Hi all,
ABOUT ME:
My name is John. No, really, it is!
I am retired and now live in a small town near Traverse City in northern Michigan. I grew up in the BBQ capital of the world - Kansas City - home to Arthur Bryant's, (Oklahoma) Joe's, Jack Stacks, Heywards, and Gates and more than a hundred more. (Apologies to Memphis, Texas, and the Carolinas). During my working life, I lived in Naperville, a large suburb of Chciago, which has a huge, juried Ribfest every year that invites 20-30 select BBQ enterprises from around the country to come and vie for various prizes (Best Ribs, Best Sauce, and so on.) But some of the best 'Que I ever had from an amateur was from the Hank, a man who owned a hand-washed car and detailing shop. Hank was from Clarksdale, MS, home of Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Juke Joint and birthplace of the Delta Blues. Hank's creations came off a 55 gal. barrel cooker out back and his secret rub was so good, you didn't want or need to put sauce it. Like everyone else, he loved my wife's chocolate chip cookies and so there were many even trades.
Alas, I never learned to do much more than cook steaks, burgers, chicken, and the occasional slab of babybacks. The boss wants me to RE-EARN my manhood and pick up more of the load. My policy WAS "never do something that someone else does better." She's an excellent cook, despite having a father whose idea of BBQ was chicken slathered in Open Pit (which should be on the EPA's list of banned substances). Hence, I have come here to learn and observe from the finest pit masters.
I could only invest in one cooker for now, and because we like to grill and eat, I studied the advice here and settled on a Broil King Regal S490 Pro gasser about three years ago. It's stainless steel and it came with thick stainless grates and burners, and a ten year warranty.. Eventually I might want to get a smoker as well.
THE CURRENT SITUATION, THE QUESTIONS AND REQUEST FOR HELP
The specific advice I am looking for now concerns cleaning and a possible change in grates. The Broil King cost about $1,000 or so. I seasoned it when I first got it, but not since. I have kept it covered with a Broil King cover, kept the grates clean, done regular burn-offs, and emptied the grease tray. I keep the grill outside all winter and am now doing first-of-the-season cleaning. Alas, the grates and burners are covered with a hard, reddish-brown coating that I can't scrub off. I have soakedovernight in them in Simple Green, tried Dawn, a commercial degreaser, and Barkeeper's friend. Regular grease splatter on the outside is easy to remove, but the inside of the cookbox is another matter. Citrus cleaner seems to have to have some effect on the aluminum and other parts of the cookbox, but doesn't totally remove the black burned on spots and has little to no effect on the grates and burners. Despite the those parts being stainless, I began to suspect rust and contacted the manufacturer - Onward Mfg. (who apparently have taken over a bunch of the name brands). I sent them pictures and - surprise! - they honored the warranty and new grates and burners are on their way! THE BURNING QUESTIONS: How clean should I get the cook box? Should it be restored to "like new" and what happens if I don't (besides saving lots of hours and elbow grease) and if I can ignore my OCD tendencies? How do I keep the new grates and burners from ending up looking like the old ones? Should I make a warranty claim on other parts? I am also thinking of investing in the aluminum grill grates. Are they that much better? I've included a some pictures to illustrate what I am facing.
I appreciate any and all help and advice from any and all. Thanks.
John Volk
​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​​​​​​​
ABOUT ME:
My name is John. No, really, it is!
I am retired and now live in a small town near Traverse City in northern Michigan. I grew up in the BBQ capital of the world - Kansas City - home to Arthur Bryant's, (Oklahoma) Joe's, Jack Stacks, Heywards, and Gates and more than a hundred more. (Apologies to Memphis, Texas, and the Carolinas). During my working life, I lived in Naperville, a large suburb of Chciago, which has a huge, juried Ribfest every year that invites 20-30 select BBQ enterprises from around the country to come and vie for various prizes (Best Ribs, Best Sauce, and so on.) But some of the best 'Que I ever had from an amateur was from the Hank, a man who owned a hand-washed car and detailing shop. Hank was from Clarksdale, MS, home of Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Juke Joint and birthplace of the Delta Blues. Hank's creations came off a 55 gal. barrel cooker out back and his secret rub was so good, you didn't want or need to put sauce it. Like everyone else, he loved my wife's chocolate chip cookies and so there were many even trades.
Alas, I never learned to do much more than cook steaks, burgers, chicken, and the occasional slab of babybacks. The boss wants me to RE-EARN my manhood and pick up more of the load. My policy WAS "never do something that someone else does better." She's an excellent cook, despite having a father whose idea of BBQ was chicken slathered in Open Pit (which should be on the EPA's list of banned substances). Hence, I have come here to learn and observe from the finest pit masters.
I could only invest in one cooker for now, and because we like to grill and eat, I studied the advice here and settled on a Broil King Regal S490 Pro gasser about three years ago. It's stainless steel and it came with thick stainless grates and burners, and a ten year warranty.. Eventually I might want to get a smoker as well.
THE CURRENT SITUATION, THE QUESTIONS AND REQUEST FOR HELP
The specific advice I am looking for now concerns cleaning and a possible change in grates. The Broil King cost about $1,000 or so. I seasoned it when I first got it, but not since. I have kept it covered with a Broil King cover, kept the grates clean, done regular burn-offs, and emptied the grease tray. I keep the grill outside all winter and am now doing first-of-the-season cleaning. Alas, the grates and burners are covered with a hard, reddish-brown coating that I can't scrub off. I have soakedovernight in them in Simple Green, tried Dawn, a commercial degreaser, and Barkeeper's friend. Regular grease splatter on the outside is easy to remove, but the inside of the cookbox is another matter. Citrus cleaner seems to have to have some effect on the aluminum and other parts of the cookbox, but doesn't totally remove the black burned on spots and has little to no effect on the grates and burners. Despite the those parts being stainless, I began to suspect rust and contacted the manufacturer - Onward Mfg. (who apparently have taken over a bunch of the name brands). I sent them pictures and - surprise! - they honored the warranty and new grates and burners are on their way! THE BURNING QUESTIONS: How clean should I get the cook box? Should it be restored to "like new" and what happens if I don't (besides saving lots of hours and elbow grease) and if I can ignore my OCD tendencies? How do I keep the new grates and burners from ending up looking like the old ones? Should I make a warranty claim on other parts? I am also thinking of investing in the aluminum grill grates. Are they that much better? I've included a some pictures to illustrate what I am facing.
I appreciate any and all help and advice from any and all. Thanks.
John Volk
​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​​​​​​​
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