School me: what's the point of bbq covers?

[ExtraSlow]

So, I know most people have some kind of waterproof cover for thier gas grills, but what really does it do? I've had my current grill, a wonderfully named "Fiesta Maximus 400", for 15 years or so. Never had a cover. Never really wanted one.

When I replace this, which might be this year because of all theoney I'm saving on kids summer camps, should I get a cover? Does a $90 cover make sense on a $600 grill? Does it extend the life? Is it more beautiful looking at faded vinyl instead of metal?

What, in short, is the deal?

[jabjab]

Protect against hail and rust I believe

[rage2]

Protect against hail and rust I believe
Hail ripped the shit outta my cover by the 3rd or 4th year. Never replaced the cover. BBQ handles hail way better than that.

[Darell_n]

I use a cover on mine to stop UV damage from destroying all the plastic bits, like tire covers on an RV.

[ExtraSlow]

I use a cover on mine to stop UV damage from destroying all the plastic bits, like tire covers on an RV.

I can buy that. Although, even on my Fiesta, the plastic is strong and sturdy as new, just faded.

- - - Updated - - -


Protect against hail and rust I believe

Wouldn't it CAUSE rust by trapping moisture? Calgary is a really dry climate, I'd think more airflow would be better.

[killramos]

Protect Plastic bits from sun and also keeping it clean.

Our dusty and pollen filled rains are gross. If you care about your bbq looking clean.

I have no delusions about it protecting from hail

[ExtraSlow]

For the grill I'm looking at, the cover is 15% of the price of the grill itself. And based on what I've seen at my friend's houses, that cover looks dirtier than the smooth metal ever could.

So far, covers not sounding worthwhile.

[killramos]

But the grill under the cover stays clean. Some people prefer to have their cooking appliances to have a semblance of cleanliness.

Preventing water intrusion is always good with something made of steel / cast iron.

Also. Don’t feel obligated to buy the nameplate matching cover, any cover will do. Wrap it in a tarp if that is more up your alley.

[AndyL]

Provide the BBQ retailer a high margin item to upsell you with? That's about all I got...

Usually they get forgotten while left off while the BBQ cools off then the wind relocates them to a nearby province...

[killramos]

Pretty sure my bbq has always come with a cover anyway.

You knew what’s great margins for the bbq retailer. Needing to replace your grill after 3 years.

[dj_rice]

You don't need a $90 cover. Just wait till BBQ season is over, and buy the one Costco sells on sale for under $20

As for why, keeps my BBQ clean, no dust/dirt/water stains.


Heres the one I grabbed from Costco. Thicker than a snicker and feels good quality and has held up very well past few years.
91847

[firebane]

I bought a cheap $30 cover for mine simply as I wanted to keep it clean.

Stays outside year round so helps with the snow as well.

[ExtraSlow]

Next obvious question, anyone have a line on Weber spirit II grills? I need a 219 and my buddy needs a 310. Buy two get $50 off?

[rage2]

I’ve been buying my replacement grills from grillspot.ca every 4 or 5 years. Click reorder for convenience. They were the cheapest back in the day. Still paying the same price, assume it’s a good deal? Haha

[ExtraSlow]

4 or 5 years? Brutal.

[killramos]

Buy a quality grill and it should last you 10-15 years minimum with minimal maintenance.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Next obvious question, anyone have a line on Weber spirit II grills? I need a 219 and my buddy needs a 310. Buy two get $50 off?

Get a Genesis not a Spirit.

[rage2]

Buy a quality grill and it should last you 10-15 years minimum with minimal maintenance.
Where does one find such quality grills? I always assumed it’s because I use wire brushes to clean that it’s wearing off the coating.

[ThePenIsMightier]

You don't need a $90 cover. Just wait till BBQ season is over, and buy the one Costco sells on sale for under $20

As for why, keeps my BBQ clean, no dust/dirt/water stains.


Heres the one I grabbed from Costco. Thicker than a snicker and feels good quality and has held up very well past few years.
91847

This cover is The Tits. I bought it for my Weber Summit and it's 2x better than the original.

[killramos]

Where does one find such quality grills? I always assumed it’s because I use wire brushes to clean that it’s wearing off the coating.

Bbq Galore. Get a Napoleon.

[arcticcat522]

^I have a prestige with the cast grill and is still great. On its 6th season.

[dj_rice]

Next obvious question, anyone have a line on Weber spirit II grills? I need a 219 and my buddy needs a 310. Buy two get $50 off?

Both HD and Rona are showing E-310 for $649. No idea if thats a deal or not, just showing what the Flipp app says when I looked

Had a Canadian Tire Centro when I lived in the condo, upgraded to a Broil King Signet 20 when I got my house. What a difference in build quality and performance.

[rage2]

Bbq Galore. Get a Napoleon.
You want me to buy a new BBQ? I’m ok with paying $110 for a fresh grill every 5 years lol.

[danno]

I ran my cheapo grill for 13 years with no cover, zero issues on the outside. Inside had a few replacement parts. New grill was 800 or so, by no means baller status but I got a cover and try and use it. I don’t have a reason but the wife told me I had to.

[revelations]

Reason for covers:

- aesthetic (cover looks nicer that BBQ?)
- protection from tree droppings (my issue)
- protection from bird droppings

[killramos]

You want me to buy a new BBQ? I’m ok with paying $110 for a fresh grill every 5 years lol.

Wasn’t sure what you meant by grill.

If you want 0 maintenance get a stainless steel grill.

[The_Rural_Juror]

If you want some maintenance, long lasting, and pure heat retention awesomeness, get cast iron. Leave the food on the grill and burn off before using.
Quality of the cover matters too. My Weber covers tended to last about 5-7 years while the cheapo ones last 1 or 2 max.

[rage2]

Wasn’t sure what you meant by grill.

If you want 0 maintenance get a stainless steel grill.
I meant the cooking grills. Or is it grates? My bbq is stainless and even without cover looks half decent.

[ExtraSlow]

If you want 0 maintenance get a stainless steel grill.I think you mean cast iron.

[The_Rural_Juror]

I guess I could part with my 1.5 year old Genesis NG so that I could go charcoal.

[The_Rural_Juror]

I think you mean cast iron.

You are supposed to oil cast iron but that is for noobs who clean after each cook.

[ExtraSlow]

You are supposed to oil cast iron but that is for noobs who clean after each cook.

Cast iron pots and pans, maybe clean once in a while. BBQ grill grates? Fuck no. Add oil and heat in various layers.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Simply distribute your food around the grill so that the grease covers every inch of it.

[SKR]

I guess I could part with my 1.5 year old Genesis NG so that I could go charcoal.

91850

[ThePenIsMightier]

You are supposed to oil cast iron but that is for noobs who clean after each cook.

Mangrates is best grates.

F2XawdY22Ek

[Pacman]

My Amazon Basics cover fits my 15 year old Weber Genesis like a jimmy hat and never gets blown off by the strongest of winds. It's 6 years old and faded, but still going strong. I suspect the plastic knobs would be dry and brittle from UV rays if not for the cover.

[revelations]

You are supposed to oil cast iron but that is for noobs who clean after each cook.

Yep, vegetable oil spray. Clean out the BBQ as well every month or so with light use. The crap on the bottom collects moisture.

[The_Penguin]

Mangrates is best grates.

F2XawdY22Ek

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Tik-Tok]

wire brushes to clean

My god man!!! ARE YOU TRYING TO MURDER YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY AND FRIENDS AT A BBQ????

Seriously, fuck the stupid asshats that made this law.

[Darell_n]

My god man!!! ARE YOU TRYING TO MURDER YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY AND FRIENDS AT A BBQ????

Seriously, fuck the stupid asshats that made this law.

Actually, I prefer my oak scraper over a wire brush, now that it’s wore in and matching the grill spacing.

[killramos]

My god man!!! ARE YOU TRYING TO MURDER YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY AND FRIENDS AT A BBQ????

Seriously, fuck the stupid asshats that made this law.

Law?

[rage2]

Law?
It never got enacted. There were like 2 dozen cases in the last 20 years where wire fell off the brush, food was cooked on it and people ate the wire. Health Canada was looking at banning them outright.

[killramos]

Oh good. I was wondering what of my possessions the government if Canada felt like banning this week.

[bigboom]

I've had cast iron and i prefer the low maintenance of my stainless grates. Scrub it down every now and then, quick wipe of oil before cooking and away I go. Wasn't a big fan of the taste of the cast iron, found depending on what was cooked on it before it would have a little flavour left over.

[88CRX]

Cast iron and the porcelain coated grills are too much work. Have SS now and like other have said just scrub them down before/after cooking and you're done. Dont have to worry about scratching them or rust or any of that garbage.

[rage2]

Cast iron and the porcelain coated grills are too much work. Have SS now and like other have said just scrub them down before/after cooking and you're done. Dont have to worry about scratching them or rust or any of that garbage.
The maintenance on cast iron isn't terrible, but maybe that's why I have to go through a new set every 4-5 years. My last BBQ had stainless grills and the steak grill lines looked terrible. All about good looking steaks, hence cast iron here haha.

[killramos]

Maybe if your bbq could put out some real heat you wouldn’t need the crutch of cast iron grates.

[88CRX]

Rage is right. The grill marks on SS aren't great.

[rage2]

Maybe if your bbq could put out some real heat you wouldn’t need the crutch of cast iron grates.
So $2500 bbq with stainless grills? Might as well put all seasons on an AMG while we’re at it.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Cast iron holds way more heat so you get the nice grill marks and great sear.

Don't stop at $2500 though. I think these beauties are about $8-12k with the heaviest stainless steel I've seen on a bbq.
https://home.hestan.com/product-category/outdoor/hestan-outdoor/freestanding-grills/

[ExtraSlow]

what maintenance are people doing on cast iron grates? oil em up, scrape em when you feel like. Was there some complex procedure I forgot to do in the last decade and a half?

[sabad66]

I don't understand the complaints about cast iron grates maintenance. My 5 year old broil king's grates are still perfect and i don't do anything special except scrape off using an oak scraper about 20 mins after i turn it off.

Now that i think of it, i think the oak scraper helps as it doesn't clean off all the food down to the metal like wire does, so it essentially acts as a "seasoning" so that it doesn't rust. Any residual oil gets burned off when i pre-heat it the next time i bbq so no big deal.

[The_Rural_Juror]

When I had cast iron, I lightly used the oak scraper after cooking to get the large chunks out while leaving a coating of grease to protect it from rust. The grease is burned off before the next cook.

[killramos]

So $2500 bbq with stainless grills? Might as well put all seasons on an AMG while we’re at it.

I think the better analogy is red rims since it’s all for show and doesn’t make your steak any better.

I prefer having the entire surface of my steak seared than 6 little lines of charcoal.

[shakalaka]

I spent like $70 on a Coleman cover because I am OCD and want everything to match, but that thing does not really protect shit from proper wind and hail. And in a couple of years, i am already seeing holes in it. That being said, I am sure the BBQ wouldn't fare as well as it did without a cover at all.

[88CRX]

My old cast grills rusted. Probably because I didn't season them and I hated having to heat the BBQ up for 20 minutes before cleaning it every time I wanted to use it.

SS grills are zero maintenance and you can scrub them clean before they're heated up.

[shakalaka]

I think the better analogy is red rims since it’s all for show and doesn’t make your steak any better.

I prefer having the entire surface of my steak seared than 6 little lines of charcoal.


Just FYI....the red rims are lighter than the OEM's so they make the car faster to the butt dyno.

[firebane]

My god man!!! ARE YOU TRYING TO MURDER YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY AND FRIENDS AT A BBQ????

Seriously, fuck the stupid asshats that made this law.

Yeah I quit using wire brushes once I found this brush https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/master-chef-dual-handle-grill-brush-with-palmyra-bristles-0852279p.html#srp .. The heads are replaceable and last a while depending on how much you bbq.

I tried the "wooden plank" scrapers but found they were useless.

[killramos]

Just FYI....the red rims are lighter than the OEM's so they make the car faster to the butt dyno.

;)

[The_Rural_Juror]

My old cast grills rusted. Probably because I didn't season them and I hated having to heat the BBQ up for 20 minutes before cleaning it every time I wanted to use it.

SS grills are zero maintenance and you can scrub them clean before they're heated up.

Takes less than 10 mins on a Weber. ;)

[88CRX]

Takes less than 10 mins on a Weber. ;)

Touche!

[The_Rural_Juror]

Touche!

Do you have a nat gas connection? :)

[88CRX]

Do you have a nat gas connection? :)

We do now. The old BBQ was a propane Broil Mate (with cast grills) but we since upgraded to the NG Weber (which I searched out one with SS grills).

The NG is the best. BBQ is cleaned and heated up in 5 minutes.

[rage2]

I think the better analogy is red rims since it’s all for show and doesn’t make your steak any better.

I prefer having the entire surface of my steak seared than 6 little lines of charcoal.
What can I say, I'm the Shallow Hal of steaks haha.

And yea, my entire surface is seared + sexy grill lines. My BBQ is cheap, but it's pretty big BTUs.


My old cast grills rusted. Probably because I didn't season them and I hated having to heat the BBQ up for 20 minutes before cleaning it every time I wanted to use it.

SS grills are zero maintenance and you can scrub them clean before they're heated up.
I'm guessing the rust comes from using wire brushes. Yea, wood doesn't work here. I have a kid that hates anything black on his food aside from grill lines, so I have to brush the shit out of the grill especially for chicken. That does a number on the grills.