Question for all you propane grillers out there

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kuzi16

doromath

mfotis

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As I'm looking around, I see some grills are cast-iron, and some are procelain-coated cast iron - is there any difference? What does the porcelain do, if anything?

mfotis

Porcelain grates seem to be the current trend and they're ok, I have them. But you cant use a scrapper on them, it will scrap off the coating and then you have a rust problem. You can still use a wire brush on them. To be honest I don't know if I would reccomend them over regular ones.

doromath

My grates are powder coated, and some of the coating has come off. Whenever it does I just season the iron with oil and treat it like a standard cast iron pan (though it requires way more re-seasoning). I didn't like the porcelain coating so much, but it's just a preference thing. I like to have as little material between the metal and the meat that could interfere with heat transfer.

xmacro

When you say seasoning, what do you mean? I used to own a Wok, and to me, seasoning meant heating up, coating with oil, and cooling down, and repeating, all to seal the pores in the metal - is it the same thing with the grates?

doromath

Exactly the same thing as you did with the wok. In practice I just make sure to scrape and then coat with oil the grates after I've cooked on them. If you're lazy, lambasting them with PAM is even a decent quick-fix (burners off, of course). The oil soaks in the pores of the metal and provides a light barrier against the water that propagates rust.

mfotis

I sponge mine down with Olive oil.

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mfotis

I dunno, I do mine after I eat. It's normally pretty cool. The grill is a big hot working area, if you dont mind not having any hair on your arms i guess you could still do it while its hot.

fla-gypsy

For $150 you will not get much in a gas grill. I say stick with charcoal for now.

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doromath

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lilwing88

Don't know if you're into tailgating or camping, but the Weber Q Portable Propane is a pretty cool little grill. I used one for about 8 years and it worked wonderfully on the balcony of my condo. You can get a stand for it and a hose attachment to use regular sized propane tanks. And if you tailgate or go camping, you can use smaller disposable tanks. I like it cuz it uses up about half the space of a full-sized grill and has a huge cooking area. Enough room for a couple steaks, 3 or 4 burgers and a couple chicken breasts. The cast-iron grate is one piece and comes right out for easy cleaning. The parts and accessories are pretty cool too. You can trick it out like a car! They range in price from $125-$200 depending on size and options.

xmacro

^ Much appreciated. I'm good with this grill for now, but it ultimately belongs to my roomie and can't come with me anywhere. I'll definitely look into that Weber Q Portable when I move in a few months

doromath