Cast Iron or Stainless?

[MarkJerling]

Being a big fan of Weber grills, I did not question Dave's reply in post# 16. I have 3 sizes of Weber grills. The grates of the two smaller grill sizes would easily fit through my oven door. The standard size Weber that I have won't. You probably have the standard size Weber Kettle which is 22" or 55.88 cm if my conversion is correct.

Indeed. We (also) have the small camping one, which will fit, but the 570mm one (which I suspect is your 22") is too large. My oven door opening is 508mm. Dang, I should have built a bigger oven! LOL

I'm a big fan of Weber BBQs. Fun fact: You can date any Weber kettle BBQ from the number on the ventilation opening cover on the lid. And, yes, they carry replacement parts so your Weber can last a lifetime. Ours is more than 20 years old and with regular use is still as good as new.

[Gulf]

Chainsaw13 I think david s is spot on in his answer about cast vs ss. I like both metals for my cooking. On an open windy campsite over the coals, I like cast iron for the reason Dave stated. However, inside the confines of WFO it doesn't really matter which you use. The heat is coming from all sides and directions. In a WFO I like the lightest, easiest to clean pan, pot, or skillet that I can find. That puts ss and enameled wear at the top of my list for most WFO cooking.

MarkJerling Being a big fan of Weber grills, I did not question Dave's reply in post# 16. I have 3 sizes of Weber grills. The grates of the two smaller grill sizes would easily fit through my oven door. The standard size Weber that I have won't. You probably have the standard size Weber Kettle which is 22" or 55.88 cm if my conversion is correct.

[david s]

The grill is 39cm wide and the oven mouth is 40cm

i don’t really know the answer to your question, but it probably rests on the fact that cast iron is way more conductive than stainless. Because ithe cast iron will be a lot thicker there’s also lots more thermal mass. These two characteristics combined will affect the cooking qualities.

[MarkJerling]

I regularly clean the grill of my Weber in the WFO, I just throw it on the coals after cooking and add a little wood on top. All the greasy crud just burns away. The next morning I remove it and brush off the ash.

Brilliant David! But how do you fit them through the door opening? You must have a wide door!

[Chainsaw13]

[QUOTE=Chach;n445300]

The Burn Shop got back to me. SS grate similar to what you have above is $450. They told me SS price is crazy now!
Carbon Steel is $150.

I dont think Ive used carbon steel for any cooking in the past. Would this be a good choice and how would it compare to a cast iron grate?[/QUOTE

Yes steel in general is crazy. My material for work has almost tripled. I for sure did not pay that price or would pay that. They did do a great job but not worth the money for something you use a fraction of the time. Carbon steel is good as well but just like JR said, keep it oiled after each use and when storing it. I keep mine in my gas grill when im.not using it and when I use the gas grill I just take it out and leave it on the side until I'm done.

I don't think $150 is terrible for a custom-designed one but you can get them cheaper at stores and online but they will not be as beefy as the one they will make for you.

I also belive the one I have is bigger than the ones you buy in-store ls and online I can give you the dimensions if you are interested.. Just make sure it will fit in your oven entry. I kept mine small enough to fit inside a full-size sheet pan to collect the drippings so the oven floor doesn't get all greasy.

Ricky

I know this question has been asked and answered a gazillion times over the internet, but every website I've looked at and every video I've seen has given me conflicting, contradicting information. I wanna try and get closer to the truth. Some places have said that cast iron has better heat distribution than stainless steel, others have said the exact opposite. Does anyone know which it is? What are some advantages and disadvantages of either of the materials for pans? Thanks.

[zari212]

I got the steven raichlen cast iron one. Just ask alexa. I like cast iron. Holds heat and you can't see the stains.

I purchased a custom stainless steel one.

[david s]

I regularly clean the grill of my Weber in the WFO, I just throw it on the coals after cooking and add a little wood on top. All the greasy crud just burns away. The next morning I remove it and brush off the ash.

[violar]

I have both the stock stainless grates for my Kamado Joe and I also bought this cast iron Tuscan grill. They cook totally differently and I use them differently. The cast iron sears much better for sharp lines and good crust. The stainless barely leaves any marks. The cast iron needs regular maintenance after every high temp cook. The stainless is nearly indestructible with zero maintenance. I use cast iron for grilling and stainless for smoking and low and slow.
https://printsbery.com/cards

[Pizza Guy FL]

I decided to go the cheap route and order a cast iron grate and some SS bolts from Lowes. I have about $45 invested into it.

[Chach]

Just found my email from them I paid $225 and the size is 18"x15"x4"

[Chach]

[QUOTE=Pizza Guy FL;n445277]The Burn Shop got back to me. SS grate similar to what you have above is $450. They told me SS price is crazy now!
Carbon Steel is $150.

I dont think Ive used carbon steel for any cooking in the past. Would this be a good choice and how would it compare to a cast iron grate?[/QUOTE

Yes steel in general is crazy. My material for work has almost tripled. I for sure did not pay that price or would pay that. They did do a great job but not worth the money for something you use a fraction of the time. Carbon steel is good as well but just like JR said, keep it oiled after each use and when storing it. I keep mine in my gas grill when im.not using it and when I use the gas grill I just take it out and leave it on the side until I'm done.

I don't think $150 is terrible for a custom designed one but you can get them cheaper at stores and online but they will not be as beefy as the one they will make for you.

I also belive the one I have is bigger than the ones you buy in store ls and online I can give you the dimensions if you are interested.. Jusy make sure it will fit in your oven entry. I kept mine small enough to fit inside a full size sheet pan to collect the drippings so the oven floor doesn't get all greasy.

Ricky

[david s]

Free is better still. The grills out of older style four burner BBQs are ideal and you can easily make some legs for them with some bolts.

[hillscp]

Here's mine. Looks like rust but it's not. I cooked pork chops last night. $62 at the big a

[JRPizza]

If you can't get stainless I'd just go for whatever I could get cheapest. Either cast or carbon is going to rust if you don't keep it oiled and out of the weather. Mine is cast (I believe the same one as hillscp has) and it needs to be wire brushed and oiled at the beginning of each season. I store it out of the weather in my shelter but winter still takes it's toll.

[Pizza Guy FL]

The Burn Shop got back to me. SS grate similar to what you have above is $450. They told me SS price is crazy now!
Carbon Steel is $150.

I dont think Ive used carbon steel for any cooking in the past. Would this be a good choice and how would it compare to a cast iron grate?