Cast iron grill grates...are they worth the money?
 

I'm rebuilding a Weber gas grill I got for free off Craigslist a while back that some dumbass gutted and used for a charcoal grill. I see Home Depot has three different types of cooking grates for them, stainless steel, porcelain coated cast iron and porcelain coated steel. The stainless and cast iron are more than double the price of the steel, but are they really any better?

I know Fire Me Boy is a big fan of cast iron, but since it's porcelain coated just like the steel isn't it basically the same surface? What about stainless?

Thoughts? Experiences?

I love cast iron grates. They hold the heat much better and allow you to cook with far less fuel.

Huh, I suppose that means they probably work better when I go out in the winter and fire up the grill in 10° temperatures.

I have what you want,cast iron in the garage. I was going to cut them to fit in the firebox of the choo choo

Nope a grate is a grate.

























enter the grilling snobs..... :)

Can you apply a porcelain coating to them for me?

YOU NEED TO DROP THE GRILL BRUSH AND BUY A GREEN **** EGG!

cast iron hold the heat much better so when you throw that steak on there it still gets a nice sear without having to wait.

ROFL

jpg.gif 0715112340.jpg (68.1 KB)

I have 3 of them

They came out of a turn of the century brick bread oven

raw bacon diced up & mixed with a pound of hamburger. SO GOOD!

http://www.mangrate.com/

Check these out. Heard about them on Mike O'meara show. They have "troughs" to catch the grease to avoid flare-ups.

Whoa whoa....... Nobody and I mean nobody is saying that gas is the preferred method. It never was and never shall be. Charcoal/wood is the only way to properly cook meat if you want the full delicious flavor that was intended. Gas is for quick lazy cooking. Nothing wrong with that, but charcoal/wood is the method you use for full flavor.

As Kingsford says...... "Slow down and grill..."

I'll have to say that cooking on a Weber Genesis makes quick and lazy pretty enjoyable.

I just got a weber q100 gas grill that has a cast iron grate and I can day it is awesome! Non-stick, even heating, I would say it depends on the difference in price, but they are nice.

Yep, 75% of my grilling is still done on charcoal. But I don't always have time for that, and charcoal doesn't work well in the winter.

$70 vs $30

I don't know if it's worth twice, but it is a weber so you'll have it for years...so go for it

I have a buddy that got me a bunch of stainless grating last year. Everyone I know has those grat es on their grills at this point.

You should have made this thread a couple of months ago. I could have hooked you right up...
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My Chargriller Duo has cast iron (porcelain coated) on both the charcoal and gas sides (The grates are interchangeable). I love the cast iron grates.

What advantages does stainless have over cast iron? They're roughly the same price.

I looked for months to get plain cast iron (not enameled) for my grill. That's right. I'm hardcore.

Seriously, the stainless will do well, but the enameled cast iron perform better. They retain heat better and will sear better/faster. Frankly, though, I didn't want enameled because the porcelain is relatively easy to chip, and once chipped they're a pain in the ass.

I'd recommend holding out for real cast iron. These fit perfectly in my grill:

https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefro...idProduct=3978

I have un-coated cast iron grates in my Kenmore Stainless grill and they've rusted to shit. I basically have two sections I can cook on now and the replacements are $$$$$.

Also if you want your grill to last a long time get a cast iron or brass burner.

As everyone has said cast iron grates rock!

Interesting...those are the exact same size as my old grates. Although I'm wondering if those handles built into them are going to interfere with the lid.

And yeah, I don't quite get the coating, I would think if they were properly seasoned you wouldn't need it and would prevent the rust that WV mentioned.

In my case? Free vs money.

We welded up the grates exactly like we need.

Buddy works where they make shit for burger king, I think, and the grate was actually scrap. The missing pieces are what they use.

Works AND looks great.
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Yes this...i prefer charcoal to gas.

Who doesn't?
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The handles don't interfere with mine, they're actually what hold it in my grill. Properly seasoned and if you take care of 'em, they work great. Add in the fact that if they rust, take some steel wool to 'em and fix them, then re-season.

YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!!
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__.../Hqdefault.jpg

I should never have gotten involved.

I don't suppose I could get you to measure the distance from the outer edge of one handle to the outer edge of the opposite one for me sometime? It looks like I may have a bit of extra room but not much.

What kind of grill do you have anyway?

LMAO I haven't even asked you for anything. But if you want to build me a set go right ahead.

I hear you. I grill with my gas grill when the occasion calls for it. I'm not putting down gas. But I always prefer coal when I can.

Outer measurements are 17x11. My grill is a nondescript Sam's brand. I use two of those grates, which doesn't fit perfectly width-wise because my grill is 26-inches wide, so I end up with a little 4-inch gap. It's never caused me trouble, though.

Hey Bug save your money and buy my golf bag.

Gah! I don't have 2" to spare. Maybe I can get Mr LiveSteam to cut the damn things off. That sucks because other than that they are perfect.


I don't golf.

You will after you buy this bag?

Then I would have to buy clubs. And a golf membership. And some dorky clothes and a visor.

For whom?

Well I suppose me and whoever my new golfing buddy is going to be. You want in?

Just wear your Scott Frost jersey and go golfin after hours. There I just saved ya 50 bucks.

WV - get some steel wool and go to town on those grates. Then do this:

http://chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthrea...66#post7739566

This went from /Man grills, to ****ing GIRLY BALL! come on man

This. I'm investing in a variety of cast iron - the price doesn't bother me anymore knowing they will last my lifetime and then some.

How bout we paint a girls cooter like a golf hole and shoot balls into it?

You know I hadn't thought about sanding them and starting over.....they're pretty rusty for steel wool, but I can have my dads lab at work blast clean them down to good metal....thanks for putting me on track.

Question about cast iron pans - after I use them, I rinse, wipe dry, oil (I use walnut so it doesn't go rancid), then put in oven while its still hot (upside down). Is there an easier cleaning method? Seems like I'm seasoning it with every use, and its kind of a pain in the ass.

You shouldn't need to season like that all the time. After I get done, I rinse (with a non abrasive scrub sponge and hot water), do a wipe down with oil and set it on the stove for 15-20 minutes. I wipe it out again and let it cool down overnight.

I'm seriously debating taking one of my younger pans and doing the flaxseed treatment. According to that article, I won't even need to do anything besides rinse it out.

I actually scrub mine with soap and water to get the big hunks out and as long as i dry them on the stove then apply a light coat of oil afterwards I have no issues.

Here's what I meant by the "troughs that catch grease on the mangrates.

<img src=http://www.mangrate.com/images/sidebar-patent.jpg>

Yeah I checked out their webpage, if can't find something that fits well I may go that route and just set that thing on top of my old grates.

Do you have a way to cut cast iron?

I would imagine a cut off wheel would do the trick
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Haha Bug do this! It's probably cheaper than buying a new grill!

You mean a grinder? Through cast iron? I really have no idea, I don't work with metal at all.

Yes. Pops left me a nice machine shop. Member the bandsaw you cut out your kids soapbox derby car on? That tool should work just fine.
You can do most anything to cast iron except weld it. you can weld cast-iron, but you need to pack it in lime & let it cool slowly for a day or so. & then its still not that strong.

No an air rotary cut off wheel.

But the bandsaw will work just a s good or better
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I have air & electric. I just hate using them. F-ing wheels like to blow apart on both. not sure if its me ? or cheap Home Depot cut off wheels. I do use them a lot when making new train cars. either way bugs i got what you need from tools to cast iron gra8ts



Am I involved yet?

I buy good wheels. Never tried home depot though. Usually off the tool trucks. I also regulate the air down to about 120 psi . Everything else gets 175 in my shop
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What brand? Im down ta 2 Home D wheels. I would like to try another brand.

Not only are you involved, you're now obligated. :)

The Threshing B is this weekend. You gonna come out tomorrow? Im not running my locomotive. TO HOT!

You should really consider not using soap at all. You're not supposed to. Hot water will work just fine. If you need to scrub, use a non-abrasive scrub sponge or salt and a paper towel.

With the soap, you're preventing the cast iron from building up its seasoning. And there is no cook wear better than a really well-seasoned cast iron pan. You're just not giving yours an opportunity to get there.

Since the price was right, I took the cast iron grates LiveSteam offered me. After some minor modifications as they were a bit too big for my grill, I cleaned them with steel wool and they are ready to go. Any suggestions (paging Fire Me Boy)on how to go about seasoning these? Should I just wipe them down with cooking oil and start using them? Or is there some other procedure I should use?

Wipe them down with BACON:banghead:

Everything must have bacon

LMAO That's not a bad idea, I may just go with that.

You can do one of two things: Either cook on it and take very good care of it for a while, or season it before you cook on it. For an outdoor grill, I would highly recommend pre-seasoning. This will take some time, but I've never been led astray by Cook's Illustrated:

http://chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthrea...66#post7739566

Oh yeah, I remember that thread. I'd rather not have the oven going any more than I have to this time of year so I'll probably just cook on them for a while, and then strip and re-season them sometime this fall.

Cool. Wipe 'em down with oil (bacon grease works well) before you cook on them. Then bring them inside, clean them, DRY them and wipe 'em down again and get back outside on the grill while the fire dies down. Until they're really well seasoned, you probably don't want to leave them outside.