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So I discovered that the easiest way to clean my grates for my 22.5 WSM is to throw them on my gas grill and give them a good brushing when hot. Anyone else done this? Btw, cleaning grates is my least favorite thing about smoking.
When I first bought my WSM I added tabs to the bottom and used the top grate to BBQ, lot's of heat, however after a few times the "stainless" plating burned off and then the steel warped, ...what I have found to work very well is place the grates in a large black garbage sack and spray with oven cleaner, close the sack and leave in the direct sunlight for 3-4 hours (or longer, I've left them days), take them out and then spray with water and brush what ever is left with a nylon bristle brush.