Rust/Discoloration on Weber Gourmet Grate

[tb80]

I have one of those Weber Gourmet Grates for my Kettle.  Half of it is working great.  The other half is permanently discolored and rusted and pitted out.  Any suggestions on how to fix it?  Pictures are below:

[LightningBoldtz]

cooking oil, a wire brush and elbow grease.

[tb80]

cooking oil, a wire brush and elbow grease.

I have tried the wire brush and elbow grease.  If anything it made it worse.

[1buckie]

 This is in the "Technical" Sticky at the top of "Kettles and Accessories"


http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/rusty-grate-cleaning/

might do the trick.....

[pbe gummi bear]

cooking oil, a wire brush and elbow grease.

I have tried the wire brush and elbow grease.  If anything it made it worse.

A wire brush or solvent is going to remove all the rust on the grate and further expose the pitted surface. You can remove the rust chemically with baking soda and vinegar or other solvents but you will need to keep it well oiled to prevent it from rusting. It'll never be perfectly smooth like when it was new and freshly plated but you should still be able to cook on it for a long time. Do you rotate your grate at all or are you always doing indirect from one side?

[tb80]

cooking oil, a wire brush and elbow grease.

I have tried the wire brush and elbow grease.  If anything it made it worse.

A wire brush or solvent is going to remove all the rust on the grate and further expose the pitted surface. You can remove the rust chemically with baking soda and vinegar or other solvents but you will need to keep it well oiled to prevent it from rusting. It'll never be perfectly smooth like when it was new and freshly plated but you should still be able to cook on it for a long time. Do you rotate your grate at all or are you always doing indirect from one side?

It got discolored after the first couple of uses on that one side.  Since then I have been hesitant to put food on that side.  So I keep it indirect on the one side.

[1buckie]

In your shoes, here's what I would do.....

The baking soda / vinegar route ( I know it's smelly & dirty, but this is BBQ, not ballet, with cute slippers).....then cleanse good with water & go right into sacrificing some bacon.......

Wad up about 3~4 strips in a ball ( I've  even tied the shit in a knot), hold with tongs & coat every area you're able with god's juice, over medium heat......flip the grate with tongs or gloves & get all the underside too..............

Seems like a lot of work, but that's a higher dollar extra snazzy grate & probably worth the effort..............

[Duke]

I agree that they can be saved, but you can't continue letting direct fire reburn it out.

[Heyjude]

I don't know if I would sacrifice bacon on it... Maybe just some lard or Crisco.
I use  a wire brush in a grinder to make quick work of the rust removal, but you will need to keep it "Seasoned" as they say.

[OGlenn]

How long have you had that grate?  I believe Weber provides a 2 year warranty-might be worth a call.

[rwhinton]

Shouldn't such a high-end grate not rust/discolor at the first hint of water drops?

[DirectDrive]

I have plated grates in my smoker and in my Webers.
I also have a sweet stainless steel grate made from 1/4" rod in my gasser.

The plated grates eventually fail and you chase the rust.
That SS grate takes everything I throw at it....just wish they weren't so expensive !

[1buckie]

Shouldn't such a high-end grate not rust/discolor at the first hint of water drops?

Not so much about water........

I would think it's not the grate, so much as it's the plating burned off to raw metal.......





^^^^^this grate isn't doing as well as the others

Neither is the thermometer that was in the middle of all that.................



Aftermath......as can be seen, the metal is already goofy & has yet to pick up any moisture......



Very rarely do I go over about 400f......this was for a special occasion.....the wok seasoning......


Big proponent of "don't blast the shit out of your kettles"......they can take a lot, but not everything !!!
Good vote also for a dedicated pizza & high heat cooker that's at least somewhat expendable...........

Also, this  may not be the case with tb's grate, but it's the most common cause of this kind of thing..........they can do that by just sitting around in the weather for many, many years depending on circumstances..........

[glrasmussen]

Buckie Quote: "Big proponent of "don't blast the shit out of your kettles"......they can take a lot, but not everything !!!"

Now that would be an awesome tag line! Had me laughing at my desk.

[1buckie]

PS: a well-coated grate is less likely to do that.....see the nickel plate peeking out from under the sludge?