Steel is Real. Why Mess With Anything Else?
Stainless steel grill grates can be made from thin or thick rods, but I prefer the thin ones that allow more radiant heat through, especially for charcoal grills. The problem with thick rods is that they block radiant heat and make large dark grill marks. But if you read my article on grill marks, you will see why I think grill marks are not as desirable for all over even browning.
Stainless steel grates are not to be confused with chrome or nickel plated grates, which are not as long lived.
The real advantage to stainless steel is that it has the same life span as a redwood tree, and it is easy to clean. The good ones will never rust or corrode (read Max Good’s article on stainless steel). Cheap stainless eventually ceases to be stainless, and you will need to replace cheap stainless steel grates. You don’t want rust or other oxides from the grates on your food.

Why We Require You To Sign In Before You Can Post Comments
Before you can post a comment or question you must sign into our commenting partner, Disqus. This is helps make sure everyone hanging around the grill is civil. We do not tolerate nastiness, racism, porn, inappropriate language, or attacks on others. All comments are the property of AmazingRibs.com and we reserve the right to quote them, edit them, delete them, and block people from making future comments.
Please leave comments and questions on the page devoted to the same subject so others can see them and our answers when they are reading about that subject. You must enable JavaScript to use the comments section, and you must accept cookies to post comments. Note that the software that runs Disqus is different from the Pitmaster Club so members need to sign into that separately.
Moderators