Expandable cast iron grate seasoning

BigGreenKev

How would you guys recommend season the expandable grate in the link? I'm guessing it needs a spray of some sort since you cant geat in every crevice. What kind of spray?

https://amzn.to/3PfQnh1

RRP

It says it is a porcelain coated cast iron grate. So that means it shouldn’t have to be seasoned…BUT even BGE learned that porcelain coated cast iron is crap! My advice is save your money and just buy a stainless steel grate.

pgprescott

RRP said:

It says it is a porcelain coated cast iron grate. So that means it shouldn’t have to be seasoned…BUT even BGE learned that porcelain coated cast iron is crap! My advice is save your money and just buy a stainless steel grate.

What do you mean Ron? Weber uses porcelain coated grates and other accessories successfully and has done so for years. I would say that 15 years ago porcelain coated cooking grids were everywhere and they were always prone to delaminating, but they are way more durable and reliable these days. Haven’t seen an issue personally for way more than a decade. They are used in millions of pellet cookers. 

Not sure about this particular product especially since I generally subscribe to the “you get what you pay for” mantra. Seems really inexpensive based upon my experience in the market. Just wanted to point out that Weber has absolutely rock solid porcelain coated grids they use in propane and pellet grills very successfully. They require no seasoning or maintenance and clean like a dream. 

FWIW. 

RRP

pgprescott said:

RRP said:

It says it is a porcelain coated cast iron grate. So that means it shouldn’t have to be seasoned…BUT even BGE learned that porcelain coated cast iron is crap! My advice is save your money and just buy a stainless steel grate.

What do you mean Ron? Weber uses porcelain coated grates and other accessories successfully and has done so for years. I would say that 15 years ago porcelain coated cooking grids were everywhere and they were always prone to delaminating, but they are way more durable and reliable these days. Haven’t seen an issue personally for way more than a decade. They are used in millions of pellet cookers. 

Not sure about this particular product especially since I generally subscribe to the “you get what you pay for” mantra. Seems really inexpensive based upon my experience in the market. Just wanted to point out that Weber has absolutely rock solid porcelain coated grids they use in propane and pellet grills very successfully. They require no seasoning or maintenance and clean like a dream. 

FWIW. 

Excuse me, Pete, for expressing my opinion about PORCELAIN coated CAST IRON.

As usual I am pissing you off with any of MY opinions, which quite lately I have been DAMN good at doing!

With you being a BGE and WEBER and Blues Hog dealer and whatever other products you sell up there in Rockford, IL I understand AND accept why you defend the products you sell.

pgprescott

RRP said:

pgprescott said:

RRP said:

It says it is a porcelain coated cast iron grate. So that means it shouldn’t have to be seasoned…BUT even BGE learned that porcelain coated cast iron is crap! My advice is save your money and just buy a stainless steel grate.

What do you mean Ron? Weber uses porcelain coated grates and other accessories successfully and has done so for years. I would say that 15 years ago porcelain coated cooking grids were everywhere and they were always prone to delaminating, but they are way more durable and reliable these days. Haven’t seen an issue personally for way more than a decade. They are used in millions of pellet cookers. 

Not sure about this particular product especially since I generally subscribe to the “you get what you pay for” mantra. Seems really inexpensive based upon my experience in the market. Just wanted to point out that Weber has absolutely rock solid porcelain coated grids they use in propane and pellet grills very successfully. They require no seasoning or maintenance and clean like a dream. 

FWIW. 

Excuse me, Pete, for expressing my opinion about PORCELAIN coated CAST IRON.

As usual I am pissing you off with any of MY opinions, which quite lately I have been DAMN good at doing!

With you being a BGE and WEBER and Blues Hog dealer and whatever other products you sell up there in Rockford, IL I understand AND accept why you defend the products you sell.

Not about that at all Ron. As before, you’re  just flat wrong about this and you do it with absolute certainty that you’re right. Then you get all pissy if someone corrects the record. I especially like the all caps and exclamation points. Just stop with the drama. 

I also thought the comments about someone else’s kid in another thread to be way overly judgmental and in poor taste. I didn’t comment there but I see someone else did.

For the record Ron, you can express your opinion and so can I. If it makes you pissy when contradicted, then maybe some self restraint is needed for your own mental well being. You’re the pissed off one and it’s not a good look. Pretty thin skinned. Be well.  

GoldenQ

I agree wit RON on most coated cast iron products but I also agree that there are some good ones that cost a lot of money but I wonder about webber products since most of their products are not nearly as good as they used to be. The only webber I would buy right now is a webber Q or the charcoal lighter

pgprescott

GoldenQ said:

I agree wit RON on most coated cast iron products but I also agree that there are some good ones that cost a lot of money but I wonder about webber products since most of their products are not nearly as good as they used to be. The only webber I would buy right now is a webber Q or the charcoal lighter

Huh? The Weber Q has enamel coated cast iron grates and has for oh a decade! LOL! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

caliking

I don’t get why a CI grid needs to be coated/ seasoned with anything, other than cooked on fat/grease.  Don’t think I’ve really heard of seasoning porcelain coated anything. But, there are many things I haven’t heard of. 

Char-Broil used to sell a similar uncoated CI grid,  that was a somewhat popular mod for those cooking on a Weber Go Anywhere charcoal grill. Needed some trimming with an angle grinder IIRC. 

Legume

caliking said:

I don’t get why a CI grid needs to be coated/ seasoned with anything, other than cooked on fat/grease.  Don’t think I’ve really heard of seasoning porcelain coated anything. But, there are many things I haven’t heard of. 

Char-Broil used to sell a similar uncoated CI grid,  that was a somewhat popular mod for those cooking on a Weber Go Anywhere charcoal grill. Needed some trimming with an angle grinder IIRC. 

It helps when you don't cook on it often enough, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

fishlessman

on an egg the seasoning will just burn off unless you keep the temps low. gave up on cast iron grids on the egg as they just bust apart, as ron said, go stainless. cast iron does work well on my propane weber, i think my weber maxes out at just 500 degrees if its not windy or cold outside

pgprescott

fishlessman said:

on an egg the seasoning will just burn off unless you keep the temps low. gave up on cast iron grids on the egg as they just bust apart, as ron said, go stainless. cast iron does work well on my propane weber, i think my weber maxes out at just 500 degrees if its not windy or cold outside

I just assumed it wasn’t for an egg since it’s rectangular. Who knows I guess. It’s a gasser accessory. 

fishlessman

pgprescott said:

fishlessman said:

on an egg the seasoning will just burn off unless you keep the temps low. gave up on cast iron grids on the egg as they just bust apart, as ron said, go stainless. cast iron does work well on my propane weber, i think my weber maxes out at just 500 degrees if its not windy or cold outside

I just assumed it wasn’t for an egg since it’s rectangular. Who knows I guess. It’s a gasser accessory. 

i just made the assumption he was going to use it on an egg but the width even looks wrong at about a 7 inch usable width for a gasser. just buy the cast iron grids that fit the weber if thats were its going

caliking

Legume said:

caliking said:

I don’t get why a CI grid needs to be coated/ seasoned with anything, other than cooked on fat/grease.  Don’t think I’ve really heard of seasoning porcelain coated anything. But, there are many things I haven’t heard of. 

Char-Broil used to sell a similar uncoated CI grid,  that was a somewhat popular mod for those cooking on a Weber Go Anywhere charcoal grill. Needed some trimming with an angle grinder IIRC. 

It helps when you don't cook on it often enough, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

bro, do you even egghead??

MaskedMarvel

Is the thermal expansion rate (Damien technical term, do not Google) close enough between ceramic and steel to not perpetually crack and damage the ceramic? I always thought those coated grates didn’t work because the glaze just gets popped off when the metal heats up…

Legume

I had porcelainized ci grates for years on a BBQ Galore Turbo gasser and never had an issue, they worked grate.

BigGreenKev

Comments were all fun to read! Drinking and Amazon shopping didn't have me realize it was porcelain coated until this post. Will see how it shakes out at this point or if it gets trashed.

GoldenQ

PG PRESCOTT.    MY 220 and 120 both have uncoated cast iron grates.   If the new ones have changed I would not buy one 

pgprescott

GoldenQ said:

PG PRESCOTT.    MY 220 and 120 both have uncoated cast iron grates.   If the new ones have changed I would not buy one 

I’m unaware of them ever not being coated. Do yours rust? If not, I suspect they’re coated. They certainly are coated now and have been for years and years. 

Buckwoody Egger

The cast iron grate on the Weber Q and whether it’s enameled or not goes way back. I had one from around 2008 or so and my memory of it was that it rusted occasionally and was more matte and coarse not shiny and smooth. So I assumed not enameled but grilled on through as it is a fantastic little grill. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20051109150206/http://weber.com/bbq/pub/grill/2005/q/gg_q.aspx

https://tvwbb.com/threads/rust-oxidation-on-my-new-q200-grate-is-this-normal.5586/

The reason I gave mine up was outdoor storage related.  The luxury of a charcoal grill like the egg is that it can be fully closed. Gas grills are a different deal and when not used much can become bees nests etc. couldn’t find a weather proof tub that fit both the storage area and the q. 

pgprescott

Buckwoody Egger said:

The cast iron grate on the Weber Q and whether it’s enameled or not goes way back. I had one from around 2008 or so and my memory of it was that it rusted occasionally and was more matte and coarse not shiny and smooth. So I assumed not enameled but grilled on through as it is a fantastic little grill. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20051109150206/http://weber.com/bbq/pub/grill/2005/q/gg_q.aspx

https://tvwbb.com/threads/rust-oxidation-on-my-new-q200-grate-is-this-normal.5586/

The reason I gave mine up was outdoor storage related.  The luxury of a charcoal grill like the egg is that it can be fully closed. Gas grills are a different deal and when not used much can become bees nests etc. couldn’t find a weather proof tub that fit both the storage area and the q. 

Yeah, according to your top link from 2004, the year of their inception, it was in fact enameled cast iron. They have always used a matte finish on the porcelain enamel finish in lieu of the glossy finish one used to see in the way back times. This is still the case today. Sometimes it’s hard to tell without either knowing or close inspection. 

GoldenQ

After reading this all I can say is that mine are surely the roughest porcelain coated grates I have ever seen and have many sharp edges in between the grates.  Also, they will rust and act like and clean like old style cast iron.   Mine are not like the ones my wife's kids bought a few years later.

caliking

Back in the day, Weber Spirit gas grills sold at HD came with uncoated CI grates. Don't know if the Q grills were the same, or even if its still the case. Same model Spirit grills at Lowes, or other places came with coated grills. Weird. 

buzd504

MaskedMarvel said:

Is the thermal expansion rate (Damien technical term, do not Google) close enough between ceramic and steel to not perpetually crack and damage the ceramic? I always thought those coated grates didn’t work because the glaze just gets popped off when the metal heats up…

It's 1.4 vs 7 picotherms/inch.  So take that FWIW.

pgprescott

GoldenQ said:

After reading this all I can say is that mine are surely the roughest porcelain coated grates I have ever seen and have many sharp edges in between the grates.  Also, they will rust and act like and clean like old style cast iron.   Mine are not like the ones my wife's kids bought a few years later.

Huh, I thought you said you loved them? 😁😂

GoldenQ

PG PRESCOT.  I do love them but still can not believe they are coated.   I would not have the ones they sell today .   

pgprescott

GoldenQ said:

PG PRESCOT.  I do love them but still can not believe they are coated.   I would not have the ones they sell today .   

Why? Too nice? Too easy to clean? It’s Le Creuset vs lodge cast but for the same price. I don’t get it, but hey to each their own. 🤷🏼‍♂️

GoldenQ

Webber is not Le Creuset.       Not even close in quality

pgprescott

I agree Webber isn’t. 

Tspud1

never see any griddle plates with porcelain coatings, wonder why

pgprescott

Tspud1 said:

never see any griddle plates with porcelain coatings, wonder why

Pit boss has one. 

pgprescott

Tspud1 said:

never see any griddle plates with porcelain coatings, wonder why

Used to never see enamel cast cookware, or rarely. I assume there may still be limitations or perhaps cost benefit analysis in play, but these things do exist. The Weber stuff is quite durable as I’ve not once heard of an issue in over ten years. They also successfully coat their kettles and gassers for decades. Pit Barrels are enameled now and used to be high heat paint. Technology is improving as should be expected. You know of anyone who’s had issues with their Weber enameled products? Anyone? Anyone outta the hundreds of thousands sold? Anyone? Not saying that there’s anything wrong with carbon steel or regular cast iron per se, but to make a blanket statement that they wouldn’t buy one that’s enamel coated is ignorant. Especially when I’m pretty sure their own product they brag about was likely coated. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤣