This is how I clean and maintain my Craycort cast iron grate. Also shown is a tutorial of how I remove rust and re-season the grate. Buy a grate: www.amazon.com/... Check out Alpha Grillers Grill Brush: www.amazon.com/...
As long as you take a couple minutes after every cook to brush it and add a little oil, you won't have ANY problems. And buy a silicone brush instead of the type I used in this video. Much better! I'm going to be hosting a contest next month to give away a Craycort. For those that already own one, the prize will be accessories for the Craycort, like a griddle or wok.
@redfish1286 Thanks for watching. When I'm grilling, I'm using my cast iron grate. However, I have two Webers and only one Craycort grate, so if I'm grilling a larger amount of food the conventional grate gets used on the other grill. The conventional grill really doesn't compare to this set up at all.
I've found that synthetic bristles melt easily and with time, natural bristles will start to shed. Another thing I don't like is they use tin to enclose the base of the bristles which rust in time. Silicone brushes can take crazy hot heat and the bristles never shed. I have replaced every basting brush I own with silicone and I haven't had any problems and they seem to last forever. Cheers!
I clean my grill with tin foil. Turn the burners on high and lay tin foil “shinny side” down. Close the lid and walk away. When the smoke stops, turn off the burners and leave the unit alone and let it cool. Take a cloth and coat it with Mineral Oil and wipe the grates. Always use Mineral Oil because it will not turn rancid. Vegetable and Peanut oil will turn rancid. This is a great way to clean your grill without using chemicals.
@meuhey I usually do, however, you'll find that the underside will burn out quickly on your next cook. It's a good idea to hit the bottom with a little oil just to prevent rust while you're not using it.
Yes, keep your vents open. If you don't humidity can build up. Keep an eye on my channel. Next week I will be uploading a contest video and part of the grand prize package will be a Craycort. For those that own one (or in your case three) the winner will be able to pick two of Craycort's accessories. Thanks for checking out my vid!
Thank you! My boyfriend's dad gave us a grill made out of an old propane tank & the grate was completely rusted. I soaked it in a tub of Apple cider vinegar & a little water for 12 hours, scrubbed it clean, then seasoned it like you said. I used vegetable oil instead in case a guest has peanut allergies. I put on about 6 coats & it looks so much better.
I had the same problem with the natural bristle brush. I now use a silicone brush... Problem solved! I just keep an eye on the bottom of the grates. When the rust really starts to build up, I do a major cleaning and re-seasoning. The problem is, the amount of heat the bottom is being subjected to. Any seasoning will be burned off and there's nothing that can be done about that.
Thanks for the tips! Just got a new Chargriller Smokin Champ for Father’s Day. And I already have rust, I’ve never grilled or cooked on cast iron before I got this setup, and went to grill today and said “uh oh” what now! But you’ve solved that for me, I’ve got some major work to do before you our 4th of July cookout Saturday!
I wish I had a 26. The nice thing about the 22.5 is the accessories, such as the rotisserie ring. I don't thing they have that for the 26. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you Oliver. I do this occasionally and it burns off a lot of that crusty mess, but also causes the whole grate to come out very rusty. So, I do all of this anyway.
@2024JayZ Yeah, you're hardcore brother! That is a charcoal starter which runs off of a small propane bottle. This grill is my Weber Performer and that is one of the standard features. Comes in handy sometimes, especially when lighting lump. Thanks for watching!
Outstanding video! So many great tips on the cast iron grates and Weber grill in general. I'm thinking of getting cast iron grates for my Weber Performer grill. I have plenty of cast iron pans so I know how to take care of them. But cast iron outside is something a little different.
The Craycort grates I ordered came just in time for the weekend and ribeyes are on sale!! (Your grilled 'Cowboy Ribeyes' - Yum!!) Just popped in to watch this video on how to care for it and take a few notes. We use cast iron skillets from time to time so we know how important it is to try to keep these rust-free. Thanks for another great video!
To season the grill, I would try to maintain a temperature between 300 & 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Also when you store it, store it between some cardboard or paper. When you store Cast Iron try to have it where some air can get between the pieces of cast iron. Put a rolled up paper towel between the pieces of cast iron so air can get to each piece.
@StokedOnSmoke Yeah, there is a trade off with cast iron. Where I live (in SoCal) I just keep it oiled outside on the grill. If you live where there is a lot of humidity I'd consider bagging it and putting it in a garage or something.
Hello Greg :) I just got a 2015 22 1/2" Weber today :) It is replacing my 18" Weber which I have used for years :) In due time I will get the Craycort cast iron grate :) You are way to awesome to do this tutorial :) I'm going to baby this new one as I sometimes neglected my old one. The old one we will use for camping in our tent trailer :) An Extra "BIG" Thumbs up :) Thank you Greg :) ROCK ON!!!!!!
My grates got rusted pretty badly this past winter. I tried to derust them, and a lot came off, but they were in pretty bad shape, so I just ordered new ones and will do a better job of keeping them nice. This was very informative, thank you! I had used vegetable oil in the past, but I think it was too little, too late. I will try the peanut oil moving forward.
There are so many opinions on that... Some say there is no risk, others say there is. I wasn't even thinking about allergies when I made this video two years ago. I'd say, error on the safe side. Canola oil, melted Crisco, vegetable oil, or even lard would be fine.
Awesome info in this video. Just bought my first weber kettle a few days ago. I will be getting a cast iron grill for it soon I hope and be viewing your vid again for the tips. Thanks again.
I'm hosting a burger video contest (deadline ends July, 11th) and one of the prizes is a Craycort grate and lifting handle. Make a video of your best burger and get one for free! Other than that, I'd just keep an eye on Craycort's website.
@jwlrymkr Great advise, thanks! Like I said, I don't live in an area where I have to deal with storing my BBQ stuff. I'll add an annotation too my video to correct the information.
@ItsGoodCookin Thanks. I realize this only address a very small audience, but (as I'm sure you will be finding out) I have been getting a lot of questions about these grates every since I started using them.
I definitely will keep an eye out for next week. Also I have the Craycorts coming for my little grills, the 22.5 only has the Weber sear grate. Someday, if I enjoy the smaller Craycorts like I think I will, I'd love to get one for my 22.5 Thank you!
Not every time. If the fire is super hot, then yes, it pretty much burns off the seasoning. Now, realize that with the heat produced by coal, damage is being done to the seasoning pretty much with every cook. If you brush the surface and apply oil once the grill has cooled enough not to burn the oil the damage is repaired and it's ready for your next cook.
Thx for video. Gonna break in my craycort this weekend. Didn't know ash retains moisture. Good tip since I live in San diego, ocean air will try to kill this grate if I don't maintain it properly. Gonna grab me some peanut oil too. Cheers
Great advice! Especially having the oil right out there by the Weber. Of course, there's no such thing as "non grilling season" for us! heh heh. As long as I can shovel a path to the grill through 2 or 3 feet of snow, the smoke will rise!
Love this, thank you! Very helpful. I'm not cast iron saavy, but this convinced me I can do it. I have 3 Weber grills, 22.5 OTG which has the Weber sear grate. I have a SJS & a Go Anywhere Grill, & I have a Craycort grill grate coming for each in the mail. I'm excited for their arrival. I keep my grills in a dry garage in a foggy clime, should I still leave air vents open? I'd be concerned about rust. I want to take good care of these grates. Grills are outside only for grilling. Thanks!
Yeah.. Anyone who's worried about the bottom charcoal grate getting rusty. Just clean it off and spray it with stove paint! Works well on Lodge sportman type Hibachi grills. You only need to oil/season the grill part that you place food on. Just paint the rest of the grill.
I soak a cotton wash cloth and fold it in a square and grab it with tongs and wife the grills when the grill is hot right after i finish bbq. It cleans things up good. Lots of hot steam. I use a cotton washcloth or an old towel square and i soak that in oil and use it to season my grill. Has to be cotton.
You could have... I don't use gas, so that's a hard question for me to answer. Usually when the heat is too high, it will flake off. Try pumping the heat up just a tad and if you have a wood chip tray, throw some chips in there. Get a little smoke going inside of your grill.
Ash is also super acidic, back in ye olden days they strained water through ash to pull out lye to make lye soap. You don't want ashes sitting around in your grill. If they get damp, it's a sure fire way to rust the heck out of it.
Yeah the grill at my mom's never had the ash removed from it for years. When those wind storms cam through a few days ago it got blown over and the catch can is rusted though 1/2 around it. The fall also busted the handle off. Its still functional but it was a cheap grill and I say time for a new one, lol.
No it doesn't, but... Sometimes the real hot heat I often cook with will damage the seasoning. Then what I do is apply oil as the grate cools and it takes care of the problem.
i just got one for my 26.75" kettle. i've heard some people complaining that even though they keep theirs oiled before/after cooking on it that they still have problems with rust. should it be stored inside out of the elements when not in use, or does that not matter? do they rust when they're not used on much? thx man
I need to know how to clean mold outta my smoker? Due to my traveling for work, I was away while we recently had an enormous amount of rain. and when I got home after about 2 weeks I had a lot of mold n build up. i need tips on how to clean please.
Great video. I am going to order a Lodge grill which is made entirely of cast iron. Can I just oil the whole thing, or only the grates? I guess it's best to apply oil when it's hot.
Really good video. However you had one mistake. Peanut oil has a smoke point at 450 deg whereas Canola oil has a smoke point of 475 deg making canola oil the better choice for seasoning purposes. If you really want to get hardcore, find some Avocado Oil which smokes at 525 deg
Never seen a high dollar grill brush that wasn't junk I use s.s. wire wheel for a 4-5" grinder with a 3' piece of 5/8" rod threaded on one end lasts for ever
That's a lot of work - I just use heat to clean it now. Maybe you can get the grill hot enough with lid on and and blow air thru the bottom holes if you don't have a furnace - about 430°C (806°F) is needed to get it working and >550°C (>1022°F) gives optimum result. All that's left is just ash (and some soot below 550°C) and some iron oxide dust that's easy to clean off. No scrubbing at all, no greasy hands and no filthy brush that collects a lot of grease and dirt after used a few times... But that oil afterwards is really needed if left outdoors as the clean surface will rust easely. I don't really understand why so much work is put into seasoning cast iron. I have a frying pan and a thin layer of oil is enough to get a "non stick" surface - no problem att all to fry pan cakes and such stuff. After some time when it becomes more sticky I just heat it again and brush off the dust and have a good for the next few weeks and so on... With standard grill grates it's the same except that I always clean it by heat (things burn on more than in a frying pan) and only go to 430°C to not oxidize the chromium surface - it holds up well, so the thicker cast iron is probably no problem.
Does anyone have any experience doing this on a propane grill? We've had ours for about 2 years now, it's a Nexgrill with cast iron grates. I'm worried about applying the oil.. I was thinking after scrubbing them down I should heat them up, turn off the burners, apply the oil, and then turn it back on to season. Any advice is welcome! TIA!
Right after you pull off your food, shut the lid and let the grates heat up for maybe 5-10 minutes. After 5-10 minutes, give it a good brushing, trying to scrape off everything, then turn off the flame. Once it is cool enough to handle, give it another good brushing. Follow this up with a paper towel dampened with a good oil that wont go rancid, wipe away excess oil with dry paper towel after if you like. Do not heat up the grate after, it's now ready to go for the next cook.
My weber smokey joe is brand new...Should I use a little coating of peanut oil on the inside of the cooking body and also the inside of the lid? Thanks for any info
