OT - How would you clean these grills/grates?

[challenger]

Sorry about this ongoing topic but I'd like opinions on cleaning the baked on grease off these grills.
I'm also wondering about using Lye. I tried cleaning these with Lye mixed with water but it didn't seem very effective. I mixed 32 Oz to 5 gallons of water and let them soak. How does the Lye become neutralized? Could the stainless steel vat have made the Lye neutral?
Thanks


Galaxy S4, Slimkat
If I wasn't married I'd quit fishing

[Black Forest]

Sandblast them.

[JRouche]

boil in a solution of water and TSP.. JR

[Paul Alciatore]

When your wife is out, put them in the kitchen oven and hit the self clean cycle.

[lakeside53]

Burn it off with a propane weedburner (to almost red hot) ... or bead/sand blast.

[challenger]

Fire pit it is. Thanks!

Galaxy S4, Slimkat
If I wasn't married I'd quit fishing

[Weston Bye]

Sandblast them.

Be careful about sandblasting. That would be my first choice too, but IF the metal has a ceramic coating sandblasting may take the coating off along with the carbon crud, leaving the bare iron to rust and corrode.

Indeed, even with no ceramic coating, anything that takes it down to bare metal will allow for rust. Bare metal needs to be seasoned like a cast iron fry pan. Get it up to heat and brush on a coat of vegetable oil (or meat grease?)after cleaning and maybe even after each use.

[CarlByrns]

Someone in your town does steam cleaning- it's effective and safe.

[MattiJ]

Boiling lye bath

[Bob Engelhardt]

...
I'm also wondering about using Lye. ... I mixed 32 Oz to 5 gallons of water and let them soak. ...

I use a lb (16 oz) per gallon & I don't know why. But it works well, even for paint stripping. How long did you let yours soak?

[challenger]

Well I'll be putting these in the fire pit to burn off carbon. There isn't any coating to worry about. After that I will season the grates with oil and heat/cool maybe 10 times or so.
Thanks for all the tips too!

Galaxy S4, Slimkat
If I wasn't married I'd quit fishing

[Forrest Addy]

Lye is nasty stuff and you still have to dispose of the waste.

Keep it simple: put them in the kitchen oven if it has a self cleaning cycle. It wont clean it all off because there's no catalyctic coating but it will char the grease and kling-ons to a friable crust you can wire brush it. Otherwise cutting torch (hot oxygen will burn off anything organic) or put it in a charcoal barbecue, wood stove, or a bonfire.


IOW, heat it to 1200F.

[CarlByrns]

Well I'll be putting these in the fire pit to burn off carbon. There isn't any coating to worry about. After that I will season the grates with oil and heat/cool maybe 10 times or so.
Thanks for all the tips too!
Galaxy S4, Slimkat
If I wasn't married I'd quit fishing

Seasoning a burner grate is a waste of time. Cast iron cookware is seasoned to create a no-stick cooking surface, not for corrosion control.

[Mcgyver]

Seasoning a burner grate is a waste of time. Cast iron cookware is seasoned to create a no-stick cooking surface, not for corrosion control.

agreed. what won't come off with a wire brush isn't worth worrying about.....spend the time you'll save trying to de-throne me on best bbq sauce ever

[Willy]

agreed. what won't come off with a wire brush isn't worth worrying about.....spend the time you'll save trying to de-throne me on best bbq sauce ever

Okay, the gauntlet has been thrown, fess up that recipe.