Question Before Using Grill I just Made

[MileHighBBQ]

Hello everyone! I need some input from everyone regarding a grill I just made and had coated before using it. I welded a corn/meat barbecue out of mild steel plate that is about .3 inches thick. It was then completely sandblasted and high heat ceramic coated on the entire outside of the cooker. As a part of the curing process for the fire box portion of the grill, it was heated to 500 degrees to cure the ceramic coating. In that process, the steels pores were open and the inside sandblasted, uncoated surface turned purple from the tempering of the metal. I spoke with the guy at the coating place, and he advised there should be no issues with using the cooker immediately at all. I was just going to season the entire inside of the cooker with PAM or vegetable oil and go through several burn cycles of charcoal before I used it, but the purple (oxide I believe, at least as far as I can tell from tempering article on the internet) scares me and I don't want it to contaminate the food. I know its not on the food contact surface, but I wanted to get some opinions on if it would be safe to cook in it yet. Thanks!

Heres the top:

But here is the base in question. Its hard to tell from the bad pictures, but its varying shades of purple on the inside:

Heres a shot from the shop that has a good sun angle:

 

[Max1]

Well the first thought that came to my mind was, is the steel coated in any way? I.E. galvanized, stainless? If it is just straight up steel, you should have no problems. shoot the whole thing down with cooking oil, do a couple of burn ins with charcoal, and throw some chunks off wood on there, and you should be done.

 

[MileHighBBQ]

Well the first thought that came to my mind was, is the steel coated in any way? I.E. galvanized, stainless? If it is just straight up steel, you should have no problems. shoot the whole thing down with cooking oil, do a couple of burn ins with charcoal, and throw some chunks off wood on there, and you should be done.

Lets just say that it was not coated in any way as far as I could tell. It had some surface rust on it when i got it from the steel yard as it was just sitting outside in their lot before people come and buy it, so I don't think it would have surface rusted due to environmental exposure if it was galvanized or stainless. I'm a complete laymen when it comes to materials though. It also didn't behave or show signs of coating when I worked with it cutting, welding, grinding, etc. inside of the fire box should be straight up steel that was sandblasted and then heated to over 500 degrees in the coating curing process.

I really appreciate your input. I'm just itching to fire it up!

 

[Bob In Fla.]

When metal is heated high enough, whether it's welding, torch (including plasma) cutting or just heating it up, purple is one of the colors it can turn. Like Maxie sez, as long as the metal was safe before it was heated, it's just as safe afterwards. Maybe safer because all of the contaminants that 'boil off" like zinc, cadmium, etc would have vaporized and left the area.

I get a purple-ish color right around the entrance to my pit (from the firebox) if I use a BBQ Guru fan controller.

 

[Max1]

That reminds me I have to paint my grill, and my smoker box.... Woo-hoo weekend project! I have to scrap out my UDS also and re-season it. I hate when the seasoning of 2 or 3 years starts falling off... BUMMER!!!!!

 

[MileHighBBQ]

Thanks guys. Only question I have is that after I brought it home, I tried to remove the purpleish coating, and I was able to scratch/rub through it with scouring pads so there is some purple powdery substance in the bottom now. It just really dulled the purple where I did it, but there are some loose remnants now. Should I just clean that out as well as I can to just leave the purple surface and fire it up a few times?

 

[Max1]

Clean it out, then start the damn thing on fire!

 

[MileHighBBQ]

Clean it out, then start the damn thing on fire!

I can do that for sure! When im done with seasoning, etc I'll make sure I take some pictures of the full setup for everyone.

Thanks again for all of your input.

 

[Bob In Fla.]

Seasoning shouldn't take forever... get to cookin!:drinkers:

 

[bigwheel]

Believe I would cook a couple of chickens and give them to the neighbors. Keep an eye out for a few days to see if they call in sick or an ambulance show up over there or something. Just trying to cover all the bases here.

 

[Max1]

LMFAO, you're so messed up in the head B-Dub!

 

[bigwheel]

yes..the smart 2nd grade teacher spotted it. No wonder they go to college huh? She wrote in the report card narrative.."dont make friends easy and do not play well with others"..she was a real smarty pants.

 

[Max1]

Yeah, yeah I can see it! For some reason??? LoL

 

[MileHighBBQ]

Maybe I shouldn't just fire it up then. I know the shop offered to re sandblast the inside for me (for a cost of course), so maybe I should go that route first and then season it.

 

[Max1]

You should be fine, don't waste the money if it not needed.

 

[Bosko]

yes..the smart 2nd grade teacher spotted it. No wonder they go to college huh? She wrote in the report card narrative.."dont make friends easy and do not play well with others"..she was a real smarty pants.

I must have had the same teacher as well as report card.
I had that box checked year after to year.

You are right....one smart teacher as I STILL prove it on a daily basis 45 years later.......:supz:

 

[bigwheel]

I have a great plan on who should be able to own guns. Check with their 6 th grade teachers. Take a vote...If the majority of them say no..they should not be able to own one. Now for them who did not make it that far...guess they could check with the 3rd grade teachers.

 

[Max1]

My teachers were always pissed because i was always smarter than them...

 

[bigwheel]

Well they should not have been jealous like that. My Daddy always said school teachers were the dumbest people on earth.