[Spit-Project] making cooking grates

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

this morning during the abc/wls morning news chef
rick bayless (http://www.rickbayless.com) and he
was going over his recommendations for summer outdoor
cooking. the one thing he mentioned was have heavy
cooking grates, cast iron, or stainless steel.

making cast iron grates is currently not possible given
that i am still recovering from the head-on-collision
accident from last summer. pouring molten iron while in
a wheelchair is not something i want to attempt at the
moment.

however, i am able to use my forge, anvil, post vise,
post drill, and such to make a cooking grate out of mild
steel. the question is what size to chose and pattern
should be used for the cooking grate. 1/2 inch square
mild steel bars would be a good size to use.
does it really matter what the cooking grate pattern
is? i have not looked at many of the newer model grills
but have seen cooking grates in many different patterns.

i could use either button rivets or countersunk rivets.
countersunk rivets would require more work to use but
would leave the cooking grate smooth. button rivets would
be easier to use but would leave the cooking grate uneven
with the button rivets heads.

anyway, are there any thoughts concerning the cooking grates
used in outdoor cooking? what are you currently using? what
have you used in the past?

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>