Jude-
No you cannot 'feel' these specks. I should have put this in my original post, so far I've tried "cleaning" it off with oven cleaner, steel wool, lacquer thinner, and even some muriatic acid on a rag to no avail. I'm guessing this part of the porcelain.
Craig-
No, it is not on the body of the grill, just the lid. The bottom of the grill is just black and glossy.