It’s BBQ Season! Here Is How To Clean Your Grill Like A Pro

by John Griffith
Advertisement

It’s BBQ season! This means it’s time to grab your apron, tongs, meat, and veggies and get grilling. Grilling is fun, efficient, and one of the tastiest ways to cook food. However, it can be messy. Over time your grill accumulates quite a bit of grime and debris from all the cooking. And just like your stove, it also requires a bit of maintenance. Even though the high heat kills most food-borne pathogens, it still needs a good cleaning from time to time. A dirty grill doesn’t allow hot air to move around freely and can pose a health risk. So, if you want a grill that cooks faster, better, and safer, check out how to clean your grill properly.

It’s BBQ season!

how to clean your grill cooking on grill

How To Clean Your Grill

A dirty grill not only means your food will take twice as long to cook, but you may also be putting your health at risk! Not only that but you also shorten the life span of your trust grill. That’s why it is important to take proper care and do regular maintenance. If you want to enjoy delicious smoky food all summer long then you need to start with cleaning the grill. Today, we will tell you everything you need to know.

It is important to take proper care and do regular maintenance

cooking on grill

#Identify your grill type

The first thing you need to do is identify the type of grill you have. The most common grills are charcoal, gas, or pellet. In general, most methods of cleaning are similar, however, depending on the grill the cleaning products may need to be a bit different. It’s important you use the right cleaners for the right surface.

The first thing you need to do is identify the type of grill you have

how to clean your grill pellet grill

#Get the right gear

Before you get started you need to get all the right gear. Make sure you get yourself a good pair of gloves, in order to protect your hands. Other than that you will need some dish soap, paper towels, cleaner specific to your grill type, aluminum foil instead of a grill brush, some microfiber towels, and that’s pretty much it.

Make sure you get yourself a good pair of gloves

blue rubber gloves

#Scrape, soak, and scrub the grates

Now it’s time to get your hands dirty. The grates are usually the hardest part to clean, but it’s still a pretty simple process. In general, we recommend avoiding using a grill brush as some bristles may fall out and pose a potential safety hazard. On the bright side, there are better methods. You can rub a halved onion along the grates while the grill is hot after pre-heating it to remove all that debris. The acid from the onion breaks down residue easily! You can also use some aluminum foil to scrub scrape off the residue, then soak them in some soapy water, and finally scrub once again to get off anything that is left.

You can rub a halved onion along the grates while the grill is hot

two halved onion pieces

#Clean inside and out

Depending on the grill you may need to clean out debris first. Get rid of ashes and old charcoal for a charcoal grill before you start cleaning. If you have a gas grill you will need to empty the catch pan or tray of any grease or food. If your grill has a porcelain surface on the interior then clean it with a bit of dish soap or its specific surface cleaners. We suggest using paper towels or a soft sponge to clean the interior as you don’t want to scratch the surface. For stainless steel, make sure you don’t use paper towels as they may scratch. It’s also best to use a stainless steel cleaner.

Depending on the grill you may need to clean out debris first

how to clean your grill dish soap and soap

How Often Should You Clean a Grill?

How often you should clean your grill depends on how much you use it. However, during BBQ seasons it’s best to add it to your monthly cleaning schedule. Charcoal, electric, and gas should all be cleaned once or twice a month. But if you use it a lot during the summer, a good rule of thumb is to clean your grill after seven cooking sessions. Five, if it looks dirty already. Oh, and pellet grills need to be cleaned after every use, so keep that in mind.

Charcoal, electric, and gas should all be cleaned once or twice a month

how to clean your grill person grilling

These are all the tips and tricks you need when it comes to how to clean your grill. We hope you found this article useful. Now you can safely clean your grill and enjoy delicious BBQs all summer long!

These are all the tips and tricks you need when it comes to how to clean your grill

grill with meat

Related Articles

John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.