How To Clean a BBQ: A Step By Step Guide For You

This guide will demonstrate many tips & tricks on how to clean a BBQ thoroughly.

A conventional charcoal grill will resemble a kettle with three legs and wheels (or without). Your charcoal grill’s bottom section will include an ash catcher and a firebox with a vent for starting a charcoal fire. A charcoal grill’s cooking section is a chamber within the kettle equipped with a grill rack and a removable lid (usually with a vent).

Additionally, charcoal grills are available in the form of drums, barrels, portable BBQs, and charcoal smokers.

Cleaning essentials include the following:

• Catcher of ash
• Rack for grilling
• Vents
• Lid for the kettle

In comparison to charcoal grills, gas grills offer a greater variety of options in terms of size, number of burners, and optional attachments such as hot plates and sink areas.

The cooking area of a gas BBQ grill is comprised of a cooking grate on a lower shelf and a warming rack above. Unlike a charcoal grill, this one will be surrounded by a fold-over lid. The grill is then lit from beneath by burners, and optionally, a side burner or hot plate is included.

Cleaning essentials of gas BBQ include the following:

• Knobs for ignition and temperature
• Side burner
• Racks for grilling and warming
• Connector with gas tube

How To Clean a BBQ

Cleaning a Barbecue: From the Inside

• While the interior is still hot, brush it.

We’ll go into greater detail below on cleaning your BBQ grill. First you should use the wire brush you brought along to clean the grill racks and warming racks.

Excess food and burn marks should be removed by working up and down the grill in the direction of the bars. After that, you can turn off your gas grill.

If you’re grilling with charcoal, grab a bin or one of the pots. Remove the charcoal grate once the charcoals have cooled fully. Remove these coals and also scrape the ash catcher’s bottom.

Charcoal can still become lodged at the bottom of the cook box, obstructing the vent. This can make it difficult to control the temperature during your next barbecue.

• Clean the interior when its cooled down.

Once your grill has cooled entirely, you’re ready to conduct a thorough cleaning of the interior. Lightly test the grill rack with your hand to determine if it is ready to handle.

This phase can be accomplished in a variety of ways. It depends on the size of your BBQ and its numerous components. (And how much elbow grease you’ve accumulated!)

• To begin, remove any fittings such as grill racks, side burner plates, or an empty ash catcher.

• Working along the length of your grill with your plastic scraper, scrape any excess grease into a grease trap or pan.

If much grease has accumulated, use an absorbent agent such as cat litter or ground coffee. This will aid in the absorption of grease, which you can then discard! Make a point of never pouring grease or oil down the drain.

• Collect the rubber gloves, the scourer, and the bucket (filled with diluted hot soapy water).

• Using the scourer side, scrub the inside of your BBQ grill. Repeat dipping the sponge into the hot soapy water and flipping it over.

• While you’re at it, soak grill racks in hot soapy water to remove any remaining grime.

• Alternatively, place hot plates and grill racks in the dishwasher. Keep in mind that if you own a cast-iron grill, you should always clean it by hand!

• At this point, you may either wait for the dishwasher cycle to complete or rinse and dry everything. Additionally, if you want to keep it easy, you can simply use a spray.

Whether you utilized hot soapy water or specialized BBQ cleaning sprays, the insides and components of your grill should be clean.

In either case, once you’ve cleaned and dried the inside of your BBQ and the grill racks, it’s time to go on to the following stage.

• Reheat it to complete the cleaning

If you’ve used any chemical sprays or cleaning agents on your BBQ (even soap and water), it’s better to re-heat it. This will assist in burning off any residue left behind by cleaning sprays.

Cleaning a Barbecue: From the Outside

We’ll discuss cleaning the exterior of your grill and everything that’s on it in this phase.

In general, utilize the gloves, sponge, warm soapy water (from a new batch), and bucket. Work around the BBQ, taking care to avoid the gas connector for the time being.

Make certain to lavish special attention on locations such as the ignition, temperature control knobs, and handle. These are the most often touched areas of your BBQ (sometimes with bacteria or raw food remaining on your hands!).

If you own a stainless-steel gas grill, wipe with the grain to avoid scratching the surface. Additionally, you might apply a stainless-steel spray or polish.

Use soapy water to clean an enamel or painted grill. You can lightly sand and then paint rust patches.

Any rust you see on a stainless-steel grill is not rust (since stainless steel does not rust). As a result, you can use a light abrasive to carefully remove it.

Dislodge dirt from your gas nozzle using a small device such as a paperclip or a toothpick, then wipe clean. You may now inspect your gas lines for rust or holes.

On do so, put a thin layer of soapy water to your gas line. Any visible air bubbles indicate a puncture – exactly as when inspecting a bicycle tire tube!

Finally, but certainly not least, carefully dry the outside of your BBQ with the microfiber towel from earlier.

Cleaning a Barbecue: The Grill

The grill is a critical component of any BBQ. It is frequently in contact with raw meat and fish and is resistant to high temperatures. As a result, it must be taken care of.

Thus far, we’ve determined that you must:

Scrape your grill with a wire brush while it is still hot (be wary of bristles falling off and getting into your food!). Then allow to cool before washing with a cleaning spray or hot soapy water. Dry it well and reinstall it in your BBQ.

Drying your grills and drying racks properly can help prevent them from rusting. However, we have a couple other tricks under our sleeves.

To begin, if you lack a wire brush, you can simply scrunch up some aluminum foil and scrub your BBQ grill with it.

Finally, but certainly not least, pay some love to your grill for the next time. Rub your grill with a small amount of vegetable oil with a dish towel. This will assist in preventing food from adhering when you use it in the future.

BBQ Cleaning Tips And Tricks

No matter what situation you find yourself in, we’d all like to know the best technique to clean a grill and get rid of all the grease and grime that accumulates over time. Fortunately for you, many common household things in your kitchen and around the house can be used as effective cleaning agents. Follow these creative cleaning tricks and you’ll have a clean BBQ in no time, whether you have a freestanding or a little portable BBQ.

• Using a steam cleaning system

If you’ve been cooking on your BBQ all day, cover the grill with a piece of newspaper soaked in water and close the lid to keep the heat out. Leave it closed for 30 minutes to allow the steam to thoroughly clean it.

• Putting the dishwasher to work

Unless your BBQ is extremely large, the hotplates should be able to fit into the dishwasher without issue. Once again, attempt to clean them while they are still warm for the greatest results.

• Using vinegar

In a spray bottle, combine 500ml of vinegar with the same quantity of water. Use immediately. 10 minutes after spraying the solution onto the grill, remove it from the heat source. To clean the grill, empty the bottle, then refill with vinegar, and spray on, and then scrub.

• Making use of an onion

While the heat in your grill is still hot, use a wooden skewer to brush the onions over the bars. In addition to cleaning them, the water in the onion steam aids in the removal of any food that has stuck to them during the course of the cooking process.

• Using baking soda

Dissolve some baking soda in water over the barbecue, then sprinkle it over the grill. Scrub the grill with a sponge and a scourer until all of the baking soda has been removed and the surface is shining.

• Using heated water

If there are any remaining crumbs on your grill, clean them with hot, soapy water to remove them. Instead of a BBQ grill brush, you can fold up a piece of aluminum foil and use it as a substitute.

• Using beer

To preheat your grill, fill it half-full of beer and scrub it with scrubbing brush until it is hot. In little time at all, your grill will be gleaming clean.

• Cleaning the base

It’s critical to clean out the ash and coals from the previous cooking session before starting over. To clean up, place the items in a bucket and use moist kitchen towels. After that, give it a thorough cleaning with warm, soapy water.

• Getting rid of fat and oil in the appropriate manner

Scrape cooled fats, oils, and grease into a container or onto a piece of newspaper before throwing them away or recycling them. You may get a free fat trap from a lot of different water companies. Cooking oil should be mixed with an absorbent item such as cat litter or coffee grinds before being disposed of in trash.

• Turning up the heat

When you’re finished cleaning, turn on the BBQ for at least 15 minutes to get it ready. This will ensure that any remaining cleaning agents are burned off and that the food taste will not be compromised when the oven is next used for cooking.

Always remember to safeguard your BBQ and maintain it clean until the next time you need to use it. Invest in a basic, weather-resistant BBQ cover to keep your grill protected.

How To Clean a Gas BBQ

Although experts agree that your grill only has to be deep cleaned 1-2 times a year, I’d argue that it should be done every few months if you grill year-round. Vegetables slip through the grates, thick marinades splash, and grease from burgers and steaks quickly accumulates. Often, you can use the eye test to determine when it is necessary.  If nothing else, make sure to do it before and after the summer grilling season, which is especially important.

All you need is a nice grill brush, some soapy water, an empty bucket for the trash, and an old sponge to clean your gas BBQ.

Taking Care of Your Gas Grill

When it comes to keeping your grill in good condition, there isn’t much you can do to improve it. To ensure years of effective and safe cooking, follow these simple tips:

• Keep an eye out for gas leaks in your system

Run some soapy water down the gas line and connections on a monthly basis. Bubbles in the pipeline are a sign of a leak, and they indicate that something must be tightened or the pipeline has to be replaced.

• Protect your grill by covering it

When not in use, cover your grill. The majority of businesses create their own covers, which must be purchased individually, but are definitely worth it. Preventing your grill from getting rusty also helps keep it clean.

• Maintain it on a regular basis

The grill should be thoroughly cleaned every few months if you use it a lot, as well as spot cleaned after each usage. After brushing the grates and wiping clean the exterior with Windex, you’re ready to go. A great option is to leave the grill on high for 15 minutes a week to get rid of any excessive muck buildup. This prevents filth from accumulating excessively, which might happen more quickly than you expect.