How to Clean a BBQ Grill – Spring Cleaning
Here comes Spring, and with it comes all that Spring cleaning that needs to be done around the house. Today we look at How to Clean a BBQ Grill – Spring Cleaning, something that might be forgotten in your Spring clean but shouldn’t be!
If you want your BBQ grill to last you will need to put in a little work to maintain it. Your grill, just like your car, needs you to complete regular maintenance on it. Trust me, both will last much longer!
Because your BBQ grill lives outside it needs a good cleaning at least once a year, perhaps more often if you use it a lot, as we do.
It doesn’t matter what type of grill you have, be it charcoal, propane or natural gas they all require similar maintenance to get them ready for the summer grilling season.
How Do You Clean the Inside of a BBQ?
The first thing to do is to disconnect your gas line if you have a gas or propane grill before you start, safety first, right?! The next thing to do is to take everything apart.
Remove the grills and the bottom pan if possible so that you have easy access to the cast frame of your grill. Now it’s time to get to work. You can purchase BBQ de-greaser from your hardware store but I prefer to use good old elbow grease.
I use a small scraper to remove the bulk of the build-up on the bottom pan and the body of the grill. Make sure you have a good supply of paper towels and a disposable or biodegradable plastic bag for the grease.
You can use a shop vac to clean out any loose debris and foodstuff that has collected at the bottom of your grill. I like to use a dish soap and water mixture to clean the outside of the grill; the dish soap contains a grease cutter making it easy to clean.
Cleaning the Grates
You can clean the grills a number of ways, soak them in a vinegar and baking soda mixture or even soapy water. I usually get a wire grill brush, steel wool or a ball of aluminum foil and start to clean the grill grates.
A word of caution, if you do use a wire brush or steel wool, make sure you wipe your grills down with a ball of aluminum foil or a rag. The brush bristles will often come loose and stick to your grill grate, the last thing you want is to be biting into a nice grilled steak to find a small wire-bristle from your grill brush!
Finishing Touches
Many grills are made of stainless steel these days and vinegar is a great cleaner for stainless! Fill a spray bottle with plain white vinegar mixed with a little water and use it to clean the outside of your grill. I remove the knobs on my grill when I clean the outside; then you can easily clean all the stainless and chrome on your grill so that it looks brand new!
Once you get your grill cleaned up and ready for the summer grilling season, it is a good idea to fire it up and let it burn for a while before you put any food on the grill. Reconnect your gas or propane lines and let it heat for at last 20 minutes. If you have a charcoal grill, light it early and let it heat up for the same 20 minutes before grilling your food.
This will allow any residual soap, vinegar or de-greaser to burn off so that your food doesn’t get tainted with those vapors.
Lastly, you should oil your grates with vegetable oil, pour some on a clean rag and wipe your grates. I like to think of it as seasoning your grates, much like you would season a cast iron pan.
You should now be ready for a fantastic summer of great grilling!!
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