Cast Iron Grates for Weber Kettles?

I have a 22 1/2" Weber Kettle and I'm looking for a cast iron grate for occasional use. I can't find it anywhere. Anyone have any ideas?

I've never heard nor seen any available anywhere.

Give Weber's customer service a call.
1-800-446-1071

Bruce wrote:I've never heard nor seen any available anywhere.

Give Weber's customer service a call.
1-800-446-1071

Yeah, tried that. They stopped selling/manufacturing those several years ago. I also tried to just Google the query and no luck there either. Found this but they said that their product is discontinued.

You could get a smaller rectangular cast iron grate and just lay it on top of your exisitng Weber grate.

I bought a replacement cast iron grate for a gas Char Broil I have & always had rust issues. Maybe it needs to be seasoned better? Maybe it's common sense but I never really thought that that would've been an issue with a grill grate.

I like to use the enameled grates.

But, I think you could just lay a cast iron grate on your exisiting Weber grate & get the same results.

Good luck!

viaChgo wrote: . . . I think you could just lay a cast iron grate on your exisiting Weber grate & get the same results.

Good luck!

That's what I'm leaning towards, actually. However, I thought that I should try this post hoping that it would reveal some hidden LTH source.

These look pretty cool, I like how the four pices of the grate can be removed and replaced with a griddle etc.

http://www.cast-iron-grate.com/onlinestore/store.html

maxpower wrote:These look pretty cool, I like how the four pices of the grate can be removed and replaced with a griddle etc.

http://www.cast-iron-grate.com/onlinestore/store.html

Finally! Now I'm kicking myself for not patenting it first. Thanks!

viaChgo wrote:
I bought a replacement cast iron grate for a gas Char Broil I have & always had rust issues. Maybe it needs to be seasoned better? Maybe it's common sense but I never really thought that that would've been an issue with a grill grate.

Cast iron grates definitely need to be well seasoned, and you should give them a good cleaning and oiling after every use to maintain it.

eBay?

maxpower wrote:These look pretty cool, I like how the four pices of the grate can be removed and replaced with a griddle etc.

http://www.cast-iron-grate.com/onlinestore/store.html

more money than the grill itself!

Hi,

Weber makes a beautiful cast iron grate that fits the 22" kettle perfectly and has room at the sides to add coals. Weber sells the grate for about $28 and it is available in the aftermarket for $39. The grate is 22 1/4" X 15 1/4".

If you have to use a bit of subterfuge, you can get the grate from Weber for under $30. Like, "Someone stole my grill."

I speak of the Q200 Replacement Grill



This grate may also be easily modified with a hacksaw to fit along one side of your kettle.

Tim

KSeecs wrote:Cast iron grates definitely need to be well seasoned, and you should give them a good cleaning and oiling after every use to maintain it.

Yeah, that's my only worry [besides the cost]. It's very difficult to properly clean and oil castiron in the form of a grate. Unlike a frying pan, those ridges and small spaces make it difficult to clean with just hot water and kosher salt.

Head's Red BBQ wrote:more money than the grill itself!

Valid point.

Tim wrote:I speak of the Q200 Replacement Grill

According the the folks at GrillParts.com who are linked here and with whom I just spoke on the phone, this grate does not work with the standard 22.5" Weber kettle.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Tim wrote:I speak of the Q200 Replacement Grill

According the the folks at GrillParts.com who are linked here and with whom I just spoke on the phone, this grate does not work with the standard 22.5" Weber kettle.

=R=

Ronnie,

I did not make this recommendation based on a rumor and the people at GrillParts are wrong.

I walked into a Weber department and personally placed the grate into the Weber Kettle. It fits perfectly. Take a look at the following picture.





As you can see, the grate is supported by the standard Weber grate. Alternatively, you may use two fire bricks to support the grill and provide a radient heat baffle for minion style low temp cooking.

If you still don't believe me, walk into any hardware store with a hardware department.

Tim

Thanks, Tim, for the clarification. The proof's obviously in the pudding.

Since that was the place to which linked above -- and their web site wasn't entirely clear -- I decided to call them. I guess they don't know their own merchandise but we're fortunate that you do.

Just out of curiosity, does it also work in the 22.5" kettle without any support (standard grate or fire bricks) underneath it?

=R=

Ronnie,

Not having checked that in person, that may depend on the kettle. I use heavy stainless grills in my Weber kettle and have found that the same grills fit different kettles in different ways.

I'll have to walk into my local hardware and check this out. Nevertheless, placing the grill on top of the standard grill is really no problem.

Tim

Tim wrote:Ronnie,

Not having checked that in person, that may depend on the kettle. I use heavy stainless grills in my Weber kettle and have found that the same grills fit different kettles in different ways.

I'll have to walk into my local hardware and check this out. Nevertheless, placing the grill on top of the standard grill is really no problem.

Tim

Thanks, Tim. I didn't realize there was that much variation between similarly-sized Weber kettles.

What I like about the design of the grate you endorse here is that it's only 1 piece, so removing it -- and placing it somewhere temporarily during cooking -- seems to be a much easier task than with the 4-in-1 item pictured above it in this thread.

Do you find you get a noticeably better cook with the cast iron? I do like the maintenance-free aspect of the standard grate.

=R=

Ronnie,

I used a cast iron grate on a Weber kettle for years. It was made for a charbroil and worked very nicely for 4 to 5 years, then began to disintegrate. The cast iron began to flake off giving more texture than desired to our steaks.

This Weber grate is porcelainized and promises to work much better.

For the last 4 years, I have used a very heavy stainless grate that I cut down to fit my kettle. It is indestructable and with its mass and conductivity provides incredible grill marks. It also cleans much easier than any cast iron grill.

Weber kettles have a tendency to get a bit out of round and those tabs are not conducive to rectangular grids. In my kettle, the grid goes in parallel to the two handles and only that way. Nothing is perfect but this Q200 is pretty close. For $27, you cannot go wrong.

If you uses a firebrick support, you can always turn it to allow direct heat. I use the firebricks to make a faux "Smokenator".

Tim

Ronnie,

Today, I walked into a Home Depot, removed the grid from a Q200 and placed it into a 22 1/2" Weber Kettle with its top grid removed. It fit perfectly and did not wobble. Only two of the support tabs were under the cast iron grid, but the outer perimeter fit the interior radius of the kettle so perfectly that it was very stable.

Yes, pushing on the unsupported corners would cause the grid to wobble a bit, but no steak will ever cause a problem. A whole pork but in that same corner may cause it to deflect an inch but no more.

I realize that you are frequently skeptical about the opinions of the hoi palloi; therefore I'd suggest your own visit to any Weber department in the area. While I am a down-stater, I visited the Lake Zurich Home Depot.

I also realize that new kettles are round.... Who'd a thunk!

Tim

Tim wrote:Ronnie,

Today, I walked into a Home Depot, removed the grid from a Q200 and placed it into a 22 1/2" Weber Kettle with its top grid removed. It fit perfectly and did not wobble. Only two of the support tabs were under the cast iron grid, but the outer perimeter fit the interior radius of the kettle so perfectly that it was very stable.

Yes, pushing on the unsupported corners would cause the grid to wobble a bit, but no steak will ever cause a problem. A whole pork but in that same corner may cause it to deflect an inch but no more.

I realize that you are frequently skeptical about the opinions of the hoi palloi; therefore I'd suggest your own visit to any Weber department in the area. While I am a down-stater, I visited the Lake Zurich Home Depot.

I also realize that new kettles are round.... Who'd a thunk!

Tim

Thanks, Tim, for the excellent intell. It's very much appreciated.

I'm not generally skeptical, it's just that the very place you'd linked to gave me information that conflicted directly with what you'd provided. My apologies if that came off as being skeptical...and btw, I am hoi polloi!

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