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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


View Poll Results: Stainless or Mild Steel
Stainless 14 46.67%
3/16” steel 16 53.33%
Neither of these, but rather... 0 0%
No Santa Maria for you! 0 0%
Voters: 30. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 04-04-2021, 01:06 PM   #1
Gimmethecash
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Default Stainless vs mild steel Santa Maria

OK, so the other half is onboard and the best grilling time is already here, please help me spend money on a Santa Maria grill.

I’m pretty well set on the AZ BBQ Grills Scottsdale (the lid/windbreak is a huge plus, it’s very dry here in the summer and we have trees overhead), my biggest question now is do I pay almost 2x for the stainless steel version or be reasonable and go with the regular 3/16” steel and just upgrade my grates to SS?

I love stainless steel but the price of it has gotten out of hand. My grill will sit outside and I plan to buy a cover for when it rains, same as my other cookers. It does look like a *lot* of shiny metal to put in my back yard.
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Old 04-04-2021, 01:38 PM   #2
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Stainless is beautiful and lasts for a long time but you can also make regular steel last too if you take care of it. A grill cover is a good thing.
What makes stainless so expensive is aside from the iron (which is already expensive) you have other ingredients like chromium, nickel, manganese and copper. These aren't precious metals but they are high dollar. I love SS but the bottom line is it wont make the cooker perform any better. It's all a matter of aesthetics. I think once you use your cooker a few times you'll realize that the SS really wasn't necessary or worth the $$. You could spend that extra money on brisket and ribs. Just my two cents.
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Old 04-04-2021, 04:38 PM   #3
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I got mild steel for everything except the grates, drip thay and wheel. Mine is in a built in fireplace, so it is always out of the elements, but I seasoned all the mild steel parts when I first installed it, and it going strong 8 years later.
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Old 04-04-2021, 05:18 PM   #4
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Yeah I think i’m going to regret it if I spend a crapload of extra cash on the stainless. For the price diff, I could literally buy a whole new unit.

I think I’ll save my cash and get the steel unit with SS accessories and have plenty left over to entertain myself, my other half, and my friends & neighbors with lots of tasty grilled meats & veggies. Probably save myself a lot of extra cleaning trying to keep it looking perfect too.
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Old 04-04-2021, 07:52 PM   #5
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I have one in production at Lone Star Grillz. They only make them in steel, so it was a easy choice for me. Anxiously waiting for the phone call to come pick it up.
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Old 04-04-2021, 10:04 PM   #6
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I've always liked stainless steel so that would be my choice, look at some of the stainless models these guys make.....

https://www.sunterraoutdoor.com/
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Old 04-04-2021, 10:08 PM   #7
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I guess it depends on where you live but here is MO there is a lot of humidity and even though my cookers are under a covered carport with sides, all of my steel cookers are rusting. Even my fairly new M1 is starting to have a lot of rust come through. I vote SS.
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Old 04-04-2021, 11:54 PM   #8
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Looks like they also do the hi-temp powder coat... if not getting stainless you could go that way... but if you have the $$ and budget cleared with your partner buy once cry once...
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Old 04-05-2021, 06:07 AM   #9
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I made my SM a couple of years ago. Always strapped for "extra" money, I opted to to use the much cheaper 1/2" steel angle iron for my grate. I figured if I needed/wanted to upgrade to Stainless angle to keep the rust down, I'd bite the bullet "later". Never saw the need. I have a lot of design changes I'd make if I did a version 2 (should have opted for the brasero) but the carbon grates were not a mistake.

I keep my unit in my garage, I don't have a cover for it- I do "wrap" my grate in opened out charcoal bags just to keep "garage" stuff from settling on them.
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Old 04-05-2021, 10:24 AM   #10
Gimmethecash
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eads Ranch View Post
I have one in production at Lone Star Grillz. They only make them in steel, so it was a easy choice for me. Anxiously waiting for the phone call to come pick it up.
That was a lot easier than my choice!

Quote:
Originally Posted by thirdeye View Post
I've always liked stainless steel so that would be my choice, look at some of the stainless models these guys make.....

https://www.sunterraoutdoor.com/
I’ve looked at those a lot & Sunterra is one of the few brands I was/am really interested in; I really like the lid/wind protection on the AZ BBQ grills though, I’m paranoid about burning my neighborhood down with a tree overhead and a bunch of bamboo growing pretty close to where this thing will go, so being able to light some splits with the lid closed is huge for me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 70monte View Post
I guess it depends on where you live but here is MO there is a lot of humidity and even though my cookers are under a covered carport with sides, all of my steel cookers are rusting. Even my fairly new M1 is starting to have a lot of rust come through. I vote SS.
Low humidity here in So Cal, but I do have some rust in several places on my M1 as well, including the surface of my stainless fire basket - that’s my main reason for wanting the stainless version, though aesthetics are also up there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Wookiee View Post
Looks like they also do the hi-temp powder coat... if not getting stainless you could go that way... but if you have the $$ and budget cleared with your partner buy once cry once...
I’ve heard (anecdotes) of folks with power coated fireboxes having issues with the heat causing flaking; not sure if I should be concerned.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuco59 View Post
I made my SM a couple of years ago. Always strapped for "extra" money, I opted to to use the much cheaper 1/2" steel angle iron for my grate. I figured if I needed/wanted to upgrade to Stainless angle to keep the rust down, I'd bite the bullet "later". Never saw the need. I have a lot of design changes I'd make if I did a version 2 (should have opted for the brasero) but the carbon grates were not a mistake.

I keep my unit in my garage, I don't have a cover for it- I do "wrap" my grate in opened out charcoal bags just to keep "garage" stuff from settling on them.
My garage is full of cars & motorcycles, no room for all my cookers lol. I’ve seen some crazy corrosion on Argentine grates in a short time (on a Sunterra unit). I’m guessing you keep yours well seasoned.
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Old 04-05-2021, 10:37 AM   #11
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Go with the mild steel for the body and upgrade on the stainless cooking grates.
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Old 04-05-2021, 01:20 PM   #12
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My Santa Maria is mild steel with ss Argentine and ss standard grates. I also have a ss wheel that adds some backyard bling. I find too much ss on an uncovered and western-facing patio to be too reflective and blinding.

After 5 plus years my SM has a nice smoke patina that prevents some rusting. I bought mine from Old Pioneer Manufacturing in Buellton, CA. The website is no longer active but it might be worthwhile to call Dennis at Old Pioneer to see if he is still in business, he does high quality and custom work.

Good luck with your decision.
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Old 04-05-2021, 01:30 PM   #13
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Mine’ll be on the southeastern end of my patio so the sun will always be behind or (in the middle of the summer) directly over it. Definitely a good point though, my newly-employed stepdaughter just finally moved her silver car from the front of my garage where for the last year it was blinding me like a huge mirror trying to back my big ol’ car into my crowded space.

I just left AZ BBQ a message as they didn’t pick up when I called, now comes the first test...
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Old 04-05-2021, 01:56 PM   #14
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I have a mild steel Argentine Santa Maria
Easy to maintain, a little heat spray touch up every year. Plus, I can weld on it whenever I need too, etc.
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Old 04-05-2021, 03:50 PM   #15
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I got the call back (passed test #1) and the promised invoice (test #2 passed) so I’ve placed an order - I decided to splurge on the SS and full size 48” since the price diff between sizes is pretty small relative to the additional space. I’m getting a 50-lb rotisserie attachment, as I don’t plan to do full pigs or huge cuts, but probably a lot of birds, pork, and beef that can benefit from spinning.

Only negative so far is the wait time, I’ll be hoping to see it before the summer is over.
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