Cleaning/restoring The Bbq Hotplate

[Doc]

I've been using my BBQ as part of my three tier AG brewing structure. Needless to say water has been getting and sitting on the hotplate. There are a couple of rust patches on it now.
With summer coming on I want to start firing up the BBQ.
What is the best way of removing the rust and restoring the hotplate to BBQ action ?
I've already done one clean with dish wash detergent, followed up with a rub down with olive oil.

Doc

 

[Duff]

Depends how deep the rust is. I have found that firing it up and giving it a scrub with a good BBQ cleaning tool followed by seasoning does the trick. Careful however that it doesn't start flaking, time then for a new hot plate.

Has to be ready for Thursday for the 1st Test against the Kiwis.

Who am I kidding, it will be over by Saturday :lol:

Duff.

 

[nonicman]

After you knock the rust off the plate (steel wool, wire brush), season the plate as you would a new wok, rub in oil, heat, allow to cool. Repeat oil/heat/cool three times should come up good.

 

[Asher]

Doc,
I'd do as above too but I've been a recent convert to plain old vegetable oil insted of olive oil on the barby plate (for cleaning & seasoning anyway). It has a much higher burning temp than olive & tends to take longer to break down between barbies, so protect for longer...
Peanut oil - even better but expensive...
Canola oil - bad (gives you cancer )

Asher for now

Asher for now

 

[GMK]

Agree with jleske...

But i heat my hot plate up real hot - then pour on the water - just enough to cover teh palkte and sizzle - clean off - leave on high for 10 mins - then pour the oil on - spread ever where - leave 10mins on high...bit more oil spread over - leave 5 mins...bit more oil spread over - leave 2 mins - turn off and let cool.

Olive oil burns at a lower temp than conolla/sunflower oil - i season mine with conaolla.

Hope thai shelps - and i get to join you at a BBQ one day....

 

[nonicman]

Asher

plain old vegetable oil insted of olive oil on the barby plate

I'd rather spend the extra penny and use peanut oil (anything other than "vegetable" or canolla). Not keen on whatever they choose to mix up and call "vegetable" oil (GE cotton seed and anything else that wouldn't move on the supermarket shelves if labelled correctly).

Whatever you do, it will only work if you have a homebrew at hand.

 

[sluggerdog]

I use lemon Juice on an extra hot plate, not so much for rust but cleaning the plate

 

[Doc]

Whatever you do, it will only work if you have a homebrew at hand.

Thanks for the tips guys.
Will give another work over this weekend with the advice.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Bobby]

gmk has it spot on. it works a treat.

 

[Plastic Man]

I feel a tad guilty after reading this thread.

I now realise my BBQ is neglected.........

 

[fergi]

all are good suggestions doc but being a butcher we like to think we have the answer, so what i do is scrub the plate with boiling water and detergent,then pour boiling water on again to rinse it off,then when the plate gets nice and hot again pour on any cheap cooking oil about 1/4 cup brush it all over your hotplate then pour on 1/2 cup fine salt .work this all over the bbq and into the oil .let it burn in for about 5 mins then turn bbq off ,get a scraper and scrape all of the oil and salt off then give it one more boiling water clean with no detergent,wipe off dry,then pour on your oil of preference for cooking and it is perfect.well thats the way i do my bbq about twice a year.the salt soaks up all that crap on the bbq
cheers
fergi

 

[Tony M]

Fergi would be right. If you have one of those stainless pans that is real greedy and hangs on to every bit of food offered to it, it can be tamed by heating up oil and salt (say 50/50) to serious smoking temps before draining and quenching. This shows it who is the boss and the eggs just slide off until the Head Household Cleaner drags out the steel wool.

 

[Oats]

Fergi is CORRECT!
top o the class!

Salt will when applied to a hot BBQ surface and left (up to 15-20mins) will react with the rust and lift it off.

I have done it with the salt 1-2cm thick over the entire hotplate (used a lot of salt but hey the hotplate was fked!)

Came up a treat...then protect with oil (of your choice)

Cheers....and a beer or two is required to do this complex manly task!

 

[sluggerdog]

Beers and BBQ's.... IS there anything Better?

 

[nonicman]

The salt idea sounds great, what a forum, brewing advice and now barbie tips. If anyone should know how to treat a BBQ a butcher would be my first bet.

 

[Trev]

sluggerdog, Posted on Nov 17 2004, 01:10 PM
Beers and BBQ's.... IS there anything Better?

Well, yes but it involves a member of the opposite sex together with the beers and BBQ, (oh **** - there I go again assuming everybody is straight and breaking all the rules of PC).

Oh - but I also forgot that to make the mix perfect you need some football/cricket depending upon season.

Trev

 

[Bionic]

I second using salt... One of my Friends told me about it and I initially thought this was a wise tail or something (OR to much beer) But I gave it a go and it worked very very Good Id recomend it...
That reminds its yearly BBQ cleaning time. Stripping everything down cleaning all the burners ect,,,

 

[SJW]

Go the salt, i just gave it a crack and it works a treat!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Linz]

What about the neglected Grill ,on the other side???

 

[Bionic]

Wire Brush... Then when its clean I oil up a brush and oil it