4-Step Guide to Cleaning a Barbecue
4-Step Guide to Cleaning a Barbecue
The very things that make grilled food so taste good, namely rendered fat and sticky sauces, also cause buildup on grilling grates and along your barbecue’s insides. This isn’t good because it can affect the evenness of heat in your barbecue and potentially attract nighttime critters (yes, they will lick the grates while you sleep). The good news is it’s really easy to clean up a grill, both charcoal and gas.
01
Crank the heat
Let high temperatures do most of the work of singeing food debris off grates and the interior. Leave the grill on high for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn it off and let cool slightly before scrubbing. Particles dislodge better when warm, not screaming hot.
02
Scrub-a-dub
Next, loosen carbon bits but avoid a stainless-steel brush. The small sharp bristles can easily break off and stick to the BBQ and are dangerous if ingested. Consider a bristle-free grill brush, a long-handled metal spatula can also do the job, or crumpled-up foil held with tongs. In a pinch, cut an onion in half, stick the rounded side with a long fork and clean grates with the cut side.
03
Wipe Out
Every couple of months, when completely cool, remove grates and burner tubes from a gas grill and brush away debris from the interior. For a more thorough clean, use grease-cutting dish soap, warm water and an old rag to wipe out the inside. If grilling grates need a soak, whether for charcoal or gas, fill a bucket with warm soapy water and let grates bathe a while. Inside a charcoal grill, dump old charcoal into a metal container and scrape away any debris.
04
Greasy Does It
Keep an eye on the grease trap at the bottom of your grill, cleaning it out before it’s too full to move—lest racoons do this for you!
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