How to Clean and Maintain a Grill

There is a time when you have your friends or family for a party or any other type of celebration and grilling is important at that time. Grilling is not only done during festive seasons or partying time, some people also enjoy grilling as way of passing time. Imagine the disappointment you can meet when your grill malfunctions because you neglected it.

It is the reason why we are going to tell you how to clean and maintain the grill to ensure that it works in perfect condition to produce richly flavored and evenly cooked delicacies.

When it comes to grilling, there are two types of grills and you should know what is required for each one of them.

Cleaning the Grill

Grill Cleaning Tools.

Source: https://www.charbroil.com/community/basic-grill-maintenance/

Get the Right Tools for the Job

It would defeat your purpose if you were to under clean or ruin your grill because you used the wrong tools. Before you start, ensure that you have:

Grill brush
Soap water
Sponge
Damp towel

Before you begin cleaning the grill, you might want to wear gloves, if you don’t want grime under your nails. This is optional because there are few things that can harm you during the cleaning process of a grill.

Below is the procedure for cleaning the most commonly used grills types. The propane/gas grills and charcoal grills.

For Propane Grills

Turn off the gas supply and detach the gas from the grill. You wouldn’t want to blow yourself up while cleaning the grill.
Using the grill brush, clean the grill grates. To do this effectively, just take them off from their anchoring.
The covers that are put over the burner include lava stones, ceramic briquettes and metal bars that are usually v-shaped. Take these off and clean them too.
The gas ports and nozzles should be open and without obstructions. Use a soft brush and water to clean these.
The bottom of the grill contains dirt which ranges from pieces of meat, ash and buildup of carbon flakes from all the smoke and meat. Clean out the bottom with a good knife or coarse brush that can scrape off the flakes.
Finally, clean the plate that collects the grease using a sponge and plenty of soap water. Rinse everything and clean the outside of the grill.

Now, you are good to go.

For Charcoal Grills

You’ll need the same materials as above but this time you will have foil.

Clean the grilling grate first. Start by taking it off and giving it a good scrubbing with the brush which should of course be coarse. Do the same to the charcoal grate underneath because we don’t have many parts in the charcoal grill, you will get right down to the bottom.
The debris in a charcoal burner is more because of all the charcoal. Just sweep the dirt out into the paper bag. Use a brush and/or a knife to scrape off the flakes formed by the buildup of carbon.
Rinse out the bottom and the removable parts with soapy water.
The ash pan or tray is last to be cleaned out. Just throw the ash into the plastic bag or into your organic little garden.
Before and after every grilling session, ensure that:

The ash catcher is empty.
The grates are brushed.
The grates are oiled to prevent sticking.

When you have done all that, your grill will be good as new and you can now enjoy your party or grilling experience of good food.

Maintaining the Grill

1. Regular Check-Ups

For charcoal grill, you need to check for ash and charred meat deposits. For propane grill, check for any leakage. All of these pieces of dirt contribute towards the buildup of clog which leads to malfunctioning and eventual ruining of your grill.

By checking the grill, you ensure that everything is top notch and that you are good to go any day.

2. Covering the Grill

Rusting and dirt from exposure will ultimately lead to clogging and dirt buildup in the movable parts. This will create problems when you try to start the fire burning or the grill will not have evenly distributed heat.

Grills are mounted in the backyard or outside mostly, which means that they are exposed to the weather in all its forms. Covering the grill helps to ensure that it is not ruined. Despite the fact that most grill manufacturers like building their grill covers separately, it is advisable that you get one because in the long run you will find that it is worth it.

3. Regular Cleaning

If you are a frequent griller, it is advisable to clean the grill after every few months (3-4). Unless you are running a grilling business in which case you would have to do that daily just to be on the safe side.

Cleaning ensures that the grill stays in top notch condition and will pose no problems when you try using it. In gas grills, it is recommended that you turn the grill up to high power or full gas for about 10-15 minutes frequently to clear the nozzles and ensure the gas is running properly.

4. Proper Cleaning Tools

When cleaning the grills, it is important that you have the proper tools for the job. Soap water, a sponge and a cleaning brush designed for grills are the tools you will want. This will help you get your grill back in shape.

Bottom Line

Grills are an important part of our lives because we use them to roast and cook one of our favorite delicacies (meat). We would love to have the grill for a long time and we would even love it better if our meat is evenly cooked and the grill is running like a German train schedule.

So, make sure that you clean & maintain your grill on proper schedules so that you can get maximum out of it.