Different Ways to Care for your Barbecue Grill

Cleaning the Bar-B-Que GrillWell, you just finished cooking out and now the true work begins – cleaning the grill.  When caring for your grill, there a number of things to know.  Cleaning the grill will definitely help it last longer.  So, I’ve come up with a short list of things you should know about – whether you are buying a new barbeque grill, reading a barbeque grills review or just wanting to know some tips before you begin cleaning your own.

There are many different methods to care for your barbeque grill, however the most important detail is just to clean it! Not maintaining it at all isn’t the proper approach, but you shouldn’t need to dedicate a lot time maintaining it.

Here is what to do for the preservation and cleaning of your grill. Remember, the proper care can make your grill last a lot longer.

1.  As soon you are finished grilling and the food is removed, start using a grill brush to clean the grill grates and to remove any debris around the cooking area. This should only take a few seconds. If you have porcelain-coated grills, make sure you only use a brass bristle brush – do not scrape the barbeque grill with a scraper since it may take off the porcelain coat.

2.  As soon as barbeque grill is switched off and has cooled down, apply vegetable oil on the grill, and be sure that is well covered.  It protects the grates from corrosion.  You should also put vegetable oil on prior to each time you grill.  Not only does it shield the grates, but will cause any food, char, or debris to fall onto the flames or will turn it to ash once the barbeque grill is switched on and pre-heated.

3.  Try not to abandon the barbeque grill for a long time after you are finished cooking – it’s just like running a self cleaning oven, it’s alright to leave it on to burn the excess foods or char off, however just don’t neglect to switch it off. Leaving it on will put a great deal of stress on the components and just think of how many more times you could have used your barbeque grill in the time you forgot about it and left it on.  Letting the grill to run a minute or two is sufficient since you are going to clean and spray it anyhow.  Additionally, when you pre-heat it next time, it will burn away the excess.

5.  To help ease the cleaning process, wait till the final couple of minutes just before you are finished cooking to apply tomato-based sauces – these types of sauces get thicker fast and become like a cement paste if left on too long. Marinade and baste the food using vinegar, citrus or soy based recipes to help make clean up simpler.

6.  It is not advised to use alcoholic beverages or beer to put out a flame or as the cleaning agent.  You are much better off consuming the beverage or using it in a recipe than wasting it, plus it may damage the grill grates with corrosion.  Use baking soda as a cleaning agent.  By keeping it nearby, it will lessen the inconvenience of you hunting to find it, and if a fire erupts you can make use of it to put out the fire on the grill.

Chrome grills and grates are more complicated to clean than a porcelain coated barbeque grill and tend to corrode relatively easy.  Porcelain coated steel grills withstand rusting and are easy to clean.  Porcelain coated cast iron has the benefits of cast iron wrapped in an easy to clean and maintain package. If you get grills with porcelain coatings be sure to just use a brass bristle brush to thoroughly clean the grills as the brass is fairly soft and will not scratch the porcelain off of the grills.

Cast iron grills hold the heat extremely well and warm very evenly, but must be kept seasoned with cooking food oil to avoid rusting. This can be a challenge on a grill that is used and kept outside.  Stainless steel grills will last a really long time, but do not maintain the heat or sear as well as cast iron. If you are getting a grill with stainless steel grates make sure the barbeque grill rods are thick and heavy, in case you want to sear your steak or fish so that it is left medium rare in the middle. If the majority of of what you do is cook is relatively slow (chicken, pork, roasts), then stainless steel would likely be an easy to maintain, long lasting option.

The last tip I can provide is if you want to lessen the inconvenience and duration of cleaning your grill, keep a carrier or pail of all your barbeque grill utensils and cleaning items nearby.  It took some time for me to learn that lesson of having to search for everything after I was finished cooking.  Now I have all my stuff in a neat little bucket.  Saves me about 15 minutes, and that’s the 15 minutes I use to get the grill cleaned and ready to go for next time.

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