Friend gave me a Weber 210 propane grill. It's in decent, but not great condition. The grates and the "flavor bars" are enameled cast iron. The enamel has chipped off, and they're pretty rusty. What is going to be the best way to get these back into usable shape?
I can attack the grates with a wire brush and soak them in vinegar and salt. That would get most of the rust off, but I suspect I don't want a cooking surface that is a mix of enamel and bare cast iron. The enamel would probably work its way off slowly, and potentially get into food. Probably best thing to do is just replace the grates completely.
The flavor bars don't touch food though. I'm thinking clean those up and get rid of the rust as best I can, then wrap them in aluminum foil and put them back in. Or should I just replace them? If I replace, should I get the same style of enamel-coated iron, or a universal fitment stainless steel?
Enyar
Dork
6/30/16 4:00 p.m.
I have the same grill. The bars were replaced with stainless and those worked out great. The grates I replaced with new enameled cast iron but after 4 years they are already toast. Meanwhile the grates from my 2005 weber that were enameled cast iron still look brand new....unfortunately I gave that grill to my sister.
I love cooking on cast iron but I'll be replacing these with stainless. They just don't make them like they used to!
Enyar wrote:
I have the same grill. The bars were replaced with stainless and those worked out great. The grates I replaced with new enameled cast iron but after 4 years they are already toast. Meanwhile the grates from my 2005 weber that were enameled cast iron still look brand new....unfortunately I gave that grill to my sister.
I love cooking on cast iron but I'll be replacing these with stainless. They just don't make them like they used to!
So you would just replace it all with stainless? Where are you finding stainless grates that fit properly?
Places that sell Weber grills will most likely have them. In Illinois I have good luck at Ace Hardware.
I just use a garden hose and a wire brush to clean the inside of my grill. But my cooking grate is cast iron without enamel coating.
Be aware that the crap that builds up at the bottom of the grill (below the burners) can catch fire. Keep it cleaned out regularly.
Enyar
Dork
6/30/16 4:39 p.m.
Yeah or call Weber. They fix the price so it's going to be the same price everywhere. Get a grease catch pan while you're at it. Maybe the igniter box cause those rust out. You'll love Weber customer service.
FYI, the Weber stainless grates aren't cheap!
Amazon has some decent prices on flavorizer bars. About half my local hardware. I'm all about shopping local but not for double the cost.
Get the Weber stainless replacements and you'll be good to go. FWIW, fully half of the times I've called Weber direct to order parts they've comped them, including a regulator that had the hose chewed through by rodents.
