Barbecue grate
Three different surfaces that look identical under a season of carbon, and the one place on a barbecue where food actually touches metal.
Precautions
- Do not apply to a hot surface
- Rinse thoroughly afterwards
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Start here
What this is, what tends to go wrong with it, and what to do about it.
Made from
What tends to go wrong
Food heated until it carbonised and bonded to the surface. Time and softening do the work; scouring powder does the damage.
Why it is difficult: Contact time, Carbonisation, Adhesion and cohesion, Why old stains are harder
Hydrated iron oxide from corroding iron or steel. Distinguish a surface deposit, which cleans off, from active corrosion of the item itself, which does not.
Why it is difficult: Corrosion and passivation, Why old stains are harder, Adhesion and cohesion
The science behind this: Corrosion and passivation
Part of Barbecue.
In detail
The grate is what people mean when they say they are cleaning the barbecue, and the first question is one they usually cannot answer: what is it made of. Bare cast iron, porcelain-enamelled cast iron and stainless steel are all common, all look much the same once carbonised grease has built up, and all want different treatment. The coated one catches people out. Porcelain-enamelled cast iron is cast iron with a glass coating fired on at manufacture, and the coating IS the surface: it does not need seasoning and never will, which is the opposite of what bare cast iron requires, and it can be chipped by anything with a sharp edge — after which the iron underneath corrodes. Applying bare cast iron's routine to it, or a scraper to either, is how a grate is ruined by being looked after. The routine manufacturers give is heat first, brush second: bring the grill up to temperature, then brush with a stainless steel bristle brush. Heat does the work soaking would otherwise have to. One instruction is food safety rather than maintenance: check a wire brush for loose bristles before every use and replace it annually. A bristle that leaves the brush lands where food is about to be cooked.
What works
Mild abrasion is safe on, in specific conditions, Barbecue grate
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, no claim is made.
Only within these limits:
- a brush with stainless steel bristles, not a scraper or anything with a sharp edge
- check the brush for loose bristles before every use and replace it annually
- on porcelain-enamelled grates, nothing that can chip the coating
- the manufacturer's own guidance governs for the grate you actually have
The loose-bristle check is a food-safety instruction, not brush maintenance: a shed bristle lands on the surface food is cooked on.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Do not apply to a hot surface
Evidence
Supported
Sources
How to Care For Your Cast Iron Cooking Grates
Weber-Stephen Products LLC · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That a stainless steel bristle brush is specified, that anything with sharp edges can damage the porcelain enamel and lead to corrosion, and that the brush should be checked for loose bristles before each use and replaced annually. (states this directly)
Related
- Barbecue grate is made from Seasoned cast iron
- Barbecue grate is made from Vitreous enamel
- Barbecue grate is commonly affected by Burnt-on food and carbon deposits
- Barbecue grate is commonly affected by Rust
Sources for this page
Sources
How to Care For Your Cast Iron Cooking Grates
Weber-Stephen Products LLC · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the routine is to preheat the grill to 500-550F and then brush with a stainless steel bristle brush, that anything with sharp edges can damage the porcelain enamel coating and lead to corrosion, that porcelain-enamelled cast iron will never need seasoning because the coating is applied at manufacture, and that a brush should be checked for loose bristles before each use and replaced annually. (states this directly)
How to Clean seasoned cast iron
Lodge Cast Iron (Lodge Manufacturing Company) · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That bare cast iron carries a seasoning layer that is maintained rather than stripped, which is what makes coated and uncoated cast iron different cleaning problems. (background and mechanism only)