@HoosierKettle My CI rectangular is an original Weber item and came out of the box as RAW cast iron with only a light protective oil spray on it. The first thing I did to it was to clean it with near boiling water an dawn dish soap an dried it real good then warmed it up in the kettle for 20-30mins to really dry it out. Then I coated it lightly with fresh linseed oil started seasoning it a few times in the kettle. Now it’s a nice black finish and eggs don’t stick.. so I’m happy.
I had a reversible Weber griddle out of the Summit 470 that I had and that was enamel coated and a light gray when cleaned. As soon as I got my Griddle Grate kit I put the Summit griddle up for sale. I would rather have raw CI because you can always strip it down and re-season it and it’s as good as new. Also if your not happy with the CI finish you can hit it with a DA sander or angle grinder to smooth it out to your liking. Enamel coated means your stuck with the finish.
Over time and with use the Weber enamel coated CI will turn black but will never truly be seasoned cast iron in my opinion.
All that being said.. I also have the GBS griddle insert and it also works good for me!
The box for my Griddle Grate kit said .. made in China :-( Not much you can do about it.
Sent from my iPhone using
Weber Kettle Club