Tailgating, Weber grate is rusty

Anyone got a good method to clean up the grates on the Weber Smokey Joe? wire brush or anything else? I plan to use it for tailgating this coming Sunday.

A stout wire brush should do the trick, though if it's really rusty you might want to use some steel wool on it too. Brush it off cold to get most of junk off, then put it on the grill and heat it up, then scrape off the rest. I would say that you should be careful not to mess up the stainless chrome finish, but since it's rusted it means it's already gone anyway.

If you don't feel like working it, just buy a new one. They're available everywhere and aren't really all the expensive. I usually replace my grilling surface once a year on my kettle, but I'm kind of anal about a clean grilling and prep area.

well i guess i have owned the grate for about 1.5 years, only used it maybe 30 times.. its my small Smokey Joe mainly used for tailgates and when I lived in the apartment for a bit

Does it fit in your oven? You could give it a good clean, oil it up and throw it in your oven at a high heat, then clean/oil it after an hour or so in there?

Thats what i was thinking about doing good idea

I am a little anal about my grates so I clean mine and oil them regularly.

I helped out my brother-in-law with his smokey joe when we were tailgating at the game. His SJ was rusty and mine was not enough for both cars peoples food. I used a wire brush on the grate after the coals got the grate hot and then pulled the grate and sprayed with oil and brushed again and back on the grill, was fine.

If they get too bad, I know here you can buy a SJ grate for about $10 at the hardware store