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Grill grates are a pain to clean

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    Grill grates are a pain to clean

    Did a lazy man's cleaning of the Grill Grates for my PK360 yesterday. I sprayed them with some Simple Green HD, gave them a scrubbing with a hard bristle brush, and rinsed them off. They'd been leaning against a wall for months and were quite nasty looking. They're better now but not as good as I would prefer. I am not a huge fan of Grill Grates because cleaning them is a real PITA. I end up not using them very often for this and other reasons.

    Before:

    Click image for larger version  Name:	dirty grate.jpg Views:	0 Size:	3.28 MB ID:	799585


    After:

    Click image for larger version  Name:	clean grate.jpg Views:	0 Size:	2.76 MB ID:	799584

    #2
    Amen to this - definitely PITA to clean even between cooks. I have them on my Weber Summit in place of the original Weber grates. It is a constant battle to keep the "valleys" and the related openings/holes cleared of carbonized fat/grease. Their grill brush tool is sort of useless as the coiled cleaning bristles are round while the valleys are basically squared. I use their flipper tool to gouge out the carbonized stuff.

    But they do a great job of grilling!

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      #3
      I don't care for the grill side, never been a huge fan of grill marks since they don't add any flavor to the final product. However, the flat side is my favorite when cooking on my PK, that side turns out a nice crust on steaks, burgers and anything else you want to sear.

      But you're right, PITA to clean. Find myself cooking on my cast iron griddle for the Primo, love that thing.

      Comment


        #4
        If you happen to have a gasser, they clean up pretty nicely when you fire it up and leave them on at high heat for 15-20 min. Brad said that using high heat to clean GGs is OK on gassers, but not on kamados.

        After doing the high heat session, I scrub them down with wadded aluminum foil shaped to fit in the valleys. Works great.

        Then, while still hot, if I have one available, I'll rub a raw onion half over the top of the grates. Brad recommends this to give them a smooth, non-stick surface.

        Then they're put to bed until the next cook.

        I'm with au4stree --I almost exclusively use the smooth side (or the Grill Grate Griddles that I also have) for maximum Maillard.

        Kathryn

        P.S. Alphonse , you did a great job on the cleanup. They look so nice and clean!
        Last edited by fzxdoc; February 4, 2020, 10:04 AM.

        Comment


        • Rob Johnston
          Rob Johnston commented
          Editing a comment
          I never knew about using onion. I will have to try that. Thank you.

        #5
        I hate cleaning grates period and especially GG's. Like Kathryn I get them pretty clean on the gasser letting propane do the work. As with all grates, I generally once a month spread them out on my driveway, hit them hard with Simple Green HD and pressure wash them. You don't always get the discolored parts all shiny again but I know that they are clean and ready for another month's service.

        Comment


        • Alphonse
          Alphonse commented
          Editing a comment
          Yeap, that's why I called it being lazy. I just didn't want to hassle with getting the pressure washer out!

        #6
        I use 'The Ringer', meant to clean CI, to clean mine.

        Comment


        #7
        I give them high heat and then just knock off the ash. I also only use the griddle side now. That makes it much easier to clean in the future.

        Comment


          #8
          I just clean them on the grill, once heated... scrape and brush, then cook. Same for the griddle or the rail size. A couple times per year I may break them down and do more. I do use them more on my gas grill than on my kettle, and its certainly easy to burn stuff off on the Genesis. After cooks with them in the kettle, I just open up the vents and let things burn off as well, versus shutting down the vents and snuffing the charcoal.

          Comment


            #9
            I agree with the fact that they are a pain to clean. I use both sides of them and do pressure wash them with some regularity in the summer but the washers get tucked behind everything else in the winter.

            You can use my Dad's method. I bought him a Santa Maria grill a few years back for his birthday. For Christmas I bought him GrillGrates. After Christmas, I explained over the phone how to use them. When he went through back surgery I camped out at his house for a month. I brought down a lot of meat. I asked him where the GrillGrates were. He had no idea what I was talking about. I figured it was the effects of the pain meds. My mom and I scoured the entire house and garage. No GrillGrates. I asked my brother about them - he remembered seeing them in the house, but never saw them on Dad's BBQ. We are going on two years since the surgery and they just don't exist. Wherever they are, they are pristine (unless my brother was re-gifted them and they are afraid to tell me)!

            Comment


            • jfmorris
              jfmorris commented
              Editing a comment
              Sad story! Sounds like they got tossed by accident...

            #10
            Griddle Side, clean with paper towels and spatula as the grill is heating up.

            Comment


              #11
              I'd be fine with cleaning them if they just weren't so sharp on the ends. I wish they would give them a good de-burring and break the sharp edges before anodizing.

              Comment


              • ComfortablyNumb
                ComfortablyNumb commented
                Editing a comment
                Put them to work then, eh, since all work and no play makes for, well, you know! ;-)

              #12
              I use high heat sometimes until the schmutz turns white. But mostly, I hit them right after the cook with the Commercial Grade Grill Brush and then sometimes with the Grate Valley Grill Brush. I hadn't used the flat side much since I bought the GrateGriddles. However, they warped after a smash burger cook and won't lock together anymore. So I am starting to use the flat side of the GG again. I do like the holes because I am putting wood chunks or pellets on the gas burner heat deflector. The holes let some of the smoke hit the foods on the griddle. I am a little pissed that the griddles warped. I am thinking of replacing the griddles with the LittleGriddle.

              Comment


                #13
                I purchased a large sheet metal drain pan from the home building center that is designed to fit under a water heater, tapped up the drain hole and I use that to soak and clean my grills. Fill with hot water and dish soap and it works well. It is large enough to hold any grill that I have. I got the idea from this web site.

                Comment

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