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Smokers, Grills, Pitts & More => Weber Smokers & Grills => Topic started by: jim on May 11, 2010, 11:59:41 am

Title: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: jim on May 11, 2010, 11:59:41 am
2 things I am ---
Anal -- sorry ---
Alway looking for a easier way ---
So in the quest for easier/anal I stumbled on this. I have a 94 year old Aunt
(the women will not give up the bread reciepe) I told her about cleaning the grates
on the WSM's. Jimmy she said we used to place a pan with a ammonia in the closed
oven over night, next day wiped the sides of burnt on crust.
Large trash bag placed  4 grates in with about 1/2 a bottle of ammonia, next morning,
car wash and this is how they turned out.
#1 is 3 years old #2 is 4 years old. After that  cleaning and power washing I did use plane
soap and water to finish with a scotch brite pad but not a lot of back breaking rubbing to get this clean.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: AZWildcat on May 11, 2010, 04:03:59 pm
They look awsome....buuuuuuuuuuutttttttttttttt........why? Are you not removing all the good stuff?
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: Cornbred on May 11, 2010, 08:28:37 pm
Awesome! Thank you for the great advice.
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: jim on May 12, 2010, 07:03:08 am
Dan -- a smoker in my opinion is not a grill and should not be treated as one. With a grill your get the temp up and "burn" off the last crumbs, a smoker does not generate the 350+ degs for a burn. We take the inside of the WSM down to porcelain once a year, the grates are cleaned after every contest.
Good Stuff?
You walk into your local diner and order eggs, the pan has not been cleaned in 2 weeks, you ask and the answer is "it's the good stuff" we never clean it. Dan does that make you feel warm and fuzzy or sick to your stomach?
Anal and proud of it ---
jim
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: AZWildcat on May 12, 2010, 02:15:51 pm
Man, when you put it like that.....sounds scary. Ya know, I wipe them down , clean the pan (which is  foiled)and clean the grates.  If I had to constantly worry about all that stuff, it would drive me nuts! But everyone is different!  They do look awsome!
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: jim on May 12, 2010, 03:46:40 pm
Dan if you would double foil the pan you could remove one layer then relayer be for the next cook --
works great. Also when the racks are hot a wire brush does do a great job in cleanup.
A clean tool works the best -
jim
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: jim on May 17, 2010, 08:45:58 am
Clean up is a pain in the ---
Here's what we do before we cook --PAM grill spray -- just before you place the meat
on the rack spray generously top and bottom -- really aids in cleanup
jim
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: squealers on May 17, 2010, 08:50:08 am
Clean up is a pain in the ---
Here's what we do before we cook --PAM grill spray -- just before you place the meat
on the rack spray generously top and bottom -- really aids in cleanup
jim

I'll try that Pam idea, at this point anything to save time. When I clean the rig it takes an hour and a half.
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: bbqphx.com on May 19, 2010, 07:15:24 pm
What I do is start up my Performer with a rippin' hot fire and load up the grates from my WSM's on top of the grate that's already there on the Performer.  The grates clean up just fine with a grill brush then.
Tracy
Proud member of the O.C.D. Underground :)
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: brandon on May 19, 2010, 07:40:08 pm
On my home grill I use a brush and rag to start then put in my oven on the clean cycle. The grime turns to a white powder and rinses off clean. I am not sure how well it works on the chrome grates as it might tarnish them but will make them clean.
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: jim on May 20, 2010, 07:37:05 am
Brandon -- the grates off your BBQ cleaned in the oven using the oven cleaning process is a great idea. The draw back of cleaning the WSM grates at to high a temp is they warp, had the lower charcoal rack on a 22" warp really bad as the temp was over what the gauge would read. And I don't know if high temps would remove the Weber grate coating.
jim
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: PAT YOUNG on May 20, 2010, 11:09:02 pm
Were supposed to clean our grates? I thought thats where the bark comes from! :D :D
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: Cornbred on May 21, 2010, 08:13:17 am
Dan -- a smoker in my opinion is not a grill and should not be treated as one. With a grill your get the temp up and "burn" off the last crumbs, a smoker does not generate the 350+ degs for a burn. We take the inside of the WSM down to porcelain once a year, the grates are cleaned after every contest.
Good Stuff?
You walk into your local diner and order eggs, the pan has not been cleaned in 2 weeks, you ask and the answer is "it's the good stuff" we never clean it. Dan does that make you feel warm and fuzzy or sick to your stomach?
Anal and proud of it ---
jim


Jim what do you do to take the wsm down to the porcelain?
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: jim on May 21, 2010, 09:09:10 am
Once a year normally after the 3rd or 4th I get a cardboard box large enough to turn the lid over in. At Sam's  ( a new KCBS sponsor) I get their oven cleaner, spray it down let it set. While that is cleaning I lay the barrel on it's side using a very flexable putty I scape a round this gets a lot of the material free -- finish with scotch brite. The lid may take several coatings but it will come off, I finish with glass cleaner to get that new shine.
Myth -- you must use a "seasoned" smoker to get optmum flavor.
Fact -- Rock Springs -- the smoker was to new "clean" condition inside and out.
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: Cornbred on May 22, 2010, 12:03:41 pm
Sounds good thank you. I'm presuming you burn the wsm out before the next cook?
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: jim on May 25, 2010, 02:55:19 pm
Nope -- wash dry and use --
Just cleaned the 22.5 racks last night and sprayed off this morning
They were not as dirty 2 cooks, this being my home smoker alway's keep it clean ready to use.
Came out spotless -- 97%
jim
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: n6xrf on August 24, 2010, 05:37:11 pm
Can I put the ammonia in the bottom of the WSM and have it clean the grills and inside of the WSM?
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: jim on August 25, 2010, 11:16:44 am
I can't answer that -- never tried it. We only clean the inside one time a year and we take it down to original.
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: revgodless on August 25, 2010, 12:21:45 pm

Good Stuff?
You walk into your local diner and order eggs, the pan has not been cleaned in 2 weeks, you ask and the answer is "it's the good stuff" we never clean it. Dan does that make you feel warm and fuzzy or sick to your stomach?
Anal and proud of it ---
jim

LOL I work in a diner- people think that our flat top never gets scrubbed and it's 'seasoned' and that's why it cooks so well. Tell y'all what.. it's scrubbed three times a day with a pumice stone. there's no 'seasoning' on a flat top. and the egg pans are more likely to be just wiped out with a paper towel- they're heated up beyond hot, non stick and with a bit of butter, any egg is removed and hte pan sanitary with just a wipe.

I see BBQ pits with loads of crusties on the cooking surface, it worries me a little sometimes. that black stuff is bitter. ugh...
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: Gizzy's Smokin Crew on August 25, 2010, 12:29:57 pm
AHHH, A little grime never hurt anyone. It keeps the bowels and digestive track working properly ;D
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: revgodless on August 25, 2010, 12:33:04 pm
blech... Clean it up! lol
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: Waltersc on September 15, 2010, 10:18:26 pm
Hot steam cleaner is by far the fastest way to clean  cooking grates. Or after meat is off and before cooker cools down get your self some water and some rags and go to it, hot water does make it eaiser!!
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: hillbille on September 16, 2010, 10:23:45 am
 I've always just heated  my grills w/ a propane  weed torch then used a large  hardwood branch( end burnt to charcoal) to scratch off the burnt crud and ash. 

Finish w/ papertowel and cooking oil
Title: Re: cleaning WSM grates
Post by: jim on September 16, 2010, 11:46:13 am
Here's the process to keep the cleanup to a minimum.
WSM ---
We spray the grates with PAM grille -- just before you put the meat in the smoker
After the cook because we pack for the next contest, we wire brush the hot grates and wipe with paper towels.
If you leave the grates dirty till you get home --- follow the beginning of this tread
jim