How to Clean Your Grill
It’s important to clean your grill to keep it functioning properly and to cook safe and tasty food. Cleaning a grill also helps extend its life. Follow these easy steps to clean your grill.
Initial Prep
There are a few things to do first before cleaning your grill. It helps if the grates and food box are warm ahead of a full cleaning. Preheat the grill with the hood closed for about 15 minutes, then turn the grill off and disconnect the propane tank for safety.
Using something abrasive like a wire brush, pumice block, or even a balled-up piece of foil, scrape the inside of the grill and loosen hardened grease and food particles. This will make the next step a lot easier.
Clean your grill
Once the grates, food box, and gas deflectors have been scrapped, it’s time to clean them. Remove all the dirty items from inside the grill. Be sure that they have cooled down first so you don’t burn yourself. Place the items in a bucket of soapy water and let them soak overnight. If your cooking grate doesn’t fit in the bucket, scrub it down the best you can with a rag.
While those items soak, do a deep cleaning of the food box. Remove leftover ash and scrape off carbon from inside the grill. Don’t be afraid to get out your garden hose to wash and rinse your grill.
After the grill parts are finished soaking, clean off stuck-on grease. These items don’t have to look spotless, but you’ll want to remove as much gunk as you can. It’s important to take some time with the gas ports because any clogging of the gas holes from food or rust will damage your grill.
After everything has been cleaned, replace items to their regular positions. Cover the cooking grate with a layer of cooking oil. This will help to season it and protect it from rust.
Storage Options
If you are storing your grill outside, you can leave the propane tank connected but make sure that the tank is tightly closed. If you are disconnecting the tank for storage, put a covering around the gas line to prevent pests from getting into the opening. Be sure to cover your grill when it’s not in use to protect it from the elements and prolong its life.
Clean Your Grill if You Use Charcoal
If you have a charcoal grill, cleaning is more simple since you don’t have as many pieces to clean. When cleaning a charcoal grill, scrape down the cooking grate and cook box after you use the grill while it’s still warm. Scrub down the cooking grate in the same way as before, and wash out the food box or kettle. Apply cooking oil to the cooking crate and cover the grill or store it in a safe location.
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