Cleaning grill grate question

[muddy]

I picked up this Weber Q grill at an auction. The grill grates are rusted. New grates are available, but at $80 thats almost 3 times more then I paid for the grill lol.

Any suggestions for cleaning up and reconditioning the grates? Guessing there wouldn't be any food grade paint that would handle the heat?






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[skfarmer]

Pretty sure that is cast iron. Wire brush it to clean it up and season it with oil like a cast iron skillet or pan.

[fatfillup]

I think Harlan is on to something, Great advice

[Heiny57]

Yep , what Harlem said. I hit mine with a pressure washer once a year then re season. I use a citrus grill cleaner before sprayer.

[pep]

Angle grinder, knotted HF wire brush, takes seconds, dry is fine no goop needed.
Pep

[highland512]

When mine looks like that in the spring and this is what I do.

hit it with a wire brush dosnt have to be shiny just get the dust and peices off.
then get the grill screaming hot 450*+
take some olive oil and soak on an old rag and rub the cast down
turn the grill back on and "bake" the oil into the cast at 300* for 30 min and re apply the oil

As long as the cooking surface never get above the 400* and cooks the oil out you should be good. I also never "burn" my grill out to clean it. When I light it Im looking for 350* for about 15 min to sterilize the cook surface then I cook, same process when Im done. The reason these things rust is people are cooking the rust preventive (and the secret to the best flavor) out of the cast and burning their food.     

[skfarmer]

highland has it right. those little wbers are great tabletop grills for tailgating or camping. probably about as good as it gets for that purpose. just not up to task for large groups or big things like multiple chickens, turkeys, hams or  other big hunks of critter!

[bonneyman]

Looks like the original grates are porcelain coated. No way to duplicate it that I can think of. Seasoning it with oil would probably be the best bet.

I've gone with the Coleman white gas camp stoves. Have two (and three of the older mantle lanterns). Easier to lug around, work great, nice and portable. Parts are still available, but the fuel can get a bit pricey. (Though they make a propane adaptor valve so you can use the commonly available propane cylinders as back-up).
I have them for monsoon emergency use. In case we lose power I can see - and cook - if the electricity is off for any length of time. Plus if the Mrs. and I go camping, attend a community cookout or church picnic (or have to bug out), I can toss one in the van.

[muddy]

Sorry guys I don't know why I had a brain fart and didn't even think about seasoning it like a cast iron skillet.

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[Papaw]

I just scrape mine clean with a wire brush and cook the old stuff away at about 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

[bmwrd0]

A question for all the grill gods around here; I had a grease fire on my grill the other night (didn't get enough of the fat off some chicken thighs), and while I took care of it, is there anything I should do to get her back in service? Cast iron grill top, propane BBQ Weber.

Thanks in advance!

[Heiny57]

I clean the whole thing once a year. I had some build up on the bottom of mine catch fire last year that caused  a scramble to save my dinner. 

[bmwrd0]

Well, I saved my beer!

[slip knot]

My big gas grill gets grease fires if I cook a lot of chicken. I just pull the meat off and open the lid and let it burn out. I really prefer chicken over the coals but the gas grill is faster so it gets used more. seems to only be a problem after cooking several loads of chicken

[bmwrd0]

That's pretty much what happened. I know the thermostat is dead (pinned at the high end) but it sounds like its all good.