How do you clean your grates?

Ray

Active member
Messages
35
Location
Garland, Txt
Grill(s) owned
  1. RT-680
What dose everyone use to clean your grates with? Wire Brush, Foil, Pudy Knife, looking for the best way and tool to use.
 
Kinda depends on how gunked up I can stand. For modest deposits I usually heat the grates up for some carbonization then scrape with a blade followed by wire brush. If I want to be more thorough I soak them in the utility tub in soap and water, then remove gunk with a scotchbrite pad. The quickie wire brush thing will get clogged with grease before the brush wears out so if that's the case I clean the bristles to prolong it's life.
 
I use a wooden handle wire brush that has stainless steel bristles. I give them a good brushing when their cold, once again when their hot and again after I pull the food off.
 
I use the Grill Grate brush I ordered with my Bull for the heavy stuff
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and I use Barkeeper's Friend (liquid) on the exterior
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I crank the heat up after every cook to burn some off, then just hit it with a regular grill brush. (Side note - do not cheap-out on a grill brush and replace it when it's worn. People have gotten seriously hurt ingesting little pieces of wire brush)

When they get exceptionally gross, I'll spray them off a little and throw them in the dish machine.
 
Slightly off topic but related and prompted by the post from Toadster above.
I had seen the BK Friend liquid product touted on other smoker sites but without any visual aid. I acquired some and noted the label indicated the primary ingredient is oxalic acid, a comparatively mild acid, but caution is still wise. I have that in crystalline form as I use it to de-rust automotive parts in a soaking bath. In another post on here I had mentioned that in getting my Stampede up into the 500s to do a pizza I was annoyed by the resultant corrosion of the stainless housing. I was going to mix up some of the oxalic acid I had on hand but never made it a priority. Once I got the BKF liquid it was too easy to try so I took a shot. If you look at the attached pic the cleaned portions are the left vertical and the left portion of the front panel below the lid. The stains on the left vertical and the upper most portion of the front panel were mostly smoke and grease. Those cleaned off with the first bit of gentle wiping. I followed up with a second application but that showed little to no improvement. A quick wipe up with water left it as you see it. On the front panel it took a bit more work to deal with the corrosion. The first application didn't appear to do much though there was a hint of blackening. The bottle says to wipe with a moist towel, which both neutralizes and wipes away. In the end, to get the result in the pic, it took three applications with a terry towel (didn't want to risk using even a fine scotch brite which I may do on the bottom just to see the result) and only a fair bit of rubbing. It looks almost new......…...……..now I've got to finish the rest.
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This is one reason why I'm thinking about switching to the wood scraper.
Did you switch to the wood scraper? If so, do you like it? I'm looking at getting one myself. I've been a user of the Weber Grill Brush for years on my gas and charcoal grills and found it effective, although needs frequent replacing and it isn't immune to the bristle problem.

This is the one I'm considering getting:
Grill Hogs grill scraper
 
I personally use a cleaning stone on my Stampede, it is quick and simple.
When the smoker is doing the power off cycle, I put my heavy duty gloves on and just scrape down the grill. Grates are still hot enough for things to fly off quickly, and after 20+ cooks I am still not through a single brick.

Love it.
 
I personally use a cleaning stone on my Stampede, it is quick and simple.
When the smoker is doing the power off cycle, I put my heavy duty gloves on and just scrape down the grill. Grates are still hot enough for things to fly off quickly, and after 20+ cooks I am still not through a single brick.

Love it.
Awesome @evrydayzawrkday - Here is another solution I never even considered or was aware of. At $10 for 4 stones, this is a no brainer. Cheaper than a wooden scraper or the cost of a entry level grill brush, but no risk of bristles in your food. I'm gonna give it a shot! I'll probably even consider using it on my gas/charcoal grills as well. I already own the gloves that are good for 932 degrees, so they will be helpful for this task.
 
Just out of curiosity...has anybody ever tried putting them in the oven on the cleaning cycle? Im sure that would not hurt the SS grates and should clean everything completely!
 
I am new to pellet smoking and my method may get old fast, but I spray my grates first with Pam or something similar. It seems to help clean them easier with Brillo pad. I then rinse with water and air dry. Depending on what I am smoking, I do this after each smoke.
 
@Ray for the stock grill grates I'm using a wire brush right now, but it's about in need of being replaced. I'm thinking about getting a oak wood scraper as an alternative.

For my GrillGrate aluminum grates I use the great valley brushes.
I always clean my grill well, for me it is important. I tried a oak wood scraper, but it seemed to me not durable.

When I bought the Kona Bristle Free Barbecue Brush, I was delighted. This is the best thing that I cleaned my grill.
 
I personally use a cleaning stone on my Stampede, it is quick and simple.
When the smoker is doing the power off cycle, I put my heavy duty gloves on and just scrape down the grill. Grates are still hot enough for things to fly off quickly, and after 20+ cooks I am still not through a single brick.

Love it.

I use a decent quality wire brush for quick cleans, and a stone for deeper cleaning every few cooks. My local Menards has stones that snap into a brush which works well. The stone leaves a coating of dust on stuff though so it needs to be wiped off after using it. And since they do create dust and leave residue, I'd be a little leery about trying to find the best bargain online.
 
I always clean my grill well, for me it is important. I tried a oak wood scraper, but it seemed to me not durable.

When I bought the Kona Bristle Free Barbecue Brush, I was delighted. This is the best thing that I cleaned my grill.

Interesting. That looks very similar to my GrillGrates brush, which hasn't worked very well for me. This one does look sturdier though.
 
I have a wood scraper that I use on my Bull and Weber gas grill. Works good. I will not use a bristled brush. I have not tried one of the coil brushes yet.
 
I just use plain old dish soap, hot water, elbow grease and a scotch pad.

I have used the dishwasher to clean them and that worked just fine...
 

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