I used to live in Michigan so I can relate. I have had my Craycort for a little over a year, I have done hundreds of cooks on it and it is pretty well seasoned at this point. I would say keep it well oiled but really the secret is to use it all the time. I have used my grate that came with the Weber on occasion, and there are some things I like about the standard grate but the things I like about the Craycort out weigh them...literally! As far as the standard grate goes...I like the ease of use....lightweight and easy to move out of the way to get the fire setup and it can be somewhat easier to clean and it does have that iconic look about it. The downside of it is that it is not long lasting. I have searched on the net for a stainless steel replacement for the Weber's and was not able to find anything. Supposedly a stainless model will last forever....I'm am not talking about the stainless plated/coated kind that I got with the grill . As for the Craycort....The Weight is a major reason I love it. It makes my Weber much more substantial...wind resistant and solid. When I was looking for a Weber, I wanted one that did not have the standard tri-leg setup....something that would not blow over or get knocked over . I saw some online that I was kind of looking for when I came across my Platinum. I do love the look of the Craycort as well. The first time I saw one was on BallisticBBQ. I just loved the look and the removable sections just made too much sense for low and slow and use with the griddle plates( I have two of them) or the other setups available for the grate. Do I think that the cast iron cooks better than the steel grate? I'm not sure....if you judge by grill marks then yes....but does it cook food faster as all the stuff on the internet says about cast iron grates? I doubt it....maybe but since I am never in a hurry when I am cooking who cares? Does the cast iron retain heat better ? Yes! Since most of the stuff I cook is indirect or baking, I think that it does help in the steady temperature department of my "oven". The grate heats up and helps sustain the heat and evens out the heat when using as convection I would guess. I do really like the fact that like the rest of the cast iron that I have it will last longer than a lifetime if properly maintained. I use it a whole lot so it gets more seasoning on it all the time and I don't mind spending time scraping and cleaning it...that is part of the fun for me about grilling. I will go out and scrape the grate to pass the time when I am not grilling. I do not have any desire to try to get the grate back to factory like condition...I have seen online some cast iron being cleaned with ammonia in a trash bag that will get the grates back to bare metal but I want the seasoning that I have spent over a year working on. I also find it funny that I have a grate that is so HEAVY METAL looking while I am baking a cake!
Topic: Chocolate cake (Read 1162 times)
