Clean Your BBQ Grill & Avoid Buying Grill Parts.

While many of us have barbeque grills and even the worst of us fancy ourselves great chefs and talented grillers we may not know the proper way to clean and maintain a BBQ to ensure efficient grilling and long life. Failure to properly clean and maintain a grill is the primary reason barbecue grills need repairs or replacement grill parts. With this in mind, we take a look at what you must know about cleaning your grill and maintaining it for a long prosperous life of grilling.

Despite how often you use your grill some cleaning should be applied after every use. This is because even if you use non-stick grill spray prior to barbecuing meat or veggies on the grill some residue will be leftover from cooking and open flames dissolve the spray.  After grilling turn the grill to the highest setting, close the hood for approximately ten minutes.  Turn off the tank and the BBQ.  Soap and water will clean the grate and grill pan after grilling but that’s a lot of work after grilling every time.   Many grillers will barely scrape the food particles. This is because the flavor from previous grilling can be added to future ones to make the flavor more savory and intense. In either event, it is necessary to remove all particles of food and fat caught in the pan or stuck to the grate. This will help ensure the safety of not starting a fire the next time you grill, attract unwanted wildlife drawn to the scent of food or need to wait for something rancid to burn off prior to grilling.

The regular cleaning that should be used with a barbecue grill should extend past the minimal cleaning of every-day use and should be more in-depth. The main purpose of this regular cleaning is to thoroughly clean your grate and pan to ensure that your foods do not taste like foods cooked last week and for the simple reason that grilling over and over will eventually result in buildup of grease, ash and food residues. This cleaning should take about 20-30 minutes and should be done every week for someone who uses their grill every day.  Most of my clients will remove the cooking grates and heat shield for a good cleaning every two – three months.

The everyday cleaning of your barbecue requires soap, water, and a grill brush. The regular barbecue cleaning includes a few more steps and more supplies. Here is a list of what you will need:

• Soap and water
• Grill brush
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Oven cleaner
• Steel wool sponges

Now that you know what tools you’ll need for your regular cleaning and maintenance, you need to know the protocol for the actual cleaning to keep your bbq safe, efficient, and up to grilling par.

1.     Scrape off any residue or food particles with your bbq brush and remove the same from the pan of your grill.

2.     Thoroughly scrub and soak the grill’s cooking grate in hot soapy water to remove the residue entirely.

3.     Use non-toxic oven cleaner on food parts or residue that is particularly stuck, and leave it on for 15 minutes before rinsing with hot soapy water.

4.     Turn grill on low heat, and place aluminum foil over the grate to remove the remaining residue through heat transference. Turn off grill, and let it cool down before using the grill brush and soapy water to rinse again.

5.     Lastly, take steel wool and soapy water and thoroughly scrub and rinse one last time.

Gas barbeque grills are made to be outside in the weather and they are made to grill with high heat.  Unfortunately many barbecues are also made to be replaced periodically so clients have the ability to purchase the new model.  Even gas grills with lifetime warranties that are not made to be replaced because of the superior quality of manufacturing need to be cleaned periodically.  Stainless steel with the designation of 304 is often referred to as “outdoor” stainless.  What makes 304 stainless particularly useful for outdoor appliances are the chemicals added during smelting after iron oxides have been removed.  Chromium and Nickel are added in percentages of 18 and 8 to 304 stainless.  Nickel hardens the steel so it is no longer capable of smelting and is hard enough to deter – or at least delay for many years – pitting.  Chromium reacts with Oxygen molecules in the atmosphere to create an invisible barrier between humidity, snow and rain to protect the stainless.  When a cooking grate, heat shield, burner or firebox is covered in grease or is loaded with lava rocks full of grease it is no longer possible for Chromium and Oxygen to meet.  As a result the stainless will begin to rust.  Generally, if caught soon enough the rust will simply scrub away but eventually if rst is left untreated it will grow to where it cannot be repaired.  Gas BBQ grill replacement parts are for those of you who do not regularly clean your barbeque grill.