British BBQ Society Forums

I'm not having much luck finding expanded mesh for my UDS fire basket unless I buy a full 8Ft x 4ft sheet. I spotted this
http://www.travisperkins.co.uk/p/expame ... 36/3893472

what do you reckon

Or this perhaps: http://www.macsbbq.com/shop/spare-parts ... sket-excel

Interesting site.... Cant seem to find any prices or sizes though

The diameter of the excel is 50cm so the basket should be 45-47cm, maybe one of the excel owners here could say. The prices show under the shop page.

Mate, had the same problem, 2.5 metres of expanded SS will set you back about £30 and you have to cut it to size yourself.

I phoned round some appliance repair shops and got a large washing machine drum for £5. Used a grinder to cut off the axle and a holesaw to add some ashdrop holes. Works perfectly.

The weakest element of the ProQ range is the charcoal basket they rot really quickly. I have a scrap yard of ProQ stuff the stackers, lids and bases could be used but the charcoal baskets are all ........ well about 30% still in existence

Now im worried about my Pro Q charcoal basket............

Do they rot from lack of use just sitting outside or even when used quite a bit, I like to Q atleast 3 times a month if not more.

Ok so is anyone using expanded steel mesh for their cooking grates. I've been pricing up grill grates for the fire basket and for cooking on and am starting to think I may as well buy a full 8ft x 4ft sheet of expanded steel mesh to do the lot.

scuba-doo wrote:Ok so is anyone using expanded steel mesh for their cooking grates. I've been pricing up grill grates for the fire basket and for cooking on and am starting to think I may as well buy a full 8ft x 4ft sheet of expanded steel mesh to do the lot.

To be honest, if I hadn't managed to pick up a 22" kettle for £5 on ebay, I would have done that, but in the end, £5 for the basket and £5 for the grill (and dome lid for future expansion) was a small price to pay compared to £40 for the EM (and that's just mild steel). I asked about it here viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4003&hilit=+expanded

Si tells me that in February, when the DIY stores get their summer stock in, buying spare cooking grates is much cheaper.

Stretchie uses a mild steel weldmesh cooking grate, I presume he has to keep this as well seasoned as a cast iron pan, or rust would quickly become a problem. Weldmesh for bbq grills is chrome coated to prevent rust. Could you get SS expanded metal?

Also worth considering that if you have friends that might want a smoker building, or if you want to build a second one for yourself, buying an 8x4 EM sheet is an investment

Yes I had the same thought about sharing the cost of a full sheet. I have a second barrel so I'm pretty sure it would get used up in the end.