grate for Christmas, has maybe 10 cooks on it (about half of those were high heat cooks)
 
ChuckO said:
I barely get a year out of my grates anymore. They don't make them like they used to. The grate in my 78 is the original and still going strong. I got one of those new heavy duty grates where the sides lift up and it's already got rust and it's not surface rust either. Just got that grate for Christmas, has maybe 10 cooks on it (about half of those were high heat cooks)
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I picked up a 22" grate for my kettle last Fall in Target's clearance bin ($15, I think?). It's got maybe 2 dozen cooks on it and it seems like most of the plating is worn or burned off. Then again, it sees much higher heats than the WSM, so that probably accounts for the extra wear. There's no rust yet, but I imagine I'll be picking up a few more replacements when the clearance sales hit this year. I'm hoping by that point to have a new grill in the stable (can't decide between a MT, Performer or 26"; depends on how the Summer finances work out), but it just makes sense to stock up when I know they'll wear out sooner rather than later.

On a related topic, when they do wear out, I assume they can be recycled (as in, put into the recycling that's collected at the curb)? I mean, under the plating, they're just steel, right? Maybe not high quality steel, but steel nonetheless.
 
I had that happen after about the fifth smoke on my new 22.5. I sent them back to Weber and they replaced them under warranty. I noticed it happened after I neglected to clean my grate right away after a long smoke (Pork Butt). My thinking was pork fat and spices ate into them when left on too long. I have a few cooks on my new grates and soak them immediately in hot water with Dawn and they are pristine so far.
 
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