How to "clean" smoker grates?

[WeberWho]

What's the best way to knock down crud on my smoker grates? I'm not necessarily looking for the full deep clean but more less to get me by for my next cook. I can't run any outdoor water or a pressure washer with it being winter here in MN. I'd knock the grates down with a brush but I've been hearing horror stories with people ingesting bristles and having emergency surgeries.

Any recommendations for bristleless brushes or some other tool that might help me out? Thanks!

[kingjman]

Few ways I use....I'm also in MN....and cleaning cold grates obviously not as easy...I try to clean after cooks.

Don't use the bristles...but use the half circle on the end of cheapie tool to scrape clean....sometimes just top of grate...sometimes both sides. Usually only takes a minute or two. Set grates on charcoal chimney to burn off crud, or torch the welded pinch points.

Usually hit the grates again with paper towel after warmed up.

[BBQ Freak]

I clean mine still with the metals ones when the grates are still hot from the last cook but then come back over them with a rag and then wipe them down real good .

[cajunrph]

For years I've used a ball of Aluminum foil. Works just fine. Turn the grate over and hit the back side. Most the time I don't even do that. There's wood scrapers and other options. In the end the humble wad of foil stands at the head of the class. It will form itself to the grate just like the wooden ones. Only within a few passes. Unlike the wood which takes multiple uses. You can even use repurposed foil.

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[Mike Twangzer]

Would a weed burner work ?

[BBQ Freak]

Would a weed burner work ?


it will but do not want to get to hot or it will warp your grates and made that mistake one time but you will also need to re-season afterword with pam again .

[WilliamKY]

Second aluminum foil. Get the cooker heated up and scrub the grate with crumpled up foil.

[Nuco59]

My grates are expando- they will shred balls of foil so I still use the metal brushes. I hit them first with a weed burner (not too hot - BBQ Freak is so right)- go over with a brush and then a wipe down with an oily cloth.

[twatsonr1]

Paint scraper will knock off most of the crud.

[Rusty Kettle]

If you replace your brush when it starts to get funny you won't have an issue. I use cheap bristle brushes all the time. Foil I have tried and it comes apart easy. I would use heavy duty foil if you go that route. Paint scraper is a good option if you don't want to risk a bristle brush.

To clean my 270 Smoker Sumo I run to 325 on reverse flow and use a dry water pan then when it gets to temp fill the water pan up and let it run for a bit. This loosens up the crud and scrapes off easily. Its not perfect imo but it gets it clean between cooks.
Deep cleaning is a bit more involved. I soak my grates in a vinegar and water mix after scraping. I then rub the grates in a baking soda and water paste and then rinse them off. Then I oil the grates and bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for a few hours until they have a nice coating. Olive oil works much better than vegetable oil imo. No sense wasting charcoal to reseason grates. Just bake them in the oven.

[ATucker]

I ise a bathroom scrubber similar to this:

https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Brite-Household-Scrubber-1-Pack/dp/B0000E3QLX/ref=asc_df_B0000E3QLX/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216559542401&hvpos=1o10&hvnetw=g&hvrand=515288881416175295&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010764&hvtargid=pla-378862928788&psc=1

The cleaning head is replacable as needed.

[Smoke Dawg]

I use a bristleless brush

There are many out there like this

https://www.amazon.com/Kona-Safe-Clean-Grill-Brush/dp/B01MYC1C2D/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_86_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JEV6JS1A30C46QED1JM8

[dadsr4]

Maybe one of these chain mail CI scrubbers?
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YY-fQkRiL.jpg

[Maylar]

I use a bristleless brush

There are many out there like this

https://www.amazon.com/Kona-Safe-Clean-Grill-Brush/dp/B01MYC1C2D/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_86_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JEV6JS1A30C46QED1JM8

Thanks. I ordered one.

[NickTheGreat]

I keep clean-ish used foil and use that.

I do have one of those "stones" with a handle that works well on my Weber Gasser. But mostly foil.

[dadsr4]

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1075&pictureid=11119

[KClandcruiser]

Maybe one of these chain mail CI scrubbers?
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YY-fQkRiL.jpg


I bet that would work well. I use one of those for all of my cast iron pans and dutch ovens and it works great

[seakuv]

DADSR4 - that's what I do with the Weber grill - my two four leggers love grill cleanup time while the chimney of charcoal is getting started and then a few minutes over a hot fire sanitizes things. :thumb:

[sleebus.jones]

Now I know you guys don't like brushes, but I've had really good luck with this one holding onto its bristles:

https://www.weber.com/US/en/accessories/care/grill-brushes/6493.html

They're wound into the wire support so they don't come out. The cheap plastic ones get soft in the heat when you clean a hot grill, and that's why the bristles fall out. Lasts for years.

If you really don't like bristles, there's this one with a tornado brush:

https://www.amazon.com/Kona-Safe-Clean-Grill-Brush/dp/B01MYC1C2D

[qnbiker]

+1 for the Weber brush.

[smittwood]

Maybe one of these chain mail CI scrubbers?
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YY-fQkRiL.jpg
Same issue. Thanks for the reply, this will be very helpful for me.

[WeberWho]

Thanks for the responses!

I tried the weed torch method earlier this week. I had some slight warping. Nothing a 2×4 and a mallet couldn't fix. I had a similar idea that Atucker had. Unfortunately it gummed up fairly quickly.

I think I'll go after the expanded grate with a putty knife followed with tin foil.

I've seen a couple different versions of the bristleless brush but wasn't sure if they would work all that well with the expanded grate?

[THoey1963]

Maybe one of these chain mail CI scrubbers?
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YY-fQkRiL.jpg

Love my chainmail scrubbers for pots, pans, baking / smoking pans, and the SS grates on my Weber kettle. Wouldn't want to try it on the expanded metal grates on my LSG cabinet.

[Simpleaim]

I put mine on my grill, cover with aluminum foil then fire it up for a few minutes. It turns the bits to ash then I just brush off. That's how we used to do it in the restaurants and I've never had it warp.

[DevilsGrill]

I Use one of these after reading about the potential hazards of wire bristle brushes firstly going over the grates with the scraper knocking off any large debris and then flipping it to the scourer to get deeper into the grates. Works great and the long handle allows easy access to the back of the pit.

[sleebus.jones]

I Use one of these after reading about the potential hazards of wire bristle brushes firstly going over the grates with the scraper knocking off any large debris and then flipping it to the scourer to get deeper into the grates. Works great and the long handle allows easy access to the back of the pit.

Nice. What is it/where do you get it/do you have a link?

[Mark]

Trisodium phosphate

[JohnH12]

I still use a regular bristle brush most of the time but even that is a pain to get the expanded metal grates clean. So far they haven't killed me since the 1950's. Of course I was supposed to be dead years ago according to OSHA and the rest of the safety experts.
The weed burner is the easiest option. It doesn't remove all debris but what's left isn't going to hurt anything or give it a rancid taste.

[Pedro7]

Another vote for the foil ball. I also have a grill brush that has metal bristles on one side and the brillo pad on the other. Go over with the bristles, wipe with the brillo.

[razorbrewer]

I use a bristleless brush

There are many out there like this

https://www.amazon.com/Kona-Safe-Clean-Grill-Brush/dp/B01MYC1C2D/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_86_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JEV6JS1A30C46QED1JM8

Came here to suggest this. Get your grates hot, dip the brush into a bowl of water, and scrub the grates. Works really well and don't have to worry about bristles.

[dadsr4]

Lodge sells a nylon brush. I wonder if it would last longer?
https://www.lehmans.com/product/lodge-nylon-scrubbing-brush-for-cast-iron-cookware/

[dadsr4]

Love my chainmail scrubbers for pots, pans, baking / smoking pans, and the SS grates on my Weber kettle. Wouldn't want to try it on the expanded metal grates on my LSG cabinet.
They sell larger ones.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511VM9qahzL._SX425_.jpg

[DevilsGrill]

Nice. What is it/where do you get it/do you have a link?

Bought from a local hardware store here in Australia but im sure there re-branded and sold all over the world.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/fornetto-bbq-pit-long-handled-cleaner_p3171817

[THoey1963]

They sell larger ones.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511VM9qahzL._SX425_.jpg

Size doesn't matter. :wink: My arm would fall off it I tried to scrub my cabinet grates with one of those...

[sleebus.jones]

Bought from a local hardware store here in Australia but im sure there re-branded and sold all over the world.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/fornetto-bbq-pit-long-handled-cleaner_p3171817

Thanks! Well, just so happens that I'm going to be in Adelaide, so I might bring one back with me. :becky:

[zski]

I throw mine in the oven and turn it on the self cleaning mode. Oven and grates come out clean. A two for one deal.

[sleebus.jones]

Success!

Took going to two Bunnings but I did manage to find one. The one that DevilsGrill has is HUGE. Pictures do not do it justice. I didn't need one quite that big (and it had to fit in the suitcase!) so I opted for the smaller one. Really nice quality, heavy SS construction. Glad I took the time to go get one.

https://i.imgur.com/PkOGo9tl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yVbzLXzl.jpg

[mike243]

I still use a wire brush and after bringing up to cooking temp I use heavy blue shop towels to wipe all the grates off.any bristles that might have been knocked loose and stuck to the grates are wiped away.on a grill the high heat makes it easier to not have any stick but the smokers running at lower temps wont toast the grease and make it flake off easy.Let me tell you how not to do it. Was home alone 1 day and may have had more than a couple of beers,I had put in a new dishwasher only a few days before and thought hey lets see how good it really works,put a rack off my Weber gas grill in there and set for pots and pans. Got most of it off but wife told me next day dish washer wasn't working,chunks had got under the float that sets water level,cleared and drove on. the next day dishes didn't dry,limit had tripped under the bottom and had to pull unit back out to find it :cry: ,so don't even think about the dish washer unless you just like working of them lol

[SmokerKing]

I have a galvanized tub from Home depot, I pour a little orange cleaner in it, fill with water.
Remove 22" round grates, spray with Members Mark Oven, Grill Fryer cleaner, let soak. Toss in the tub for a day or two.
Remove grates and scrub with Scotch Brite Heavy Duty pad or stainless steel scrub pad, rinse. Good as new.

[Gregfosterid]

I use a bristleless brush

There are many out there like this

https://grillguru.org/best-grill-brush/

I also use a special brush for cleaning grills. Such brushes have very durable construction, has a long handle, comes with a scrapper, has a three-in-one design, has a 360-degree rotator.

I think this is better than a wad of foil. And I also try to clean my gil immediately after cooking.

[guero_gordo]

warm it to soften the grease and scrape it with something to knock it loose. I just replaced a Weber brush after 7Y.

Foil ball leaves little bits of aluminum behind and I don't like that.
different strokes

[K-Train]

I've heard oven cleaner sprayed on and then place the grates in a trash bag in the sun. Wait a bit and rinse off. I cook in pans though so my grates stay relatively clean.

[SlowmotionQue]

I have a galvanized tub from Home depot, I pour a little orange cleaner in it, fill with water.
Remove 22" round grates, spray with Members Mark Oven, Grill Fryer cleaner, let soak. Toss in the tub for a day or two.
Remove grates and scrub with Scotch Brite Heavy Duty pad or stainless steel scrub pad, rinse. Good as new.

I take a similar approach, but I use a large plastic tub and regular dish washing soap like Dawn.

Let them soak and sometimes can just wipe them clean with a dish cloth. For stubborn areas, I still use the soap and water soaking and use a Scotch Brite SS scouring pad.

[funugy]

I've never had an issue keeping my grates crud free. I spray canola oil on them before and after each cook. When warming the smoker or grill and the temps get to the mid 200's or low 300's I run my grill brush over them and everything falls off. I think over the years of doing this my grates are pretty much seasoned like a cast-iron skillet.

I stopped using the bristle brushes a few years ago and use a steel wool brush now like this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Nexgrill-Steel-Wool-Brush-with-Scraper-530-0018/206406011

Keeping the grates oiled keeps the food from sticking.