Lye Bath for Weber Grates

[maseh2os]

Just a quick question: Is it ok to put Weber grill grates into a lye bath to remove all the cooked on stuff?

I have several racks from Weber kettles and bullets that need heavy cleaning on a fairly regular basis and I'm looking to make the process easier. My current method is to put them into a garbage bag and spray the heck out of them with oven cleaner, not a real fun process. I thought if I could just make a lye bath with lid I could reuse it several times throughout the summer.

I've read several threads about using this method for removing old cast iron seasoning and crud, but haven't found any on bbq grates. Not sure if it will do any damage to the racks' shiny surface, which I believe is nickel plating and not chrome.

Thanks!

[rgilley]

Go to Tractor Supply...get a can of Roebic. Mix it with no more than 5 gallons of water in a plastic cheap container large enough to fit your gates into making sure the lye water covers them. Come back a few days later...wipe it off with a rag...then wash with hot soapy water. No work to it at all. If your container is more than 5 gallons just add another can or Roebic per 5 gallons.

[Joe Blowe]

"Go to Tractor Supply...get a can of Roebic."

And exactly which Roebic product should we buy? Are you aware of how many different items are manufactured by Roebic?

Poor, unnecessary advice...

[JayL]

I'm sorry, but it really does not make much sense to buy a $10 bottle of lye to clean a $16 grate. Then you go on to suggest putting a second $10 bottle of lye in the mix? $20 to clean a grate that costs less than the lye.

Seriously, I've never seen a grate that couldn't be cleaned after use. Unless you're lazy and cook several times w/o cleaning, this really should be a non-issue.

Scrub with a grill brush and if it's bad enough by the end of the season, you can replace it for less than the price of two bottles of lye from Tractor Supply.

[CocoaNut]

You're making too much work of it. I'm in the camp with the other poster - just let the heat from the coals burn it off, then scrape the crud with a long handled wire brush. As to the brush, buy a cheap one. I grill a lot during the summer months and at the end of the summer, need to trash the brush due to general wear and build up of grease on the wires.

[scubadoo97]

Just a caution. Lye will blind you if it gets in your eye

[ted]

I have to clean 5 racks from my Stumps regularly. My current method is to put the gas grill on low, warm the grates,and brush the accumulated carbonized meaty goodness off with a grill brush (just replaced b/c last one lasted a year and was starting to fall apart. That said, after a few cycles I usually get a nice fire in the gas grill.

A lot of folks on the Stumps board use a pressure washer to clean off the grates b/c it takes the gunk off but not the seasoning on the steel racks. I have a postage-stamp yard, so no real good spot to make that kind of mess (although I plan on trying at least once).

I'd say any other method than lye or ammonia would be preferable. I'd be worried that lye would eventually cause the grates to corrode somewhere. So, grill brush over charcoal/gas or something else. They don't have to be perfectly clean.

[janniecooks]

Lye is not necessary. Replace the oven cleaner you've been spraying in the garbage bags with ammonia. Put the racks in the bags, pour in some ammonia and leave in the sun for a couple of hours. that should do the trick.

[JK Grence the Cosmic Jester]

Ammonia works very well, but I should add a very important addendum: When opening the bag, point it away from your face. The fumes will knock you clear across the yard.

[cajundave]

Most people just burn the crud off when you start up a new batch of charcoal. Once the coals get hot you can clean the grate with a wire brush. All those chemicals sounds like a pain.

[tim irvine]

How much ammonia? I've been putting a little ammonia in a big washtub and filling it with enough water over the grates. A steel wool pad swipes the stuff right off after the bath. Less work would be good. Less water would be even better.

[janniecooks]

Since I follow the other poster's advice and just burn off the debris on the grill, I haven't done the ammonia trick for 8 years or so, which was the last time I had a charcoal grill. I don't remember the proportions of ammonia and water I used, start with a cup of ammonia and just enough water to bathe the grates in the mixture. And heed JK's warning about opening the bag away from your face.

The encrusted stuff should rinse right off after being soaked in the ammonia/water, and should be a danger to your grill grates.