Discoloration on 304 and 340 Stainless Steel in Barbeque Cooker

I plan to build a custom brick grill area outdoors in my patio and have selected some stainless steel doors for storage. The doors are 304 SS and the frames are 340 SS. At one end of this brick "cabinet" I will build a custom barbeque cooker. The cooker is for making ribs, pork shoulder, etc. Basically you create a firebox area and use indirect heat to slow cook your meat.

I would like for asthetic reasons to use the same doors I've selected for the pantry areas to be used to be the access doors to my cooker. For the door to the firebox I'll probably look for a cast iron type door, something that has vents. Not 100% sure on that part yet.

What I'm concerned about is the 304 and 340 stainless steel discoloring. The cooker internal temperature should never go above 300 F but I can't guarantee that it will never happen. You sustain a temp of only 225F for barbeque so if I hit 300F I wasn't paying attention....

Does anyone have a feel for this? Will the 304/340 be fine at that temp, i.e., it won't discolor? Will it discolor at these temps? Should I pack the backside of the doors with insulation? Do I need an internal door (hidden by the SS doors) that is up against the heat?

Thanks all.

Reply to
Keith Doson
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Keith, your cooker should not develope enough heat to discolor the SS. It would take sustained heats above 600F to cause any color change. Grease and smoke are another story but that can be removed with liquid cleaners. Don't use abrasive cleaners as they will disrupt the factory finish and it will be a streaky mess.

Glen G.

Keith Dos> I plan to build a custom brick grill area outdoors in my patio and have

Reply to
GSG

Glen thanks for your reply. I got concerned and posted after I saw some other NG posts talking about achieving a straw color in SS (people making knives I believe) around 300F or so. Perhaps I was wrong or read it improperly.

Also thanks for the comments about cleaning and the impending grease I will certainly get everywhere. I just have to be diligent about cleaning.

Keith

Reply to
Keith Doson

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