Stop trusting stainless rubs on these cheap offsets, check yours today

I was at a comp in Tulsa last weekend and watched a guy lose a whole brisket because his rub tainted it. He bought one of those discounted offsets from a big box store and the grate was shedding rust into the meat. I checked my own smoker when I got home, same issue on the lower rack. The metal coating is thin on those units under $300. Has anyone else seen this on theirs or found a safe way to fix it without buying new grates?

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lily2301mo ago

My 200 dollar barrel grill shed so much rust last summer I could have seasoned the brisket with it and called it "iron crust." I only caught it because I wiped the grates with a wet paper towel and it came back orange like a bad spray tan. I tried scrubbing with a wire brush and oiling it heavy, but the flaking just came back after two cooks. Honestly, I gave up and just bought replacement grates off Amazon for 40 bucks, which was cheaper than my pride. Now I check the corners under the drip tray too, that's where the rust hides like a coward. If yours is doing it, don't trust the shiny spots, test it with a magnet or a scrape.