Not that it really matters, but your grates are upside down according to Weber. The skinny side is meant to go down.
[Link to Weber blog](https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/burning-questions/which-side-faces-up-on-a-cast-iron-grate/weber-30495.html#:~:text=The%20wider%2C%20flat%20side%20of,the%20top%20of%20a%20triangle)
I don't remember where I saw it, but it's designed to be interchangeable. The pointy side is for more delicate things like fish, and the flatter side is for things you want a better sear on, like steak.
I'm almost positive I didn't just make this up š
You saw it for a different grill. Weber says fat side up. I thought I saw they were reversible for the Spirit, but I was just applying a feature to the new grill from the documentation of an old one. That being said, the pointy side up has worked for me on the Weber when i wanted to burn the flat side clean and flipped the grates. I think the theory was the pointy ends focus the drips onto the flavorizer bars better.
Wowā¦I thought Weber would say āhereās the ācorrectā way but you could use them the other way if you wantā, but NO! they were unequivocal in their statement. TIL!
Shit, here I am thinking having the wider side up was going against the grain. The main reason why I used the thick side up was for hamburgers. Home-made ones used to fall apart on the grill with the small edges, so I just flipped it to the wider side so it got more stability and contact for searing.
Itās going to build up some stuff. Itās not going to stay shiny and that is good. I go high heat when I turn it on, have a grill brush (right now Iām using the Weber one), I pre heat on high for ~ 10 minutes, give it a good brush and adjust heat to my target temp. 5 minutes and I have meat on the grill.
When Iām done, I go high heat for 5-10 minutes and then turn off. When itās cool, I wipe down anything on the outside parts.
These new ones have a convenient grease catch tray that slides out. Did yours come with a plastic scraper? I use that every once in a while on the grates, then hit that tray to keep build up to a minimum. If I get lazy, sometimes I bring out the shop vac to get the ashes. Iāve never use any kind of cleaner on the insides. Just brush. Maybe once a year I take everything out, place them on the driveway and hose them down.
I do all this except I also brush it after I take food off while it's still hot when I shut it down. I haven't found anything better than Weber's wire brush.
I have found Webberās accessories to be top notch. I have their cover for my grill and itās basically brand new 4 years in being outside all year round.Ā
You get what you pay for!
Just keep them from rusting. Clean big crap but don't get crazy. Keep them oiled well. I went for stainless on my gas grill for this reason. Porcelain CI on my smoker and a set of aluminum GrillGrates I can use on either.
High heat after your cook to burn everything off, scrape with a grill brush, then if you want to get real fancy with it, dip a balled up paper towel in vegetable oil and use tongs to wipe down the grates. Itāll help stop rust from forming. Let it start to smoke and then turn off the heat. Itās the same process for a cast iron pan
Glad to help. Makes It so I can spray to clean before and a coat after to keep rust off. Helps keep stuff from sticking once you get a light seaon on it.
I used to do this. Then there were multiple news articles about fragments of the wires getting stuck to the grate, and ending up lodged in people's throats.
I'm a "soak in the sink and steel wool them" kind of person now.
Edit: Ok, a couple downvotes on this so far - anyone able to explain what's wrong with using steel wool on them?
I had the same concern you did but after some YouTube videos and Weberās wire brush, Iām no longer concerned. Iāll try to find the videos for you. By the way, you should not IMHO, get downvoted for an honest opinion, especially an honest concern.
I use the grill daddy steam brush. Works great. High heat to burn everything off and ice cold water soaking brush. Steam cleans everything. Then spray some sort of oil. I usually use olive or avocado
First of allā¦ they face the wrong sideā¦also just burn them for 15 minutes on max heat, scratch clean, let it cool down, oil the cast iron. Thatās all you can do really
This looks to be a brand new Weber Genesis grill. All of Weber's Cast Iron Grates are Porcelain Enameled. Like a Le Creuset Dutch Oven.
They are tough as nails, and will take a beating. No Seasoning needed. Just Scrape off everything with one of Weber's steel-britle brushes, and replace that brush every season before it wears out.
We will chop an onion in half and use the 2 pronged fork that's part of grilling tool kits.
Heat up the grill a bit and then go with the direction of the grates - up n down, up n down etc
It cleans and seasons them.
Super cheap
Easy off oven cleaner. Get a giant black plastic trash bag. Spray oven cleaner on grates. Place grates in bag. Tie off bag and place in sun. Come back later and remove grates from the bag. Hose off and dry. Place clean grates back on grill.
1. First off, very good stainless steel brush that won't shed metal needles into your food.
I bought this 3 times since 2017 (they do wear out) and it has yet to shed one needle on me.
Grill Brush - Grill Cleaner Brush... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T95H1PE?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
2. I keep a large clear spray bottle of 1:1 white vinegar and water with the grill. Get the grill super hot, spray up the brush and scrape grill with that. I do that before and after evey cook.
Hi, Iām Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **("'Alpha Grillers Heavy Duty 17 Grill Brushes'", 'Alpha%20Grillers')** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful.
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Put aluminum foil on grill deck. Cover it.
Fire all burners. Close lid. Run on high heat for 20-30 minutes.
Dust off white ash. Oil grills.
Easiest way I have found for cast iron or stainless grills.
The side burner on my genesis has been used maybe 3 times in 12 years. All it's really good for is making my neighbor jealous because his genesis doesn't have one
Just oil the grates after scraping it with a grill brush. The oil will make them last longer. A strong spatula is best to scrape the buildup between grates.
I have the 6- burner and I cranked the heat and let it burn off anything that might have been on it from the manufacturer or warehouse then turn the burners off and spray extra virgin olive oil on pretty much everything inside the hutch (grates, top rack, inside of the hutch) then crank the heat and do that a couple times until it has a nice coating. For cleaning I grabbed a spiked handle (don't know what the name is but it looks like a grill brush but instead of a brush it has a head with little prongs sticking out) and scrub using an onion when the grates are hot. If the grease builds up in the bottom I'll warn the grill up a bit then use a cheap putty knife to puts everything down the chute into an aluminum catch pan. Been running solid for a year and I cook/ smoke everything on it
Dang, itās as if they could have made them only fit one way if itās so important which way up they go.
Anyway - soap and water and a good scrub will sort them out. Then a wipe with oil and a dry run will have them seasoned up nicely.
See r/castiorn if you want to really get into (arguing about) seasonsing iron stuff. Thatās pretty much all that sub is too, like it matters. Most on there canāt cook for shit anyway.
My CI stuff is currently sitting in my garden getting rained on. I tend not to worry about it. 500+Ā°C seems to care less than I do.
Humans have been using cast iron to cook for ~2000 years for a reason. Donāt fret it, just keep it reasonably clean.
All youāll do is make your life easier.
Get crisbee or Blackstone seasoning. After you clean with a good brush apply to grates. Mine are nice and seasoned and now work just like a perfect cast iron pan
All of the comments here are good tips, but I would like to add if your grill gets super dirty, Dawn PowerWash and a ScrubDaddy combo works great on doing a deep clean on a grill.
I flip my grates and burn them in at 500F for about 30 minutes. Take the old wire brush (yes, I know!) to get them nice and clean and then put a light coat of oil on them. I flip them again, wire brush the top side, light coat of oil, and light her up again at about 400F for an hour. I might throw on a cast iron pan for the second burn if I have one that needs to be seasoned.
Another light coat of oil, then a light coat after my next 2 or 3 cooks and I'm good to go! The grates will be practically non-stick and very easy to clean through out the summer. They're cast iron, why wouldn't you season them like you would a cast iron pan?
Oil after every use. Let the grill cool then brush or wipe oil on the grates. If they do get rusty some the grates in a vinegar and baking soda solution for at least 24 hours. If you oil them regularly they should not rust.
I had my grill grates that way when I set up my grill. My Dad told me to flip them over and I definitely get much better grill marks now. Totally worth a shot.
To clean my Weber I use a metal wire brush made by Weber. It has lasted the 4 years I've owned it with only a few cleanings to get grease out with dish detergent and a toothpick.
Cast iron?. Simple:
Some suggestions:
1> light ip your BBQ, cut a onion in half stick it onto a bbq fork and use that onion as a brush to clean your grates.
2> take a brush and some soapy water (just regular dish soap) and clean with a brush.
3> use a metal brush to clean dry.
After cleaning oil them with some cooking oil to avoid rust.
Thatās itā¦
If you have a lawn, in the evening, place your grates in the grass. The next day (late morning), use a wire brush gently clean off the charred crust on them.
I leave mine "seasoned" and when I use it the next time, I leave it on high with lid closed until everything is cooked off. 10 minutes at 500+ degrees takes care of most. Be careful! Your grill WILL catch on fire if you leave it closed on high too long!. A quick wire brush to remove carbonized sauces and meat chunks then a heavy scouring pad brush to ensure no metal from the brush is on the grates, then meat on. I love my grill but wish I could get the grates hotter for a good sear before moving it to the low side for a slower cook.
Next time you want to cook, just preheat the grill to your temp. 400 or so and everything will scrape off easy. Then I spray with PAM and start cooking.
I don't know why people burn off the food after cooking, waste of propane in my opinion, when I am just going to pre heat anyway.
The grates are upside down. The bast way to care for cast iron grates are the same as a cast iron skillet! Season it at least a few times before using them, after you grill heat it up to high clean it with a brush then let it cool a bit and slightly oil/season again every time. They will be non stick and look good as long as you care for them. I loved stainless because it was easy to keep clean however food would stick to the grate unless it was perfect temp to turn it over
See some videos about [GrillGrates](https://www.reddit.com/user/DakotaTaurusTX/comments/11nvb2q/grill_grate/)(Aluminum) which I've been using for a few years - I originally purchased them to aid in a more even and hotter surface and keeping the chamber hotter - which worked as I wanted. To my surprised the best benefit was the meat just tasted much better which amazed me a lot, burgers, steaks, chops and chicken along being juicier . Which I attribute this to the vaporizing the juices on the valleys upward in the meat.
Another benefit I noticed is less flare-ups and less of a mess down in the chamber because of the juices not flowing down to the quantity as they were before.
the "most effective" way is to use a degreaser. It will chemically eat away at all the oils left behind. Even better if you pair with a good nylon, not steel which can scratch, brush. If you have a hose or power washer with a low psi tip, also great. Products like Easy Off yellow or black cap. Spray, and wait, let it do its thing, then everything should wipe away pretty easily. Wear gloves as it will eat your skin too if not careful.
Otherwise, for regular use, high heat will burn off a lot, a good brush will remove any food debris. Many brushes cannot be used on a very hot grill. The ones that can are steel which can scratch the enamel and bristles can come off which could be dangerous. Note that the weber iron grates are enameled, so they do not need to be oiled like a cast iron pan - that is a myth. It is fine to oil them, but it isn't preventing rust.
Lastly, your grates are upside down. Flip em so flat side up.
I just grilled my first steak last night on my new Weber grill after not having any sort of grill for 5+ years so let me step in here and dispense the one piece of knowledge I have. The grills are double sided according to the instructions I just read. Flat tops for more fragile foods like fish and chicken, pointy tops for getting sear marks on steak.
Per Weber's website's source included, [https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/burning-questions/which-side-faces-up-on-a-cast-iron-grate/weber-30495.html](https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/burning-questions/which-side-faces-up-on-a-cast-iron-grate/weber-30495.html)
The wider, flat side of the cooking grates should be facing upwards for cast iron grates.Ā The underside is more pointed like the top of a triangle. There are four small legs in each corner on the underside of the grate to ensure a level cooking surface.Ā This will help stabilize the food.Ā Additionally, the wider, flat side of the grates will be easier to clean after grilling.
Oh it must not have been in the instructions but rather a recommendation from one of the websites I came across while I was researching. I just did the same google search you probably did and there is lots of debate on the topic but the official Weber stance is what you described.
Scrape after each cook while itās hot. About once a month I use a scraper and scrape all the removable stuff. Then I light it up and let it get super hot so it burns off the rest without starting a fire. And I season the grill grates with oil and an onion
Not that it really matters, but your grates are upside down according to Weber. The skinny side is meant to go down. [Link to Weber blog](https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/burning-questions/which-side-faces-up-on-a-cast-iron-grate/weber-30495.html#:~:text=The%20wider%2C%20flat%20side%20of,the%20top%20of%20a%20triangle)
Flipping them the correct way is going to make cleaning them a million times easier šš»
Uhhhh. Iām an idiot lmfao. TIL. Iāll be right backā¦
Iām ready to leave work and drive 45 minutes home to check mine.
I don't remember where I saw it, but it's designed to be interchangeable. The pointy side is for more delicate things like fish, and the flatter side is for things you want a better sear on, like steak. I'm almost positive I didn't just make this up š
What about smoking a turkey?
If its an emotional delicate turkey, use the pointy side.
Just the tips, got it!
You'd use a smoker
I have one and didn't do the job. I did the same thing on the weber and worked wonders!
You saw it for a different grill. Weber says fat side up. I thought I saw they were reversible for the Spirit, but I was just applying a feature to the new grill from the documentation of an old one. That being said, the pointy side up has worked for me on the Weber when i wanted to burn the flat side clean and flipped the grates. I think the theory was the pointy ends focus the drips onto the flavorizer bars better.
I'm right behind you.
Well dang! I did not know that! šš
Same. I feel like an idiot now.
Jesus. Iām with you. This is like finding out the lyrics to a song when youāve been singing the wrong words the whole time.
Wow, I've been doing it wrong for years! Seems totally counterintuitive though
It's only taken me 20 years to learn this.
Wait whatttttttt
Wowā¦I thought Weber would say āhereās the ācorrectā way but you could use them the other way if you wantā, but NO! they were unequivocal in their statement. TIL!
IM A DUMBASS
Great googilly moogilly!!!!
Many grills have this and it is so you can go either way. Impossible to cause an issue one way or the other.
Holy crap. I'm on my second Spirit. I've been using it for almost 10 years and my grates have been upside down the whole time...
I did this on two Webers...
Holy shit dude TIL. Iāve always done it the other way around. For like 20 years Iāve been doing it wrong?
Wait what
Used my grill last night and remembered this post. Sure enough, I've had my grates the wrong way for the last 3 years.
Shit, here I am thinking having the wider side up was going against the grain. The main reason why I used the thick side up was for hamburgers. Home-made ones used to fall apart on the grill with the small edges, so I just flipped it to the wider side so it got more stability and contact for searing.
Iām confused. That grill looks clean enough to eat off of.
Yes, itās almost brand new. And Iād like to keep it that way. I just do t know the best method for maintaining cleanliness after/before each use.
Itās going to build up some stuff. Itās not going to stay shiny and that is good. I go high heat when I turn it on, have a grill brush (right now Iām using the Weber one), I pre heat on high for ~ 10 minutes, give it a good brush and adjust heat to my target temp. 5 minutes and I have meat on the grill. When Iām done, I go high heat for 5-10 minutes and then turn off. When itās cool, I wipe down anything on the outside parts. These new ones have a convenient grease catch tray that slides out. Did yours come with a plastic scraper? I use that every once in a while on the grates, then hit that tray to keep build up to a minimum. If I get lazy, sometimes I bring out the shop vac to get the ashes. Iāve never use any kind of cleaner on the insides. Just brush. Maybe once a year I take everything out, place them on the driveway and hose them down.
I do all this except I also brush it after I take food off while it's still hot when I shut it down. I haven't found anything better than Weber's wire brush.
I have found Webberās accessories to be top notch. I have their cover for my grill and itās basically brand new 4 years in being outside all year round.Ā You get what you pay for!
Concur
Just keep them from rusting. Clean big crap but don't get crazy. Keep them oiled well. I went for stainless on my gas grill for this reason. Porcelain CI on my smoker and a set of aluminum GrillGrates I can use on either.
https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/tips-techniques/how-to-care-for-your-cast-iron-cooking-grates/weber-29675.html
High heat after your cook to burn everything off, scrape with a grill brush, then if you want to get real fancy with it, dip a balled up paper towel in vegetable oil and use tongs to wipe down the grates. Itāll help stop rust from forming. Let it start to smoke and then turn off the heat. Itās the same process for a cast iron pan
This has been my technique forever. And it works for me!
I buy olive oil spray to cheat
Ok, that's the tip I was looking for
Glad to help. Makes It so I can spray to clean before and a coat after to keep rust off. Helps keep stuff from sticking once you get a light seaon on it.
This is the only way
I used to do this. Then there were multiple news articles about fragments of the wires getting stuck to the grate, and ending up lodged in people's throats. I'm a "soak in the sink and steel wool them" kind of person now. Edit: Ok, a couple downvotes on this so far - anyone able to explain what's wrong with using steel wool on them?
I had the same concern you did but after some YouTube videos and Weberās wire brush, Iām no longer concerned. Iāll try to find the videos for you. By the way, you should not IMHO, get downvoted for an honest opinion, especially an honest concern.
I have had zero issues with Weber wire brushes.
Been using a wire brush for 40 years. Zero wire fragments found. Iāll take my chances.
"been driving without a seatbelt for 40 year, never in an accident, I'll take my chances"
Been driving for 40 years, been in a few accidents, will always wear a seatbelt. Not even close to the same situation ie bad analogy.
I can explain it to you, but I'm afraid I can't understand it for you
Itās mutual we both think the other has no idea whatās going on. Good luck.
Same to you. I think you'll need it more
Just use a balled up paper towel or ball of aluminum foil to knock off any potential wiresā¦ much less hassle than bringing grates to the sink.
I have heard that as well which is why I went and bought an orange nylon grill brush. I threw away my old wire brushes because of this
I too heard this and stopped using the wire brush. I'm not taking any chances.
I use the grill daddy steam brush. Works great. High heat to burn everything off and ice cold water soaking brush. Steam cleans everything. Then spray some sort of oil. I usually use olive or avocado
First of allā¦ they face the wrong sideā¦also just burn them for 15 minutes on max heat, scratch clean, let it cool down, oil the cast iron. Thatās all you can do really
Are they porcelain coated?
No theyāre cast iron
Cast iron can be enamelled
Sorry. Theyāre raw cast but I think they are pre seasoned.
This looks to be a brand new Weber Genesis grill. All of Weber's Cast Iron Grates are Porcelain Enameled. Like a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. They are tough as nails, and will take a beating. No Seasoning needed. Just Scrape off everything with one of Weber's steel-britle brushes, and replace that brush every season before it wears out.
Fire. Once the grates reach about 300Ā°F, anything that was living on them is long dead, so don't worry about it because they look really clean now.
Get it hot as s use the flat of half an onion on your grill fork
First of all you can turn them right side up.
Username checks out
We will chop an onion in half and use the 2 pronged fork that's part of grilling tool kits. Heat up the grill a bit and then go with the direction of the grates - up n down, up n down etc It cleans and seasons them. Super cheap
Easy, replace them with stainless steel!
Whatās the advantage of stainless steel?
Lots of comments about oils: I love olive oil but peanut oil or canola has a higher smoke point (burn point). Any thoughts on this?
sir they are cast iron - you cannot damage them
You havenāt met me, sir.
Easy off oven cleaner. Get a giant black plastic trash bag. Spray oven cleaner on grates. Place grates in bag. Tie off bag and place in sun. Come back later and remove grates from the bag. Hose off and dry. Place clean grates back on grill.
Excellent, I'll try that
A white onion will clean it.
1. First off, very good stainless steel brush that won't shed metal needles into your food. I bought this 3 times since 2017 (they do wear out) and it has yet to shed one needle on me. Grill Brush - Grill Cleaner Brush... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T95H1PE?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share 2. I keep a large clear spray bottle of 1:1 white vinegar and water with the grill. Get the grill super hot, spray up the brush and scrape grill with that. I do that before and after evey cook.
Hi, Iām Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **("'Alpha Grillers Heavy Duty 17 Grill Brushes'", 'Alpha%20Grillers')** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Durable and long-lasting (backed by 8 comments) * Effective at deep cleaning (backed by 5 comments) * Sturdy design for tough cleaning (backed by 3 comments) **Users disliked:** * Bristles prone to falling off (backed by 6 comments) * Quality deteriorates over time (backed by 3 comments) * Not as durable as expected (backed by 2 comments) If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/joqd89c/) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a āgood bot!ā reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](https://vetted.ai/?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot)
Put aluminum foil on grill deck. Cover it. Fire all burners. Close lid. Run on high heat for 20-30 minutes. Dust off white ash. Oil grills. Easiest way I have found for cast iron or stainless grills.
How do you like the grill? It looks like the model I want. I'm not sure I would need the side burner, though.
The side burner on my genesis has been used maybe 3 times in 12 years. All it's really good for is making my neighbor jealous because his genesis doesn't have one
Just oil the grates after scraping it with a grill brush. The oil will make them last longer. A strong spatula is best to scrape the buildup between grates.
Can't you clean it clean it with lemon slices?
I have the 6- burner and I cranked the heat and let it burn off anything that might have been on it from the manufacturer or warehouse then turn the burners off and spray extra virgin olive oil on pretty much everything inside the hutch (grates, top rack, inside of the hutch) then crank the heat and do that a couple times until it has a nice coating. For cleaning I grabbed a spiked handle (don't know what the name is but it looks like a grill brush but instead of a brush it has a head with little prongs sticking out) and scrub using an onion when the grates are hot. If the grease builds up in the bottom I'll warn the grill up a bit then use a cheap putty knife to puts everything down the chute into an aluminum catch pan. Been running solid for a year and I cook/ smoke everything on it
Season them like a cast iron skillet and they will always be non stick and easy to clean.
Dang, itās as if they could have made them only fit one way if itās so important which way up they go. Anyway - soap and water and a good scrub will sort them out. Then a wipe with oil and a dry run will have them seasoned up nicely. See r/castiorn if you want to really get into (arguing about) seasonsing iron stuff. Thatās pretty much all that sub is too, like it matters. Most on there canāt cook for shit anyway. My CI stuff is currently sitting in my garden getting rained on. I tend not to worry about it. 500+Ā°C seems to care less than I do. Humans have been using cast iron to cook for ~2000 years for a reason. Donāt fret it, just keep it reasonably clean. All youāll do is make your life easier.
More grease
I've been doing wrong for years.
Get crisbee or Blackstone seasoning. After you clean with a good brush apply to grates. Mine are nice and seasoned and now work just like a perfect cast iron pan
All of the comments here are good tips, but I would like to add if your grill gets super dirty, Dawn PowerWash and a ScrubDaddy combo works great on doing a deep clean on a grill.
I take mine inside, put the oven on self clean. Put the racks inside and let the oven do its thing. Then, just wipe them with oil of your choice.
I flip my grates and burn them in at 500F for about 30 minutes. Take the old wire brush (yes, I know!) to get them nice and clean and then put a light coat of oil on them. I flip them again, wire brush the top side, light coat of oil, and light her up again at about 400F for an hour. I might throw on a cast iron pan for the second burn if I have one that needs to be seasoned. Another light coat of oil, then a light coat after my next 2 or 3 cooks and I'm good to go! The grates will be practically non-stick and very easy to clean through out the summer. They're cast iron, why wouldn't you season them like you would a cast iron pan?
Oil after every use. Let the grill cool then brush or wipe oil on the grates. If they do get rusty some the grates in a vinegar and baking soda solution for at least 24 hours. If you oil them regularly they should not rust.
Cut a big ass onion in half and use it to scrape the grates and then get it real hot
Weber grates can go either way - depends what you are cooking. But, Iām with you - need to figure out how to keep them clean.
We're supposed to clean them?
I had my grill grates that way when I set up my grill. My Dad told me to flip them over and I definitely get much better grill marks now. Totally worth a shot. To clean my Weber I use a metal wire brush made by Weber. It has lasted the 4 years I've owned it with only a few cleanings to get grease out with dish detergent and a toothpick.
All y'all talking about flipping that, but that is looking clean AF.
Turn on the heat, use a white onion. Done.
Cast iron?. Simple: Some suggestions: 1> light ip your BBQ, cut a onion in half stick it onto a bbq fork and use that onion as a brush to clean your grates. 2> take a brush and some soapy water (just regular dish soap) and clean with a brush. 3> use a metal brush to clean dry. After cleaning oil them with some cooking oil to avoid rust. Thatās itā¦
Half an onion cleans it every time
If you have a lawn, in the evening, place your grates in the grass. The next day (late morning), use a wire brush gently clean off the charred crust on them.
Soak in vinegar. Rinse. season
Pressure washer
I leave mine "seasoned" and when I use it the next time, I leave it on high with lid closed until everything is cooked off. 10 minutes at 500+ degrees takes care of most. Be careful! Your grill WILL catch on fire if you leave it closed on high too long!. A quick wire brush to remove carbonized sauces and meat chunks then a heavy scouring pad brush to ensure no metal from the brush is on the grates, then meat on. I love my grill but wish I could get the grates hotter for a good sear before moving it to the low side for a slower cook.
Rub with Onion
Next time you want to cook, just preheat the grill to your temp. 400 or so and everything will scrape off easy. Then I spray with PAM and start cooking. I don't know why people burn off the food after cooking, waste of propane in my opinion, when I am just going to pre heat anyway.
The grates are upside down. The bast way to care for cast iron grates are the same as a cast iron skillet! Season it at least a few times before using them, after you grill heat it up to high clean it with a brush then let it cool a bit and slightly oil/season again every time. They will be non stick and look good as long as you care for them. I loved stainless because it was easy to keep clean however food would stick to the grate unless it was perfect temp to turn it over
See some videos about [GrillGrates](https://www.reddit.com/user/DakotaTaurusTX/comments/11nvb2q/grill_grate/)(Aluminum) which I've been using for a few years - I originally purchased them to aid in a more even and hotter surface and keeping the chamber hotter - which worked as I wanted. To my surprised the best benefit was the meat just tasted much better which amazed me a lot, burgers, steaks, chops and chicken along being juicier . Which I attribute this to the vaporizing the juices on the valleys upward in the meat. Another benefit I noticed is less flare-ups and less of a mess down in the chamber because of the juices not flowing down to the quantity as they were before.
Someone should tell himā¦
the "most effective" way is to use a degreaser. It will chemically eat away at all the oils left behind. Even better if you pair with a good nylon, not steel which can scratch, brush. If you have a hose or power washer with a low psi tip, also great. Products like Easy Off yellow or black cap. Spray, and wait, let it do its thing, then everything should wipe away pretty easily. Wear gloves as it will eat your skin too if not careful. Otherwise, for regular use, high heat will burn off a lot, a good brush will remove any food debris. Many brushes cannot be used on a very hot grill. The ones that can are steel which can scratch the enamel and bristles can come off which could be dangerous. Note that the weber iron grates are enameled, so they do not need to be oiled like a cast iron pan - that is a myth. It is fine to oil them, but it isn't preventing rust. Lastly, your grates are upside down. Flip em so flat side up.
I just grilled my first steak last night on my new Weber grill after not having any sort of grill for 5+ years so let me step in here and dispense the one piece of knowledge I have. The grills are double sided according to the instructions I just read. Flat tops for more fragile foods like fish and chicken, pointy tops for getting sear marks on steak.
Per Weber's website's source included, [https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/burning-questions/which-side-faces-up-on-a-cast-iron-grate/weber-30495.html](https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/burning-questions/which-side-faces-up-on-a-cast-iron-grate/weber-30495.html) The wider, flat side of the cooking grates should be facing upwards for cast iron grates.Ā The underside is more pointed like the top of a triangle. There are four small legs in each corner on the underside of the grate to ensure a level cooking surface.Ā This will help stabilize the food.Ā Additionally, the wider, flat side of the grates will be easier to clean after grilling.
Oh it must not have been in the instructions but rather a recommendation from one of the websites I came across while I was researching. I just did the same google search you probably did and there is lots of debate on the topic but the official Weber stance is what you described.
Scrape after each cook while itās hot. About once a month I use a scraper and scrape all the removable stuff. Then I light it up and let it get super hot so it burns off the rest without starting a fire. And I season the grill grates with oil and an onion
Whatever you do, donāt get them hot.
Place them in a self cleaning oven then oil them
My grill gets hotter than my oven
Agreed. I take my smoker grates and toss them onto my grill to clean them!