Your BBQ Could Be Making You Sick: Cleaning Is The Cure
If you want your grill to last and cook well, you’ll need to keep it clean. You should scrub the grates after every use, and thoroughly clean them twice a season. Be sure to wear gloves and use hot water, a plastic scour pad and a degreaser (like dish soap or a safe spray).
Never use caustic oven cleaners, bleach or chlorine, as these can damage metal.
1. Clean the Grates
A dirty grill grates make it harder for your food to cook evenly, and it can also affect the taste of the meat you’re cooking. Its best to start the steam cleaning and degreasing process. Plus, if you’re using a gas or propane grill, a dirty grate can transfer grease to your food and cause rusting. Ideally, you should scrape your grill grates after each use and give them a deep clean at least once a year.
Begin with a bucket of warm water and a few squirts of dish soap. Scrub your grill thoroughly with a scrub brush or nylon scouring pad to remove any dirt or gunk from the surface. Be sure to wear rubber gloves when cleaning your grill to prevent burns and to protect the finish of the grill. Avoid steel wool, metal sponges, and coarse scouring pads, as they can leave scratches on the surface.
If you’re not a fan of the chemical-laden cleaners like oven cleaner and strong degreasers, a natural alternative is vinegar solution. Vinegar is an effective grease cutter and can disinfect your grates. To create your vinegar solution, place 2 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of baking soda into a garbage bag. Add your grates and let them soak for 8 hours or overnight.
After soaking your grates, rinse them with a hose or sink faucet. Be sure to rinse completely, and dry them with a clean sponge or cloth.
When your grates are dry, apply a light coat of vegetable oil to them with a paper towel or Viva(r) Signature Cloth(tm) Paper Towel. This will help keep your grates from sticking to your food and prevent rusting in the future.
If you’re in a hurry, skip the soaking and scrubbing steps and spray your grates with Dawn Powerwash. This product breaks down the grease and grime on your grates so you can quickly rinse them away. Just be sure to follow the safety instructions on the label, and if you’re using a gas grill, remember to disconnect the supply line before spraying. This will minimize the risk of fire or explosions.
2. Clean the Burners
The burners are the heart of your grill, and they are exposed to a lot more grime than grates. It’s important to clean your burners regularly to ensure that they work correctly. If they’re clogged with grease or food bits, it can affect your cooking results and cause them to become more difficult to operate. The most important thing to remember when cleaning the burners is to make sure that you turn off the gas before you start working on them. If you don’t, you could end up with a dangerous mess that is impossible to get out without a complete disassembly of the entire grill.
The first step in preparing to clean your grill burners is to remove any components that are attached to them, such as the flame tamers or flavorizer bars. This will allow you to get direct access to the burner ports so that you can thoroughly clean them. When you’re ready to begin, you should start by spraying a degreaser on the burner ports and then using a brush or stainless scrubbing pad to scrub away any grime that has accumulated. Be careful not to get too aggressive with your scrubbing or you could damage the burner ports. It’s also a good idea to wipe down the burners with hot soapy water to make sure that they are completely dry before you start using them again.
You should also periodically clean the venturi tubes, which are the holes in your grill that mix air and gas to power the burners. These tubes can be difficult to reach, but they need to be free of grit and dirt in order to work properly. If the venturi tube becomes clogged, it can cause your burners to overheat and burn out. It’s a good idea to clean these tubes with a wire brush, needle or paper clip at least once a year.
Once you’re finished with the burners, it’s a good idea to give the rest of your grill a quick cleaning with warm soapy water. Don’t forget to wipe down the knobs and side panels so that they are also completely clean and dry.
3. Clean the Drip Pan
The drip pan of a grill is where all the grease and food particles collect. Just like with grates, you want to clean this regularly to minimize bacteria and food contamination.
You can purchase a few different types of grill cleaning brushes and tools, but nothing beats a long-handled wire brush*, a scrubber, a bucket, warm water, and mild dish soap (like Dawn). Avoid using caustic cleaners or other harsh chemicals, as these can leave behind an off flavor in the foods you cook on your grill.
Before you begin, make sure your grill is completely cooled down and that you’re wearing gloves to protect yourself from any burns. You’ll also want to remove the cooking grates, any heat deflectors, and if your grill has one, the grease or ash catcher. Place them aside and allow them to soak while you clean the rest of the grill.
You’ll want to brush the burner tubes, but be careful not to scrape off any of the porcelain coating. You’ll also want to clean the drip pan, which should be removed from the grill and emptied out. You can then rinse it off with a sponge and warm soapy water.
Most people assume that the high temperatures of a grill’s flames are enough to destroy any leftover food or germs, but it isn’t 100% effective. In fact, the lingering particles can produce unusual odors or flavors in your grilled foods, and even attract bugs and other critters. In addition, a buildup of fatty deposits can corrode the metal grates over time. For this reason, Birmingham, Alabama chef Sedesh Boodram of Anvil Pub & Grill always wipes down his grill before and after every use and thoroughly cleans it after every three to five uses. He also regularly removes and rinses the drip pan. If he doesn’t have a grease trap, he places a piece of aluminum foil in the pan to keep it from overflowing.
4. Clean the Exterior
It’s easy to get hung up on cleaning the grates, burners and drip pan of your grill, but you also need to clean the exterior. Leaving a grimy grill unwashed allows bacteria and mold to build up on the surface, which can contaminate food and make you sick. It also causes the grill to heat unevenly, which can affect how your food cooks.
The best time to clean your grill is while it’s still warm, so use a metal scraper or putty knife to push any food particles into the grease trough. If the food is cemented to the surface, try using a baking soda paste to loosen it. Once you’ve brushed away as much debris as you can, use a rag or paper towels to wipe the surface clean. Be careful not to scratch the finish, as some materials, such as porcelain and painted stainless steel, can be sensitive to abrasive cleaners.
If you have a stainless-steel grill, be sure to scrub it with hot soapy water before rinsing. Using abrasive pads or scouring powder can damage the protective layer of chromium oxide that covers the steel. Rinse thoroughly with clean water, and dry the grill to prevent rust.
Keep in mind that the best way to keep your grill in good shape is to perform a quick cleanup every time you use it. If you do, you can avoid the long and messy deep cleans that are necessary to remove built-up grime. So get in the habit of running a rag over everything and cleaning out the ash tray after each use, and your grill will be looking like new all summer long. Then you can enjoy the delicious grilled flavors you’ve been missing out on!
