bbq grilling grate question

FriendlyFoe

FriendlyFoe

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Hopefully someone can give me some insight into this.

So i just spent over a month in Argentina and down there they cook their meat almost entirely on a parilla. For those not familiar you have a hardwood fire, and scoop the embers out to put under a grill, and then you're cooking low and slow for about an hour with most meats.

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I'm going to make a metal framed, portable version of that, but what i'm trying to work out is how i'm going to build a metal grill like whats pictured on the left. I'm planning on simply buying a rectangular metal frame and encasing it in angle iron like you see in the picture. It's going to be apprx 20"x30" and probably made up of 2 actual grates.

I found these grates for cheap - Galvanized steel wire rock grate
Barbeque Grill Parts- Weber Grills, Accessories: Canada

Then on this page they have a porcelain coated steel grill for 60 bucks that would suit my needs perfectly (pn 58572), and stainless grills that go up to 300.
Barbeque Grill Parts- Weber Grills, Accessories: Canada

When i hear "galvanized steel" i think of something you dont inhale while welding, so is that something you should really be cooking food over? It's a low heat operation so the galvanized probably doesn't get hot enough to smoke but what if a little of the coating ends up on the food?

Just really not sure what my best option is. There will be no welding on the grill, the frame is going to surround it with tabs welded on underneath to secure the grate in place.

Mmmmm parilla
 
I'd stay away from the galvanized ones for the same reason. if you want a bunch of round stainless bars that you can weld in I can help you out.
 
So that grill in the picture is just that, round steel bars welded individually to the angle iron. My step dad purchased that grill but it appears to be painted?? Wood coals arent exceptionally hot so a cured high temp paint would probably hold up just fine and not come off in the food, but i really dont know?! I was originally just thinking about welding bars into the frame but i dont know what i need to do for a finish, or type of metal maybe, so that it wont start to rust instantly.
 
like I said I have stainless round bar in stock that I can cut to size for you. won't rust.
 
AC said:
like I said I have stainless round bar in stock that I can cut to size for you. won't rust.
Click to expand...

lol, dude detect see help when he sees it.
 
My apologies, I meant. Dude does NOT detect help when he sees it.
 
Use the porcelainized if you can. It's easiest to clean. The galvanized or any plain steel stock will rust a bit eventually and bits of it may come off on your food. Even the stainless may have issues after enough heat-cool cycles.
 
If they don't make cookware with it it probably isn't safe to grill on. I don't kow about zinc but some refrigerator shelves were cadmium plated and baking that into the food is a bad idea. Steel should be OK as people have been using cast iron pots for centuries. Just don't leave them out in the rain. Or go on Craigslist free stuff and pick up an old BBQ to scrounge parts from.
 
If u ask me??

Get 2 boulders, put old BBQ grill shelf on it. Enjoy
 
LoL this forum needs the thank button. You're right rocker guy, pm sent to AC ;). I'll try welding in stainless bars, if they ever rust then next time around i'll buy a porcelain ones and just secure them in.
 
dont use galvanized and dont use high temp paint, its both toxic and will end up in your food.
They were made from mild steel and cast for a couple hundred years before stainless was invented, you get it mildly hot and brush it with edible oil and let the oil cook into the surface, every once in a while you swab on some more oil.

Just buy a campfire grate at Bass pro shops or any camp store and shorten the legs, its a parilla....
 
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