How to Clean Grill Grates...I Tested 10 Methods to Find the Best!

[@BbqMikeG]

Everybody comes to the barbecue, but you're always alone when there's cleaning to be done. Right on Justin!

[@BabyBackManiac]

L O L. That's true. And hysterical.

[@BallisticBBQ]

Great video, Justin! Even my 304 griddle is developing permanent dark spots where most of the cooking occurs (I'm sure you noticed when you watched my last video, LOL). I've tried everything shy of power tools. I know it's clean, and that's all that really counts. Yeah, I've purchased "stainless" products that have rusted! Cheers, brother!

[@BabyBackManiac]

Brass wire wheel, man. You could polish a turd with that... Not that I've tried it… As far as you know

[@SEANMURRAYPATRICK]

Much easier to take them out put them in your self cleaning oven walk away come back later and they are like brand new

[@Felipemcc]

Buddy, great job on your effort to clean the grill the best you could. First, remember that corrosion eats everything (yes, including stainless steel). There is one kind of corrosion that is called pit corrosion. This happens happens mostly when you have dirt concentrated. My suggestion: just clean it everytime to use it. That's what I've been doing. It's easier to clean and you will prevent from building up that cooked hard dirt that is a focal point to pit corrosion. Cheers!

[@lexwaldez]

Loved the video and you showing the work involved and the results from the different methods. I have to say though, just sandblast the grates clean. Throw them on an old pallet, hit them with a sand/media-blaster and you have spotless grill grates in a couple minutes. The equipment isn't expensive. No nasty chemicals. No residue. No scrubbing or intense physical labor.

[@philliphumble1]

Innovative, eclectic, & enjoyable excursion on an obsessive cleaning mission. Well done & creative opening!

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thank you very much, Phillip. Appreciate you watching.

[@rickyl4656]

Great video! The PBW works better with hot water up to boiling. I used it when I used to home brew. I still use it for tough stains on pots and pans and my grates.

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thanks for the tip. I was using hot water but not boiling. It was as much as the tap could kick out though.

[@mkfurr60]

I have a Weber Smoker 18”. After cooking a Boston Butt,which was delicious, I thought omg look at the grates! I put them in my dishwasher and they were like brand new!

[@Tworescue01]

I too have not been able to find a hands free way to clean my grills. However, I do swear by EZ Off oven cleaner. I can clean my entire Weber grill, bowl and lid and get the really clean. The chemicals do require the use of a mask, and gloves. Just spraying, letting it set for about 10 minutes rinsing off with a garden hose. I usually apply a 2nd coat of EZ Off and scrub with a heavy duty steel scour scrubber everywhere for a deep cleaning. I've thought of using the wire wheel on a drill but I was afraid to damage the stainless steel. Afterwards, I rinse everything and scrub with Dawn dish soap and green scour pads. I'd imagine adding a pressure washer to this method would work even better! Thanks for the video! Let me know if you try my method! 👍🙂👍

[@stratupdude]

I'd be afraid to eat off it after that if you need all that protection. Sounds TOXIC!

[@Halicet]

I've only found one method that works, and makes them like new every time. That is placing them in the oven, and turning on the self clean function. Works amazing and completely cleaning the grates EVERY time. Works great on cast iron too, so you can reseason it. The problem is that it puts a lot of stress on your oven, can be a fire hazard, and if you don't scrub off the majority of the gunk first, you'll find that it pumps black smoke out into your house and give your house smoke damage (mostly clean grates that only have the hard baked on stuff won't really do that). Optimally getting an old oven off of craigslist, and putting it outside to use for burn off on grill plates, and powder coating would be optimal.

[@gnnadi1]

Justin 😂, the caption got me dying before I watched it. Your videos are so easy to watch and very informative. More please, yes anything.

[@jamesdjbrown]

I have the same Weber, with the same upgraded stainless grates and I power wash the entire BBQ 2 x a year. Works the best and least amount of time and manual scrubbing.

[@Mhosborn]

I went thru almost the same process last year. And I brush my stainless steel (Weber) grates after every cook. (Although, not the back side...may start doing that). I soaked the grates, scraped the grates, scrubbed them with steel wool, and ended up using a wire brush attachment to my power drill just as you did. I did get them back to "sort of" silver...but nothing like they looked when new. And the flavorizer bars are even worse...no way those will scrub back to anything looking like stainless steel. The heat deflectors and drip tray were relatively easy to clean. So my solution? I took the lazy man's way out and purchased replacement grates and flavorizer bars. 😄 Much faster than any other method!

[@fncrued]

This is the correct solution to cleaning grates and flavorizer bars, unless your time has no value.

[@kauerpc]

Nice video! Grates material is probably some series 400 stainless steel, which would explain the magnetism and pitting corrosion. Another method of cleaning is using a power steamer. Still difficult to compete with the high pressure power washer, most of the cleaning is mechanical removal, anyway. Thanks for the content!

[@joegadget670]

A steam cleaner made for floors and bathrooms is great on smoker and gas grill grates. Put a brass wire brush on the steam cleaner wand and the tough black soot comes off completely. It’s so easy and quick.

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thanks for the tip!

[@truthmatters1950]

You're a funny man - a little OCD, but a funny man! And creative - never thought I'd see a BBQ feature in a KZbin drama: so much emotion. But useful content. Thanks for the effort in posting. Keep the flame alive :-) 👍👍🏆🏆

[@waterguy5924]

I have an older CharmGlow....(1998) that has Stainless Steel grates...real SS, no magnetism...I did exactly what you did but 10 fold...I tried every thing to get the smallest areas spotless about 15 years ago, I decided to clean them again, after I thoroughly DE Greased them, I took them to a media blaster...that stoner kid had hours of fun concentrating on every single sq inch of those grates and they they look spotless till this day

[@Incubyss]

haha great video - even as a charcoal and stick burner guy myself, ain't nothing wrong with a gas or pellet grill. Sometimes I just want a quick cook without worry about fire management.

[@Viewtoagrill]

Hello Justin. Enjoyed the video! When a company uses 304 for thier stainless... they let you know. When the company does not... they just say stainless. LOL, easy way to tell if it is 430.

[@BabyBackManiac]

Totally!

[@dixter1652]

couple of things... get a set of Grillgrates... they are nice... also when you start the cook just before you put the meat on then take a square of paper towel and spray the square with tallo... then rub the grillgrate with the tallo, it will keep the meat from sticking and protect the grate.... after the cook while the grate is still warm then use the grillgrate brush to push the big chunks off of the grates.... if you do it right the grates will look and work like new

[@roysonparsons3300]

Really great experiment! I have tried a few of these methods myself, the Dawn power wash and pressure washer. Like you, I’m disappointed that I can’t ever get the grates looking like new. I have a couple of super nice heavy duty stainless grates left over from a grill That I no longer own. I’ve been planning to try two more radical methods on them as an experiment. The first is a chemical they sell in the automotive department at Wall Mart called “Super Clean” this stuff is knarly, if you get it undiluted on your fingertips they go numb for a few hours (yikes!) I’ve used Super Clean to strip paint off of plastic motorcycle fairings, soak overnight and the paint just falls off. My last most radical idea is to clean my grates by glass bead blasting. That is sure to be a lot of work, so I’ve procrastinated trying that for a few years already. First I’ll see if the Super Clean works. Your video inspires me to get back on the project

[@Mickcotton]

I also have a Gas Grill 😂 but I made a giant Flat Top Grill out of It It’s all seasoned & I just clean it as you would Cast Iron. Great Job ✅ but that was a lot of work In the long run Cleaning after 2 or 3 cooks really helps a lot. Happy Grilling Brother Cheers 😊

[@BabyBackManiac]

Hi Mick. Us propane grill buyers have to stick together. This is a safe place. Lol. Have a great week, buddy.

[@MaximSakulevich]

Man! The right remedy 9% vinegar, diluted 50/50 with ordinary clean water, and soak stainless steel overnight. In the morning, just wipe with a clean rag and rinse with water. Grease, soot, everything is washed away. The grate becomes as good as new.

[@richardf6932]

I use Vinegar to clean the rust off cast iron grate and it does amazing without any effort... Now the real test is to see if there is a different taste difference with clean vs. seasoned grates....

[@BabyBackManiac]

I tried to post this earlier, but it seems to disappeared. Yeah I usually start out with the mix of water and vinegar, but these were just well past that so I had to bring in the big guns.

[@woodstream6137]

​@@richardf6932no rust on the iron?

[@KnowShipSherlock]

Hilarious... Glad I found your channel. My smoker grates get a butane torch and scraping twice a year. easy and works well.

[@BabyBackManiac]

That's a great idea

[@InocenteSandoval]

I have an old cooler I use. Boil a bucket of water. Pour the water in the cooler. Put the grates in water and let it sit over night. Most of the gunk will fall right off. The rest scrapes off easily with a scotch pad. Also, sometimes the color/shine seen from the wire wheel is actually the coating from the wire wheel so make sure to scrub with soap afterwards.

[@Xpyburnt_ndz]

I got a set of Grill Grates and love em Justin!!! They are all extruded aluminum and work FABULOUSLY!!! I know there are a lot of haters of them in the Texas realm of Qers, but I LOVE mine! Might wanna try a set on your Weber! I have a Weber gas very similar to yours. I use them in my SNS kettle too. Cheers! ~Chris

[@SDSBBQs]

I was just looking at my Weber grates the other day and said I needed to clean them something awful. thanks or the Clif Notes!

[@MSmith6503]

I haven’t tried it on the bbq but I have soaked my stovetop oven grates in ammonia and it does a good job loosen baked on stuff.

[@shiresmokersbbq8704]

Hey mate. Boiling water. I’ve got urns do I can boil a lot of water. That wire brush and some dish liquid will get all grease and carbon off. If you have those plastic heat proof gloves doing it whilst the water is super hot gets all that stuff off. The wire wheel I’ve tried a bunch of times but I realised after that they got dirty super quick because all the scratches collected all the gunk

[@yousircantknow8987]

This guy has more money than sense. It's not meant to be an insult, it's just necessity is the mother of invention. This guy really doesn't have much necessity.

[@SmokyRibsBBQ]

Yeah that "stainless" has a high carbon content to attract that magnet like that. Justin, have you considered buying a sandblaster? haha 😂

[@BabyBackManiac]

I did actually. Lol those things are magic. Thanks for watching, Rus!

[@lexwaldez]

@@BabyBackManiac I was looking for that comment. Sandblaster is the way to go. We were blasting the paint off an old steel boat when I thought to clean the FILTHY grill grates. It blasted them back to new in a minute. I do that every year or two now. Because I'm lazy.

[@Mike137dd-v4r]

@@lexwaldez I went a step further. After super cleaning them with the grit blaster I took them to a friend who runs a metal finishing company. I had him passivate them to a bright shiny finish.

[@martyvanord984]

Your Weber grates lasted better than my Members Mark grates. They are also magnetic and chrome plated but they rusted and exploded from rust expansion. They were also supposedly stainless. There was a company called Billy Bars that had a flat end with a circle the size of the grate with a wooden handle. They were made in the USA but are for sale from outside the country. The round profile locks over the grate and scrapes the round grates clean in only a few trips over the single grate. Grill Floss may also work. This would be far easier than a spinning wire brush guided along a round grate bar.

[@chrisberry9016]

Large contractor grade garbage bag, spray liberally with straight ammonia, tie up (seal) the bag nice and tight, let sit over night. Was always the "safer" version of easy off for oven racks. Works like a champ. Brushes off very easily the next day.

[@bad_vaporizer]

Trying this

[@DeadBrokeBBQ]

Great job, Justin!!! I typically sell my grills before I really need to worry about deep cleaning the grates but I will try the wire wheel on my LSG's!!! Very entertaining video and I love how your OCD kicked in on this one!!!!! hahahaha

[@BabyBackManiac]

The wire wheel is magic. I'm not kidding. if you ever keep a grill longer than 15 minutes, I highly recommend it. Of course, if you don't sell them that fast, your family's gonna have to figure out somewhere else to live. Lol.

[@MsMikie24]

You are hands-down the most entertaining AND informative KZbin video I have ever watched. Keep up the good work! Thanks for the help. Also, looks like you a “Fellow OCD Nut”. Got to get them shiny! 😂

[@DrunkenChefBbq]

Crazy how u put this out. I power washed my grill and grates today also. Not as clean looking as yours tho. Great video sir. Thanks for the tips💪🔥

[@BabyBackManiac]

Great minds think alike!

[@mdboatbum]

Just recently got my first power washer. My smoker grates was the second thing I washed with it, right after my wife’s car. Holy crap that was easy and they’ve never been cleaner!

[@AirborneMOC031]

There's lots of different ways to clean, and the more you keep up with cleaning after each use, the easier the cleaning is. Those who clean once every four or five years... they deserve what they get. Also true is that what is going to work best depends on what you're trying to clean i.e. stainless steel versus cast iron, versus aluminum versus porcelain coated steel. For cast iron grates and similar, immersion in a lye bath for a day or two will pretty much eat everything that isn't the metal. The lye bath technique dates back to your great-grandparents cleaning household cookware (and to a lesser extent, the laundry at much lower strengths). Today's fans of very fine cast iron cookware from ages past use lye bath soaks to salvage neglected/abused/unappreciated old cast iron cookware from a century ago or so. Example, I found a big Griswold Dutch Oven sitting in a corner of a garage sale, coated with rust and corrosion and unidentifiable stuff stuck in the bottom. Bought it for $10; a few days soaking in a lye bath, out a couple of times for some brushing to knock the loose stuff off, and now it's back at work cooking some very fine meals. A Griswold Dutch Oven like this manufactured back about 1920 would sell for around $200+ on FleaBay or Craigslist. Anyways, if a lye bath will strip all rust and corrosion off cast iron cookware that has been neglected for decades, it will clean grill grates just as thoroughly.

[@wht4drfa5]

Have you tried easy off? Spray it on a wrap it in a trash bag and leave it over night or 2? Worked pretty well for me.

[@bigvisk1125]

this is making me realize i need to clean my lone star santa maria, but thats a beast and cleaning will be nuts

[@charlescox4213]

Stainless steel pot scrubbers work great on the grates I've found and cleaning inside too.

[@johnnylo1689]

Love the details. I feel the same about the wire wheel. It is the only way. I try soaking it to all kinds of stuff. Look the same after. 😁

[@michaelhuang2477]

Thanks for the video. I have the same frustration with the grill. Consider using industrial degreaser soak overnight next time.. no guarantees but maybe faster.

[@Harleyforever20]

Lots of people have great luck with vinegar and water solution.Submerging into solution for a few days then rinsing with aid of wire brush. If that doesn’t work get an angle grinder with wire cup. If you research cast iron skillet restoration you’ll be on the right track.

[@jaybooth4815]

Very entertaining and informative Justin! I had the same problem on my Weber gas grill too. I just tossed them and bought Grill Grates instead...😂 thanks for sharing brother!

[@SEANMURRAYPATRICK]

Much easier to take them out put them in your self cleaning oven walk away come back later and they are like brand new

[@jonnyreach8345]

You're looking good! I hope your back is doing great

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thanks Johnny. It took a while, but yes, my back is better. And I've lost a few pounds. it's really hard but at least I'm making progress overtime. Appreciate the comment.

[@curtisrogers4190]

Justin, my suggestion is just replace your weber grates with Grill Grates custome fit for your weber grill. I did that for mine and then you don't have to worry about trying to get that stainless steel shine back.

[@guitarchitectural]

Important note - to make it as easy to clean as possible, crank your grill as high as it will go for 30min to carbonize everything! It'll then come off much easier. Oven cleaner (easy off is safe on stainless) in a garbage bag will make short work of whats left, then hose it off.

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thanks for the info!

[@bobbicatton]

Nice tip with the magnet. Good to know👍😊

[@BabyBackManiac]

Happy to help

[@williamwilson2624]

That is some extreme grate cleaning! They ended up looking good, though. Great video!

[@BabyBackManiac]

Yeah, it's totally addictive once you start. Lol thanks for watching.

[@SEANMURRAYPATRICK]

Much easier to take them out put them in your self cleaning oven walk away come back later and they are like brand new

[@mrsheftalia1743]

Great video! Should i get a fine or medium coarse wheel brush?

[@ColeTheStudNash]

What are your thoughts on just oven baking the grates? I have put foil over the grates on high heat and then the grill smokes for 15-20 minutes and I am able to scrape everything off on the inside of the cooker. Powerwashing will definitely get the grates back to the stainless look, but I have found this to be an easy way to clean the whole cooker. I have done this with grills I have picked up that were very gross on the inside. I currently have a Weber Summit that I do this after a few months of cooking.

[@jclorden]

PBW! Justin is a homebrewer!

[@BabyBackManiac]

No, but one of my neighbors was... It's a great product!

[@EverydayBBQ]

Great video! You always make me laugh. Love ya buddy!

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thanks Michael. I appreciate you man.

[@FanisNigeria]

Great video. What do you suggest for the weber cookbox? Mine is all black and can't remove it.

[@TheEsjjse]

You went OCD Maniac on it. How much time did you spend on it? Would've drove any of us nuts. Great job. Good to see more videos.

[@BabyBackManiac]

Yeah, the irony was I started all this to save time. L O L. I spent a couple of days on it. It's slowed down a lot once I realized I was making a video and filming everything. That's the nature of the beast though thanks for watching.

[@traviswilliams3034]

The product you really want is industrial grade Oxalic Acid (can get off amazon fairly cheaply). Use a damp sponge to coat your grate, let it sit for ~10 minutes and pressure wash it off. Works better than any cleaning product on the market for a fraction of the cost.

[@BabyBackManiac]

I just checked it out. Wow. Thank you for this tip!

[@kitchenbro5709]

what was the tune. you used for this? loved it

[@Pro1er]

I've always been tempted to try a torch and turn the gunk to ash, that's (kinda) how self-cleaning ovens work.

[@jams6932]

I love your intro!!

[@chriswalker4578]

Also a steam cleaner works pretty good with the wire brush attachment

[@jbones2121]

I got a classic Webber. Grill grates were 3 years old. Nasty. I just bought a new grate for bout 25 bucks. Well worth it rather than cleaning. I suppose if I would have done the proper cleaning between cooks that would make a difference. Great vid

[@BalanBro2]

I assume you already tried doing a high temperature burn-off? That's really all I do to clean my grates. I don't cook with my gas grill, it's basically just a self cleaning oven for my pellet grill and kamado grates. I just use it burn off everything and turn it to ash. For what it's worth, I do have a set of Grillgrates that seem to retain the heat in the grill better. On high heat, the grill thermometer gets up to the 800s and effectively turns it all to ash.

[@stinkyfungus]

I cook on a treager, mostly. I also have a "man bathroom" downstairs. I just fill the bath tub with hot water, add some dish soap, and drop the grates and tools in there and let em' soak for a bit - then scrub it all cleen with a bristle brush, rinse, Dry off and re oil anything metal.

[@David-burrito]

Justin, what might happen if you put the grates in the oven and set to "self clean"? Guys do it with cast iron and it burns all the residue to ash.

[@jon4589]

Have you tried very high heat for ten minutes after you cook? The gunk pretty much turns to ash and can be brushed off.

[@typeorulz]

Gas works great--no need to apologize! ❤️

[@dwaynewladyka577]

This was great. Cheers, Justin! 👍🏻👍🏻✌️

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thanks, Dwayne

[@garryhammond3117]

I have some Broil King HD "stainless" grates that look rusted and pitted much like yours. - Obviously not as advertised. I wonder if some kind of mild acid bath would "eat" off all the rust and caked on food, and make them smooth again? After all this, I assume liberal coats of oil are required to keep them looking like new. - Cheers!

[@ArkhamNorth]

Throw your grates (or pots/pans, etc) into a garbage bag with newspapers or rags liberally drenched in ammonia. Leave over night or 24 hours. You'll end up with shiny grates, but you'll still need a little elbow grease to wipe them down. It works even better than oven cleaner.

[@stephenranti173]

If you have a selt cleaning oven, what if you chucked them in there and killed 2 birds with 1 stone?? Clean oven and grates? Never tried it, but it makes sense to me??

[@michaelgroff8414]

This is what I do since I also had the two birds with one stone thought.

[@Issar2]

Great video thank you I found it entertaining

[@CTnic78]

Dude, you're great! 😂 keep it up!

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thanks! 😃

[@yakuzaronin7090]

awesome video that benefits everyone!!

[@SteveCondurelis]

I did exactly what you did. Then I found a sanding sponge at Home Depot. Its used to sand wallboard. I used barkeepers friend and the sanding sponge. Booom!

[@shizzlestix66]

In all fairness, they look pretty dang good after 10 years. I love stainless grates, replaced the one on the wsm and kettle with ones from big poppa smokers a few years ago.. Never cared for the plated factory grates.

[@nigel4321]

Tip, don't use water in the overnight soak. Use spirit vinegar with lemon juice instead.

[@soneares9172]

Try using Easy Off Oven cleaner spray. It should soften those burnt on areas.

[@ForbiddenDNA]

How strong of psi did your power washer have?

[@rhinomite5203]

Grill grates replace the not stainless and they will clean pretty easy. Don’t grill if the black carbon bother you, it’s back in one to two cooks, interesting video dude

[@richardhamptoniii8557]

Personally I've been loving the grill daddy. Get the grates hot and some water and scrub and they come clean pretty easy.

[@WayneCarrigan]

Why did you not season the grill after?

[@malcolmboynton7652]

now that they are clean, season them with canola oil before using. kinda like a cast iron pan.

[@waynec3121]

Bar Keepers Friend is good stuff, when are you going on a cruise again my friend?

[@MadPick]

Funny and helpful. Thank you!

[@BabyBackManiac]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jreyes7115]

Love the ending 😂😂😂

[@chinlebbq1]

As always great job.

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@dansimmler4737]

304SS can become magnetic when cold formed and not heat treated to excess of 1000+- deg F.

[@shindukess]

I don't care to clean it back to factory. Get a bamboo wok brush or a big piece of coconut husk. Heat the grates up so they're smoking and cooked off the grime. Use a bowl of water, dip the brush into the water and scrub the grates. No chemicals, no metals or plastics from the brushes.

[@stephanieyeminez89]

Jason lol Justin what part of Texas are you in. Happy Mother's Day to your wife and your mom. Thank you

[@MrPanthers23]

Great video

[@BabyBackManiac]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@boredymcboredface8624]

If you get your stainless super hot then it will rust. Best advice is to treat it like regular cast iron. Light cleaning, scrape off the chunks and season. Heat up before cooking and used a wet rag or paper towel to give it a “steamy clean” re-season and cook. When done then light clean and spray with oil. A few layers of burnt on stuff is better than chemical residue. Also if you really want to get it clean then use oven cleaner. I personally never trust a man with a shiny grill - he is either totally new to cooking or is probably a nutter😂

[@RadiusFive]

Very useful. Thanks!

[@SEANMURRAYPATRICK]

Much easier to take them out put them in your self cleaning oven walk away come back later and they are like brand new

[@lamontacoff4529]

Put them in the oven in a clean cycle. Line the oven with tin foil for easy clean up.

[@thegalleryBBQ]

Your a funny guy.....😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@BabyBackManiac]

Thanks, Tommy, have a great week!

[@steveshaw6287]

I throw all my Weber grates, heat deflectors etc in my oven on self clean. Easily the quickest labor free way to get your grills looking new

[@richardg4817]

I don’t know what was better, the best way to clean the grates or your jokes. Very useful as usual!

[@retiredleo3679]

The secret to easy cleaning is to clean them after use, just like you do any kitchen pot or pan.

[@ozbarnes]

A trick to try and I have on stainless grates contractor plastic bag or 2 kitchen bags a cup or so of ammonia zip tie leave out for 24 hours then hit with power washer……. And do more often so you don’t get pitting works great on kitchen stove grates drip trays and stainless oven grated…….

[@briankurtt]

Power Washer then Bead Blaster. Bring them over and we'll make them like new!

[@preferhomebrew]

Nice video!

[@foodonfire3662]

Two cooks and all your efforts are down the drain. Just scrape both sides with a painters tool and keep cooking.

[@francoisroberge5882]

I use a wire BBQ brush after a cook to remove stuck on food (e.g. melted American cheese). They're black, clean and that's the way they will remain. If you want shiny real bad, buy new ones. black.