Weber Kettle Club Forums

I was thinking of having a guy at work router me out a aluminum charcoal grate.  A simple design that is round of the appropriate size and a bunch of round holes around 1" in diameter to allow airflow.  The choice on thickness is .080 and .125 gauge aluminum that is 5052 alloy and is used for road signs.  Would using aluminum as the charcoal grate cause any weird tastes or be harmful?  Would it melt?  I have a couple Old Smokey BBQ's and they are entirely made (except the top grill grate) of "aluminized steel" including the bottom charcoal grate.  What do you guys think?  Thanks.

It has a 1100-1200 deg F melting point, no other harmful attributes. Not sure whether it may sag over time from heat though

You should be fine.

Isn't aluminum suspect in brain disorders? Seems I read that somewhere. I prefer stainless in cooking pans, so prabably have a buildup of chromium in my system.
Oh never mind , you said charcoal grate.

Weber char baskets are aluminized.

Everything was/is/might be suspect in brain disorders.


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Aluminized steel is steel with aluminum coating. So you can't compare it to solid aluminum in terms of strength or melting properties.

I wouldn't use aluminum for a charcoal grate. At .080 it will sag first use is my guess.

Is this for a 22 kettle?  Charcoal grates are only $11


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Yup... not sure if aluminum is the way to go for a charcoal grate... not gonna last long me thinks. Just go get the real replacement...

Thanks for the ideas.  If I go with the aluminum I'll keep you updated.  I just figured the grate would not rust in my Weber's and always looking to try something that might work better.  The stock Weber grates are cheap but rust and same with the aluminized steel ones from Old Smokey.

Killa Grilla makes a SS charcoal grate. Should be much less prone to rust and corrosion.  It is 17" and replaces the Weber charcoal grate #7441.

http://killagrilla.com/item/round-bbq-stainless-charcoal-grill-grate-kg-weber-replacement

If your charcoal grate is rusting very much
you're not using the grill enough! 8)

I would expect aluminum would warp, deform, and burn through faster and to a greater extent than the oem steel ones.

Quote from: TD on May 17, 2018, 09:16:52 PM
Isn't aluminum suspect in brain disorders? Seems I read that somewhere. I prefer stainless in cooking pans, so prabably have a buildup of chromium in my system.
Oh never mind , you said charcoal grate.

Weber char baskets are aluminized.

That has been disproven.

If you say so, Darko. Aluminum will rust. Maybe oxidizes. Powdery white stuff. Stinks.

Quote from: Darko on May 18, 2018, 01:48:36 PM

Quote from: TD on May 17, 2018, 09:16:52 PM
Isn't aluminum suspect in brain disorders? Seems I read that somewhere. I prefer stainless in cooking pans, so prabably have a buildup of chromium in my system.
Oh never mind , you said charcoal grate.

Weber char baskets are aluminized.

That has been disproven.

Link?
I had been researching aluminum in relation to dry herb vaporizers and the Alzheimers fear is strong. The supporting evidence seemed to match the arguments and I didn't see any clear proven winner.

Quote from: Troy on May 19, 2018, 11:08:46 PM

Quote from: Darko on May 18, 2018, 01:48:36 PM

Quote from: TD on May 17, 2018, 09:16:52 PM
Isn't aluminum suspect in brain disorders? Seems I read that somewhere. I prefer stainless in cooking pans, so prabably have a buildup of chromium in my system.
Oh never mind , you said charcoal grate.

Weber char baskets are aluminized.

That has been disproven.

Link?
I had been researching aluminum in relation to dry herb vaporizers and the Alzheimers fear is strong. The supporting evidence seemed to match the arguments and I didn't see any clear proven winner.

http://alzheimer.ca/en/Home/About-dementia/Alzheimer-s-disease/Risk-factors/Aluminum

Quote from: ButtevilleBBQer on May 18, 2018, 06:19:19 AM
Thanks for the ideas.  If I go with the aluminum I'll keep you updated.  I just figured the grate would not rust in my Weber's and always looking to try something that might work better.  The stock Weber grates are cheap but rust and same with the aluminized steel ones from Old Smokey.

If a rusty charcoal grate a practical problem, know that they will last for many years, even deformed. (And you can extend their life by flipping them over every so often, or step on them while hot with a 2x4 to help flatten.) And after all that, they're still cheap to replace.

At the risk of assuming here, I suspect it's a cosmetic objection. But aluminum will not look quite right after its first usage. It'll probably hold up to the heat if it is thick enough, but then costs rise. If the supporting grate strap has any rust on it, the iron will react with the aluminum and begin corrosion there. Humidity will eventually attack it and begin pitting. That's aluminum's version of "rust" (which is technically only an iron / steel issue).

My position here is not that it can't be a good charcoal grate; I have no clue. But I'd wager it's not a "better" grate overall. Different? Sure! Go for it and let us know!

And again, that Killa Grilla 304 SS charcoal grate is the only solution that ticks all the boxes except initial cost.

Quote from: Darko on May 20, 2018, 07:53:23 AM

Quote from: Troy on May 19, 2018, 11:08:46 PM

Quote from: Darko on May 18, 2018, 01:48:36 PM

Quote from: TD on May 17, 2018, 09:16:52 PM
Isn't aluminum suspect in brain disorders? Seems I read that somewhere. I prefer stainless in cooking pans, so prabably have a buildup of chromium in my system.
Oh never mind , you said charcoal grate.

Weber char baskets are aluminized.

That has been disproven.

Link?
I had been researching aluminum in relation to dry herb vaporizers and the Alzheimers fear is strong. The supporting evidence seemed to match the arguments and I didn't see any clear proven winner.

http://alzheimer.ca/en/Home/About-dementia/Alzheimer-s-disease/Risk-factors/Aluminum

Thanks!!