Cooking Grate Cleaning Advice

[1bottlerocket]

Hey all,
I wanted to ask for some cleaning advice. I am having a difficult time getting the black bits cleaned out of the spaces between the cooking grate. (see attached pics)

I don’t really care for the Weber grill grate with the removable middle piece but that’s what the grill came with.

I think it’s still in working order so I am hoping to avoid replacing it for now.

Does anyone have any advice for me to clean this?

[LA Pork Butt]

I don’t have your Weber grill, but this scraper works pretty well on my stainless grill grate.

[N227GB]

Char Gone is your friend

Sorry, I'm posting from my phone and can't seem to add a link here.

Okay here's the link:

https://www.chargon.com/

[HawkerXP]

We use these at work and I'm sure they would do for you. https://www.amazon.com/Scratch-Stain...47523601&psc=1

[HawkerXP]

12 for $10, how could you go wrong? They work fine.

[Mudkat]

I think I have some of those around the house. I’ll check them out.

[jfmorris]

Hey! Someone else uses the same toothbrush I do!

Just a joke... I had to have gum surgery due to recession when I was 20 years old, and the dentist told me I was overdoing it with the toothbrush, and scrubbing my gums away, and directed me to switch to an extra soft one going forward....

[Jerod Broussard]

I use a power washer and maybe run a little paper towel over the grate.

[1bottlerocket]

The plan is to try that on Thursday and see how it goes.

[Attjack]

+1 on the paper towel. You can scrub all day then when you run a paper towel over the grate you're going to get black stuff all over it. I prefer leaving that stuff on the paper towel instead of my food. I like to put some oil on the paper towel before I wipe the grate down.

[Dadof3Illinois]

I just set them in my gasser and turn it up on high for several minutes and just burn it off.

[Troutman]

I use a combination of approaches to mine. I start with a good wire brush and a heavy solution of concentrated Simple Green. Leave the solution sit for a while before brushing. That gets about 90% of my gook and grime.

After that I do the same thing followed by a pressure wash from my 2000 psi Honda pressure washer, probably another 5%.

Alternatively I hit it with my wife's portable steam cleaner. I do that in place of pressure washing, it's about the same result, another 5%.

Or IF I'm in the mood and wanna get really sparkly, I mix me up a solution of this stuff. It will take the chrome off a '57 Chevy bumper to get to 99.99% good !! (sells on Amazon btw)

[1bottlerocket]

I am going to try a commercial pressure wash at a self-serve car wash on Thursday and see if that lifts any of the baked on stuff.

That Five Star PBW looks pretty interesting for the hard to reach places. Do you just leave it on and hose off? I am going to see it can be sent to Switzerland and try to get some. I did a deep clean yesterday and just have the cooking grate to finish.

Thanks for all the tips!

[gcdmd]

Will it take the chrome off a trailer hitch knob?

[jfmorris]

Hey - that's what I use for cleaning brewing equipment. Powdered Brewery Wash (PBW). If I run out, I use oxyclean.

[Randy-Phx]

I used to take my grates to the car wash. It worked really well but the car washes closed. The ones near me are full service now, so I bought a pressure washer.

[Steve R.]

I did the same. But pressure washers should come with a warning label that they are habit forming, and that there is never a good stopping point.

[Mudkat]

I stop when I get the water bill Steve R.

[zzdocxx]

That would be cool to make a multi-prong scraper that could hit a half dozen or so bars all at the same time.

Anyone ever seen such a thing ?

[fzxdoc]

I just got some of that PBW a couple of weeks ago, Troutman . Any tips on using it?


Kathryn

[jfmorris]

Kathryn, I use the PBW for cleaning brewing equipment. The trick is to use HOT water (as hot as you can get it), and let it soak for at least 30 minutes. You want to rinse with hot water too if possible.

Stainless items can soak in it overnight. I also use it to clean glass carboys, and let it sit overnight - the Powdered Brewery Wash (PBW) will eat off any crud inside the carboy, eliminating me have to scrub with a flexible brush.

[jfmorris]

Do NOT let anything made from polycarbonate soak in the PBW overnight. How do I know? The sight glass on a brewing kettle was polycarbonate, and shattered from the PBW.

[Panhead John]

First thing I’d do is trash that style of food grate that comes with the Weber Kettle. Then buy you something lighter in weight and without that cumbersome centerpiece which always falls out when you pick it up. They come in some of Weber’s Premium grills. I’ve got one and after a month it was in the trash and I bought something else. Anyway, I wish my grates were that clean when I cook. Personally, I just heat it up with the fire and when I’m ready to cook, just run a wire grill brush over it. You’ll never get ALL those little black bits off the grate. If you do, you’re gonna spend a LOT of time cleaning. Some of those little black bits on the grate will always be there. Won’t hurt you.

[glitchy]

This works pretty well for getting them sparkly. I deep clean mine 1-2 times a year with it.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/grilltastic-grill-cleaner/?catalogId=41&sku=990370&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Outdoor%20%3E%20Grill%20Tools%20%26%20Accessories&cm_ite=990370&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq5id1ZiE6wIVStbACh3uigHTEAQYASABEgIlEPD_BwE

I also dislike the gourmet system on my WSCG unless I’m using the Vortex.

[Mudkat]

I don’t try to get it all. But once every couple of months or so I heat all my grates and my Grill Grates, scrape ‘em with the wooden paddle looking thing, crumple some aluminum foil and scrub ‘ em with that, then wipe ‘em with veggie oil. Then I cook something that makes them all dirt again. Love it!

[steve weston]

Anybody ever try otc oven cleaner on their grates?

[fzxdoc]

Not recommended by Weber, from what I can tell.

K.

[JGo37]

I use a detail soak made for car wheels, then a power washer after it sets ~ 15 minutes. I get good results.

In combo with the wire brushes, I'd use what I use on bad CI - hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. I read a post recently suggesting to do the cleaning using a water heater pan, which is also a great idea, especially for round kettle grates.