Cast iron grill rack?

T

Tony Gilliam

Member
I've been wanting to build an Argentine grille for a while. I have seen many styles and designs to get inspirations from and have been gathering the bits and pieces needed to build my own. I want to make it reflect my interest in cast iron as well as be useful.
So last week my parents are cleaning up their back yard and needed me to take a load of scrap metal into the local scrap yard. While there I found a 2 foot deep by 3 foot wide cast iron grate of unknown origin Its about 3/4 to 1 inch thick and has square holes about 1 inch in diameter. I bought it for $5 thinking it would make an awesome grille rack.
Now that I have it, I'm wondering if it is too much. How do I clean it? How do I season it? Is it going to rust up between uses?
My plan was to build a rack of similar size from stainless steel, but this thing just looked to cool not to get.
I'm hoping soot from the wood fire and drippings from the steaks will be enough to keep it from rusting up.
Has anyone used a cast iron grate in a similar way? Please tell me your thoughts. Its not to late to go with stainless.
Thanks Tony
 
Sounds like it might be a drain grate from your description. I'm not sure how well it will cook. I would think with it being that thick it would take a while to get heated up and I don't know how close or how far apart the holes might be. I wouldn't worry about seasoning it per se. I'd pretty much just start using it. Maybe build a fire under it first and slather some grease or wipe it down with an oil of your choice. I wouldn't worry too much about rust, either. Gazillions of manhole covers and drain grates out there that haven't rusted away.
 
No need to take the rust off as it will return on a cooking grate. Cleaning will best be done by the heat/fire and a wire brush. Think of it as a grill at a public park or campground. Scrape the top edge, light the fire and cook.

Hilditch
 
Tony, I forgot you had sand blasting available. This is what I've been able to keep by storing it in the garage when not in use. If I sprayed it with oil before every use it would probably be better but seasoning is not a match for direct hot fire. I hope your project goes well.



Hilditch
 
Kevin E
In sure its not a drain cover. It looks way to fragile for that. I'm thinking more like a very large furnace duct cover. The holes are about an inch square but the metal between them is only about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. I gotta get a camera!
Tony
 
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