Rusty Coal Tray

[Elbrooko]

My bbq and grills are in good condition but my coal tray is very rusty. Is this safe? Obviously no food will touch this part but was wondering about fumes making the food bad or worse making us ill?

Been googling but I just keep finding questions about the grills themselves.

To replace the tray is almost as much as the bbq. Not sure I could clean it well enough.

 

[Elbrooko]

Many thanks for the advice!

 

[bill1]

If you tend to always clean it up that nice after cooks, I'd keep it sprayed (both sides) with cheap Pam-style cooking oil. Will retard the rust process, although yours looks like there's still a lot of steel left. It'll smoke a bit, with that cheap cooking oil smell, for a minute the next time you use it but it's only temporary and is completely safe...unlike motor oil.

I agree with others that rust is pretty much non-toxic but it is porous so can harbor a lot of bacterial nasties...stepping on a rusty nail is the classic tetanus menace. But before you put your meat on the grill, you heat these rusty steel parts well in excess of the peak temps (~150F) at which the bad things can thrive so there's no risk there.

 

[bbqjefff]

I think it should definitely be fine. I would spray it or even scrub some off but that's not that big of a deal.