What to clean grates with?

[TXpitMan]

Howdy folks, just used my traeger for the first time yesterday and I was able to clean the porcelain coated wire grates it comes with pretty easy but I was wondering what you guys recommend to scrape the hard gunk off with down the road. I have seen the wooden tool traeger sells. Of course there are tons of the wire brushes. I don’t particularly like those because sometimes the bristles come off and they themselves are a pain to keep clean. Thanks!

 

[Slimpicker]

I have the wood tool, I have brushes, I have scrubber pads... I also just run at 400° and burn off the grease. I don't clean often.

 

[Hogan]

I've tried various things (also a Pro 22). Biggest issue I have is not having a sink large enough to immerse the main grate. Resolved that by laying the grate horizontally across the top of the sink and draping a hot soapy cloth over top and letting it set for an hour or so. Turn the grate over and repeat. Then finish up with a Scotch-brite scouring pad; seems to work fine for me and doesn't scratch the enamel.

 

[Trae Bar IV]

Traeger makes a cleaner you can find it at Home Depot or online. That's what I've been using. Spray it on the grates, let it sit a few minutes than wipe it off with paper towels. I do this after I use a Steel brush on the grates. Works wonders. I'm sure there's other products, but that's what's been working well for me and My Timberline XL.

 

[RayClem]

I am like @Slimpicker. I don't clean my grates very often.

I do run a wire brush over the grates after very cook to remove stuff on top of the grates, but the bottom of the grate gets cleaned infrequently.

I use a brush similar to this one. It does a decent job.

https://www.amazon.com/GRILLART-Grill-Brush-Stainless-Bristles/dp/B075NC2MYB/

 

[TXpitMan]

Thank you all for the replies. You have provided some good insight.

 

[OldMayfield]

@Slimpicker recommended this to me, and it works great.

BBQ Cleaning Brush Safe for People, Bristle-Free - NO Bristles That can Stick to Your Food, Made in USA!

 

[TXpitMan]

@Slimpicker recommended this to me, and it works great.

BBQ Cleaning Brush Safe for People, Bristle-Free - NO Bristles That can Stick to Your Food, Made in USA!

Thank you

 

[NoGood Traeger]

When I still had the Century 885, I would clean the grates after every cook. I have a farm style kitchen sink large enough to completely submerge and soak the grates in hot Dawn soapy water. After a while a light once over, both sides, with a stainless steel sponge resulted in like new cleanliness. The Century 885 would never get hot enough (fake 500 wasn't really 500) for any hard char to stick to the grates.

 

[Parrothead1809]

I have Pimp-My-Grill grates, so occasionally run it at max heat (450-500), then just use my brush. No soaps or other products.
-PH

 

[Jim G]

I use BBQ daddy with cold water on my IW885 with Pimp my grill update.

 

[traeger860]

I use BBQ daddy with cold water on my IW885 with Pimp my grill update.

I just bought one of these to clean my griddle with. Only used it a few times so far, but it works really well. I have the Grill Rescue too. I prefer the BBQ Daddy. It's easier to clean after using it. The Grill Rescue always feels dirty/greasy and takes a long time to dry.

 

[Like Smoke]

A friend of mine purchased a used Weber propane grill, my guess is that it had never been cleaned. I helped him out and used an old trick that I had done before on some old grills I had acquired. I took the grill grates out and a few sheet metal pieces that were also coated with burned on whatever, sprayed them down with oven cleaner and placed them in a black trash bag. I laid the bags in the hot sun during the time we spent on the rest of the cleaning. When we were done I removed the grates and other pieces (using some rubber gloves) wiped off the excess and blasted them with high pressure water from the garden hose. The oven cleaner had done its thing and they only needed a little brushing to be back to normal. After reassembly the grill we ran it on high heat for about 30 minutes to exhaust any residue that might have been missed during the wash. On my old Traeger Texas I only smoke and I use tinfoil drip pans so the grill only needs a wipe down with a wet cloth.

 

[Shedd]

I buy a commercial degreaser from Sam’s Club. It’s a gallon size, concentrated and a purple color. I soak the grates in a trough type outdoor sink I rigged up. I put a few gallons of water and a couple cups of degreaser and let them soak overnight until the next afternoon. I literally just rinse with cold water and done. If I think about it after a cook I do it then and before bedtime they are clean.

 

[DVSCYCLES]

I put my on my gas grill and crank it up. Turns all the crustees to ash and just brush off.