Protecting grates, extending life?


 
D

DavidD

TVWBB Super Fan
I have had problems with my cooking grate getting terribly rusted out, especially the one on my kettle grill. Before i purchaser yet another grate, i thought i would ask to see if u know any practical tips and tricks to prevent this from happening. I did try using pam spray on the grates but that didnt help. I live in hot, humid balmy florida, so that is part of the problem.
 
You could try leaving some ash or fresh briquettes in there to absorb some of the moisture, also, are you leaving any vents open between uses? This will allow air to circulate and hopefully drive out moisture.
 
I think the salts and acids tear into the plating.
Many just dry-scrub (and/or burn off) when the grate is hot....we all do it to some extent
Without a soak, I don't believe you can get rid of salt and acid as well.
Always oil after a wash/soak.

This time I'm experimenting with a stricter wash/soak policy on a grate that I bought this Spring.
It's a PITA to keep this regimen going, but so far the grate is looking good. Not ready to pass judgement yet, though.
I've been using a canola oil generic spray which is better than nothing, but it will burn on.
Might have to try the Weber spray.

Here's a thread I started not long ago and the dry-scrubbers/burn off-ers chimed in as well.
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?52121-Soaking-Grates&highlight=soaking+grates
 
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David mine last a couple of years and I'm not that far from you, I usually don't clean mine after a cook but give them a good wire brush when I stoke up the next cook, I use my kettle avg. 4 to 5 times a week. I'll probably get ripped for leaving my grate dirty between cooks but seams to work for me. On another note I do clean the WSM after each cook as that sits in the hot sun for longer periods and does not run as hot as the kettle
 
I would think keeping the vents open to allow for circulation would help. I'm guessing humidity is the problem. I'm in Utah with very low moisture and have never had any rust issues or had to replace my grates.
 
When you say you tried using the pam spray, which one did you use. I have tried the Canola oil one and it seems to work good. I use it on my gasser, my wsm and my performer. I am just a few hours north of you.

I have heard some people complaining of the coating coming off easy on the grates on the kettles and smokers.

If you go a while between uses you can spray the grates with the canola oil pam and put them in a plastic garbage bag to keep the moisture out. Just make sure they are clean and dry and sprayed down before you put them in the bag.
 
After each cook I bring the grates inside and use a BBQ grill brush and SOS pads to get them as clean as I can, then store them inside until the next use. I'm still using the original 2008 grates and they're in good shape.
 
Bob H. said:
How about the stainless steel grate, have you tried on of them yet?
Click to expand...

That's what came on my 26.75" OTG, and after my first Performer grate rusted, I replaced it with a stainless one.

Stainless can rust as well, but my thoughts are this. I try not to leave a grate nasty after a cook, with the same thoughts as Joe that salts and acids left on the grate after a cook aren't a good thing. I've learned that the hard way with the too occasional use of my smokey joe...or maybe that was when I loaned it out to one of the kids that took it camping....

Anyhow, take it from someone who uses a couple of wsm's, and four Weber charcoal grills, and who hasn't had any grates start to rust in a while. (Knock on wood.)

At the end of a cook I'll burn it off and scrape a bit before killing the coals, so there's not enough uncarbonized food to eat at the grate. (I'll burn off what's left and scrape again when preheating the grill next time.) I leave my wsm grates a bit greasy between cooks and just wipe down with a paper towel when firing the smoker up. Other than that, I just try to wipe a little cooking oil on if I know I'm not going to be using the grill in a while, and I like to open the bottom vents back up between cooks.
 
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How long to you get out of a grate before it's unusable?

I did a quick search and a grate is about $16. By the time you spend time to clean a grate or oil it or heat it up, is it really worth the trouble? I'm with you on your question. If there were a simple, quick way to keep it from rusting that would be the way to go, but there doesn't appear to be one that doesn't cost time or materials. If I could get a year out of a grate, I'd consider just getting a new one each year. If I could get two years out of a grate, I wouldn't even worry about changing my habits. Unless you get stainless, the grates aren't all that durable anyway.

I am surprised that keeping them oiled with a spray like Pam doesn't do the trick.
 
Jason Noble said:
I would think keeping the vents open to allow for circulation would help. I'm guessing humidity is the problem. I'm in Utah with very low moisture and have never had any rust issues or had to replace my grates.
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I think it's the humidity & salt water.....
 
In the past I left grates inside OTG or under the plastic cover of my open grill. The result was rusted grates! Now I pulled off the grates and leave open air standind the wall. They get the sun, the rain whatever happens. No more rust!!!!! My advise, remove grates from inside the WSM oe the kettles
 
Enrico said:
In the past I left grates inside OTG or under the plastic cover of my open grill. The result was rusted grates! Now I pulled off the grates and leave open air standind the wall. They get the sun, the rain whatever happens. No more rust!!!!! My advise, remove grates from inside the WSM oe the kettles
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're onto something, but I just make sure the top vent is closed, and bottom vents are open, figuring condensation won't stay in the grill.
 
Some grills go a year, some go a couple of years. I just replace as necessary and I do not take extraordinary measures to preserve them. Too much effort for the return..........
 
I don't do anything to the cook grate on the Kettle. I just knock the grease, crud off during the next cook to help fuel the coals. I never had to replace it, I leave the spent charcoal in the grill with vents closed until the next cook. Sorry to here you are having a problem.
 
Standard grates will not last very long. I'm on an island in Florida and yes salt air is a huge problem - a cheap gasser I once had lasted just a year!.

That said salt air is not the issue with the grates. I close all the vents and use the cover on my Performer so there is no salt air going in there. The problem is the seasonings (salt) from the meats that cruds on the grates. That is the salt that attacks the grates.

What I do is this: When the meats come off I open all the vents and take the lid off to get everything as hot as I can. After five minutes of this I hit the grates with a stainless brush - with a twist. I dip the brush in a bowl of freshwater and that steam cleans the grates as the brush takes the crud off. I dip it often while cleaning. I then use a folded paper towel to brush on some canola oil. Finally I put the lid on and let the coals go out on their own, then close the vents while still warm, then cover the grill when it cools.

This extends the life of the grates considerably. Still, they wont go more than a year or so.
 
Bob H. said:
How about the stainless steel grate, have you tried on of them yet?
Click to expand...

Interesting you mentioned that. The other week I was over at Home Depot and they had the replacement Gourmet BBQ System grate in stock. I was impressed! The grate bars are a lot thicker than the ones on the original, and the chrome looked to be a lot heavier as well. It is not stainless though. On a hunch I went to Weber's site and compared it to the stainless grate.

I brought up the pictures and counted the grate bars. The original equipment grate has 34 bars. So does the much thicker system grate. The Stainless one only has 26 grate bars! I haven't seen one in person so I don't know if the bars are thicker on the stainless as well.

I thought that was very odd. I will probably replace mine with the system grate when I need a new one.
 
Jose Suro said:
Interesting you mentioned that. The other week I was over at Home Depot and they had the replacement Gourmet BBQ System grate in stock. I was impressed! The grate bars are a lot thicker than the ones on the original, and the chrome looked to be a lot heavier as well. It is not stainless though. On a hunch I went to Weber's site and compared it to the stainless grate.

I brought up the pictures and counted the grate bars. The original equipment grate has 34 bars. So does the much thicker system grate. The Stainless one only has 26 grate bars! I haven't seen one in person so I don't know if the bars are thicker on the stainless as well.

I thought that was very odd. I will probably replace mine with the system grate when I need a new one.
Click to expand...

I've got the Weber stainless hinged grates on both my Performer and my 26.75" OTG. I have no idea how many bars are on either, but both grates are very sturdy. If you think about it, purpose of a charcoal grill's grate is to simply support what you're cooking, since the radiant heat from the coals is what gives the meat a nice, even sear.
 
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