Maintaining Your Grill Between Deep Cleans
Green notes “a tight-fitting grill cover will help protect your grill from moisture” and keep it cleaner in between uses. If possible, store the grill in a covered space like a garage or shed when not in use.
Though you should scrape down and oil your grill grates before each use, it’s a good idea to scrape them after each cooking session as well to remove stuck-on food bits before they have a chance to sit. Re-oil your grill grates with a high smoke point oil to re-season them. This will help prevent your food from sticking and rust from developing.
If you don’t take proper care of your grill, it can be susceptible to rust. Green explains that “it’s important to inspect your grill for rust before each use and replace anything that has a hole or crack in it.”
Cleaning The Cooking Grates
If you have been cleaning your cooking grates as recommended, the debris on your grates should be minimal.
With grates installed, brush the debris off your cooking grate with a stainless steel bristle grill brush. Take the grates out and set aside. We recommend our Q and Grate cleaner for stainless steel, enamel and cast iron grates, and also for flavorizer bars.
Benefits Of A Clean Bbq
We all know many health benefits of cooking your food on the grill, from the fact that you use and therefore eat less fat through the fact that the meat retains its nutrients and all the way to the fact that grilled vegetables are better for your health, as they have more vitamins and minerals. However, a few people consider the even bigger benefits of grilling on a clean BBQ.
Its good for your health.
The most important benefit, of course, is the healthy one. Regularly cleaning your BBQ removes build up bacteria in your grill, which can be transferred to your food. More importantly, it removes harmful carcinogens.
A clean barbecue is a safe one.
Another crucial reason is the safety one. A clean BBQ reduces the chance of fire. When youre cleaning the BBQ, youre also inspecting its parts, and thus, you can prevent dangerous gas leaks from worn out parts.
It smells better.
The same goes for the smell. Just as you wouldnt want your vegetables to taste like steak, you wouldnt want them to smell like a stake, either. Even worse than a stake smell is that smoky, rancid grease smell. Dont you think that your family and your guests deserve better than that?
It tastes better.
It prevents pest infestation.
A dirty grill attracts bugs and rodents. Considering that Australia is a country well-known for its many pests, we suppose you wouldnt want to attract even more. prevents an infestation, always keep your grill clean.
Improves the look of the BBQ.
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How To Clean A Weber Charcoal Grill
There are different types of cleanliness process. If you are doing sessional or yearly cleaning, you would need to follow the deep cleaning procedure. If it is after the grilling session, you wouldnât need to perform the extensive procedure.
So, the cleanliness process depends majorly on the time and type of cleaning you are doing. Here first, we will start with the Weber grill thorough cleaning procedure.
How To Clean A Barbecue Grill
- Total Time: 1 hr
Luckily, the time spent maintaining a grill is minimal, and the payback for the effort is enormous. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with a top-of-line model or a cheap knockoff: A major seasonal cleaning combined with an every day scrub-down will improve your grill’s cooking performance. A clean grill will cook food better, and it will be free of residue that could possibly contaminate it.
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Grill Care For Every Time You Grill
Before each use, use tongs and a paper towel soaked in cooking oil to lightly coat grill grates. This provides grates with a protective coating and helps to keep foods from sticking to grates.
For charcoal grills, remove cold ashes from the kettle after each use.
After each use, turn the grill to high to burn off food residue, then follow by brushing grates with a high-quality brass wire grill brush. Clean any grease drippings on the outside of the grill with soapy water and a sponge. Leaving grease drippings on the outside of your grill can damage the paint and other surfaces.
How To Clean Bbq Grill
The easiest and most efficient way to clean the BBQ grills is to do it while the grates are still hot after usage.
Step 1: Leave the BBQ on max heat for 15 minutes after you finish using it. This will carbonize grime and food debris.
Step 2: Wait for the BBQ to cool down and scrub the grates with a metal spatula. Angle the brush in every direction to make sure you reach every angle.
Step 3: Once in a couple of uses, you can deep clean the BBQ grills using hot soapy water. Remove the BBQ grates and place them in a container filled with hot water and soap. You can add oven detergent instead of soap if you prefer it. Leave the grill to soak overnight. On the next day, scrub them with a sponge and rinse and dry them afterwards.
How to clean stainless steel grates?
Stainless steel grates are protected from corrosion but can also easily become discoloured and damaged. However, they are relatively easy to clean.
The best way to clean this type of grate is to do so after every BBQ use while the grill is still hot. Use a mixture of soap and water and a soft cloth or a brass grill brush to remove the built-up debris from the grate.
Stainless steel grates can get scratched easy. So using metal or steel wool brushes for cleaning is a big no. Avoid using harsh cleaning detergents and stainless steel polishers since they can discolour the surface of the grates.
Related:
How to clean cast iron grill?
How to clean porcelain grill grates?
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How To Clean Matador Bbq
Matador as well sticks to the universal cleaning method as a recommendation for Matador BBQ maintenance removing any left material after cooking by scraping it with BBQ scraper burn off at high heat for 5 minutes to get rid of the excess grease cleaning with soapy water hot or warm, for the grill and plates.
Matadors tips on cleaning:
- For cast iron hot plates and grills, spray a light coating of canola oil to leave on until your next barbecue. This will prevent rusting
- Before using your barbecue for the first time you need to season it to remove any coating that may have been applied for shipping. see the steps of the recommended seasoning method here.
Get the professionals to do the BBQ cleaning for you!
Why To Clean Your Weber
Some people will say that you shouldnt clean your Weber because you are cleaning off the flavor. The thinking is that the cooked-on char is similar to the seasoning on cast iron pan. While this sentiment isnt entirely inaccurate it vastly over-emphasizes the importance of the seasoning.
You will know your Weber needs a cleaning if
- your food tastes dirty or overly grilled
- your food looks dusty
- your grill kicks up too much smoke or dust
- the inside of the kettle looks visibly dirty
- anything falls off the inside of the cover and onto your food
A good, deep clean will make your Weber look great and give the food a cleaner, fresher flavor.
Keep in mind you should be doing maintenance cleaning all the time! This includes lightly scraping out the inside, scraping the grates, and emptying the ash bucket.
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Wipe The Grates And Racks
Wipe the grates and racks with a damp rag to remove loosened bits, and make sure there are no loose brush bristles left on the grate .
If you have a cast-iron grate, clean it completely, then brush on some vegetable oil with a paper towel to keep your grate in proper shape. Bare cast iron needs to be inspected regularly, because it is more likely to rust.
How To Clean The Inside Of A Weber Charcoal Grill
You can clean the inside part of a Weber charcoal grill by following these two steps.
The first one involves using a One-Touch system to remove out excess debris and ash. It will thus clear out the kettle bowl.
The second step, however, includes removing the leftover residue. You can use some mild dish soap and steel wool pad for this purpose. However, in order to get the maximum cleaning results, itâs better to have both cleaning tools.
The inside part of a Weber charcoal grill also includes cooking grates. You can follow a simple step in order to clean them before grilling.
For this purpose, preheat the grill at a high temperature for the time period of 10-15 minutes. You should also open all vents while heating the grill.
After this, a tool that can do the cleaning is a stainless steel bristle brush. You can scrub excess debris using this brush.
Though simple, this step is important. It is because the leftover deposit might stick to the grates. They can destroy the taste of the food you will grill on it.
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Clean The Ash Catcher
I know a number of people who barely check on the ash catcher after or before grilling. Its equally important to empty the equipment before grilling or preferably after you have given it time to cool. With ash catcher full, your fire will not blaze-up as it should, so you might need a lot of fanning to do.
At the same time, when it gets windy, some bits of the ash might be blown over the food, making it messy. After emptying it regularly, you can opt to have it washed once in a while, or as frequent as you can manage. Doing this leaves you with a grill which is completely spotless for even a healthier meal.
There are other improvised approaches that you can use for cleaning your Weber charcoal grill but before trying any of these ways, ensure that it wont ruin your investment of a lifetime. Like any other kitchen appliance in your home, how well you maintain your grill will determine how long it will stick around to see several other festive seasons, get-togethers and family gatherings.
What I usually tell people is that for effortless cleaning processes, the best way out is cleaning after youre done grilling, so that you store a clean grill, ready for the next grilling session. Keeping them dirty will only have more dirt accumulating over the grease and all that, and actually thats the genesis of stubborn stains.
How To Clean A Weber Charcoal Grill After Grilling
If you perform cleaning right after you are done with grilling, it can save you from putting excessive efforts. It is because, when a grill is warm, the grease and food residue is soft. So, it becomes easier to remove them out of the grill.
So, just start with cleaning a cooking grate first. A simple wiping with a clean cloth or mild soap detergent solution could help a lot.
Once you are done with cleaning, you should apply oil to it. You can do it using a rag or a paper towel.
Why would you need this step?
It will prevent your Weber charcoal grill from rust. While performing the cleaning process, you can also check for the charcoal supply. It can prevent you from any nuisance the next time you plan to grill.
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Wipe With Dry Paper Towels
Depending on how long you might have left the Weber grill unused, small debris, ashes and charcoal dust might have accumulated on your grill, in addition to the layers of grease formed when grilling. In this case, the first step when cleaning is to wipe everything off with a dry paper towel, or a dry piece of cloth.
For a perfectly-cleaned Weber charcoal grill, you should consider wiping it both on the inside and Souter coats. This minimizes the residues that will be collected unlike when you directly use water before wiping. It also reduces chances of the grill scratching from the small debris when scrubbing as detailed in the next step.
How To Clean Your Cooking Grates
Filthy grates are such a pain to deal with in the spring or at the start of the summer when you haven’t touched them all winter.
Did you know that some of our customers even replace these grates each year rather than look after them properly but it couldn’t be easier to clean Weber cooking grates.
There is no need to take the grates off, dishwash, pressure wash or anything drastic!
Instead just do the following each and every time BEFORE you go to cook on your Weber:
Preheat your cooking grates at a high temperature .
Wait for 10-15 mins .
Food from your last cook will carbonise..
Brush clean using a Weber T-Brush.
You are now ready to grill, as simple as that.
If you know that you’re not going to use your BBQ for a while then you could follow this easy process at the end of your cook also.
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How To Deep Clean A Charcoal Grill
Charcoal grills are trickier to start than gas grills but easier to clean, thanks to the absence of a gas fuel system. But they’re just as important to maintain. If you’ve neglected your grill for several months and let it collect dust, then give it a deep clean before putting it back to work.
How To Clean A Gas Grill
Step 1: Scrape the grates
Clean the cooking grates with a grill brush. This is typically done before every use while the grill is preheating to remove leftover debris from the last grilling. This should be done before and after every use.
Step 2: Clean the lid
Before deep cleaning a gas grill, disconnect the gas tank from the grill. Then, when the grill is cool, use a grill brush to clean off any built-up carbon from food on the underside of the lid. Steps two through seven should be done at least every three months.
Step 3: Clean the flavorizer bars and burner tubes
Brush or scrape the flavorizer bars with a grill brush or silicone scraper. Then, using a grill brush, clean the burner tubes by brushing in the direction of the port holes.
- Tovolo Flex-Core All-Silicone Long-Handled Scraper
Step 4: Clean the screens and heat deflectors
Using an old toothbrush, gently brush the air shutter screens until clean. The heat deflectors can be cleaned with a grill brush or a silicone scraper.
Step 5: Clean the cook box
Clean the cook box by using a scraper to chip away any buildup along the sides and bottom. Push all the debris into the grease tray.
Step 6: Clean the grease tray
Remove the grease tray and scrape any debris into the disposable drip pan. Replace the drip pan after wiping out the grease tray. This should be done at least once a month for optimum performance.
Step 7: Clean the exterior
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At The Start Of Grilling Season
If you put the grill away dirty at the end of the previous grilling season, don’t feel bad. You might’ve thought you’d be grilling again that year, then the weather took a turn, one thing led to another, and now it’s next year.
Don’t worry! If this happens, the best way to start the grilling season is to build a fire in your grill to bake off any gunk. This is also a good way to deal with any spiders or insects that may have taken up residence in there.
- After about half an hour of cleansing fire, use the scraper side of your grill brush to remove heavy debris, then use the brush side to thoroughly clean the surface and between the grates of the grill.
- Don’t have a grill brush? Get one! They’re a must for keeping your grill clean. In a pinch you can use a ball of foil held with a pair of long grill tongs.
- Don’t have grill tongs? Get some! And make sure they’re long. Ordinary kitchen tongs are too short and can cause you to burn yourself reaching across a hot grill.
Inspect All The Parts
The annual cleaning is a good time to inspect all the parts and replace any that are worn or damaged. Grill burners can eventually wear out, as can the heat deflectors and other parts. Hardware stores sell many of the parts necessary to tune up a grill, and the grill manufacturer may offer them for sale online.
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