How To Clean Cast Iron Bbq Grates

There are many reasons to purchase cast iron grill grates. They are incredibly durable and if looked after properly, will likely outlive your grill. They're also able to retain an even heat during cooking and produce fantastic grill marks on your food.

On top of that, with continuous use and with routine seasoning they will eventually become non-stick; similar to a cast iron pan.

However, just as cast iron pots and pans can rust in your home, cast iron grill grates can also become rusty and unusable if not properly cleaned and stored.

So in this article, we're going to explore routine maintenance, how to clean cast iron grill grates and how you can keep your investment looking good and operating properly.

Contents (Jump to Topic)

1 How to Clean Cast Iron Grill Grates
2 How to Remove Rust From Cast Iron Grates
- 2.1 Steel Wool & Soapy Water
- 2.2 Vinegar Soak
- 2.3 Self-Cleaning Oven/High Heat on the Grill
- 2.4 Grill Cleaner or Oven Cleaner
3 Season Your Grates After Cleaning – This is Essential!
4 Conclusion

How to Clean Cast Iron Grill Grates

This is going to sound obvious, but cannot be overstated: The best way to keep your grill clean and rust-free is to give it a good cleaning immediately after every use.

Once you've finished cooking and removed your food, open all vents if using charcoal, or turn up your grill to high if using gas and then close the lid to allow the grill to get hot.

This way you're able to burn off much of your stuck on food and barbecue sauce.

Once you've burned off your food, you can either close your vents to extinguish your charcoal (and this charcoal can be reused,) or turn off your gas to allow the grill to cool to a point where it's comfortable to put your hand in to clean.

While your grill is still warm, scrape the grates with a good grill brush.

A brush with a scraper is excellent here as you're able to scrape any remaining food off your grates easily.

After cleaning your cast iron grates and making sure they're dry, you now want to apply a very thin coating of vegetable oil to help prevent rust from forming.

Just a wipe with a cloth or piece of kitchen towel lightly dabbed in oil is sufficient. You're looking to apply a thin film, not coat your grates heavily.

How to Remove Rust From Cast Iron Grates

Close up of rusty cast iron grill grates

Sometimes accidents or unintentional neglect can happen, and your grates will sadly become rusty.

This can occur if you accidentally leave the cover off your grill, or if you simply don't use it for a prolonged period and moisture gets inside the grill.

If this happens, don't panic – there are several ways you can remove rust and restore your cast iron grates to their former glory.

Steel Wool & Soapy Water

I think I should begin by saying this: Do not wash your cast iron with soap and water unless you want to strip your seasoning and then re-season it again.

In the below video, we see how Lodge Manufacturing, one of the oldest cookware companies in the United States and one of the largest manufacturers of cast iron cookware in the world, gives recommendations on how to clean cast iron that has become rusty. The same advice applies to grates.

So long as your spouse will allow it, bring your grill grates inside the house and wash them in the sink with hot soapy water and steel wool or a stiff brush. This will remove any seasoning you've built up, but will also remove any surface rust, bringing your grate back to bare metal.

Once cleaned you will need to give your grates a good rinse before drying them very thoroughly. You don't want any moisture left behind because that will cause rust to come back again very quickly, even as quick as overnight.

The best way to dry them is a few minutes sitting in a very low oven, to completely make sure there's no water left in any pores.

Vinegar Soak

If your sink is large enough to lay your grill grates flat you can simply soak them in vinegar to remove any rust.

Start by making a 50/50 mixture of water and distilled white vinegar, and let the grates soak for about an hour. Then gently scrub with a kitchen scrubber or wire pad to remove any remaining rust.

Once finished scrubbing, you'll still want to wash with soapy water to rinse off any remaining vinegar, followed by drying thoroughly in a low oven.

Self-Cleaning Oven/High Heat on the Grill

If you have a lot of rust on your grill, you may have to take more drastic measures than simply cleaning with soap and steel wool or soaking in vinegar.

A sure-fire way that's been used to clean cast iron for years is to simply run it through your ovens self-clean cycle. If you don't have a self-cleaning oven you can get the same results by leaving your grates in an extremely hot grill (like 600°+) for over an hour.

Once your grates have cooled (either inside the oven or on the grill), you'll still need to give them a quick cleaning with hot soapy water to remove any carbon that may have been left behind.

Grill Cleaner or Oven Cleaner

If your grill has a lot of rust and/or baked on crud and you don't think any of the above methods will work for you, then a specialized grill cleaner, or even a standard oven cleaner is the be-all end-all way of stripping all your cast iron down to bare metal.

Most oven cleaners contain lye, a strong alkaline solution used for washing and cleaning.

Before you start, assemble all required materials:

Oven cleaner
Garbage bags
A large enough box or container to store the grills for a couple of days while the oven cleaner works its magic
Some safety glasses and gloves.

In a well-ventilated area, spray an even coating on your grates, place them inside garbage bags, and seal the bags air tight. Now store them for a couple of days in a warm place where no children or pets could possibly get at them.

Once the crud has all broken down, rinse the cast iron and follow it up with a wash in soapy water.

Season Your Grates After Cleaning – This is Essential!

Regardless of how you cleaned your cast iron grates, you should always season them before you put them away.

Seasoning is simply the use of fat or oil that is baked into the pores of the cast iron at such a high heat that it polymerizes, forming a tough coating that prevents rust and forms a nonstick finish over time.

If your grill is hot and you've just cleaned your grates with a grill brush, one coat will be sufficient, but if you've just completed one of the more thorough cleaning methods described above, you're going to want to apply a couple of coats.

You can use cooking oil to season your grates, but a product I've been using lately to season all my cast iron is Crisbee.

Made from bees wax, soybean & palm oil, it's specifically designed for seasoning cast iron. I've been using Crisbee for about 6 months now, and my pans have never looked better!

Conclusion

How about you, what kind of grill grates do you own? Have you ever cooked with a cast iron grill grate in your backyard? Have you any tips or tricks for keeping them clean that we haven't covered here?

Leave a comment below to tell us what kind of grates you own and how you clean them, we can all learn from each other!

Happy grilling!