Cleaning your BBQ

The winter months have seemed to have left us now and sao it’s time to be excited for home entertaining. Sadly, the colder days and darker nights may have encouraged us to neglect our gardens and therefore our equipment may have become unusable. The harsh weather can cause havoc on any items left outside, especially your BBQ. If you want to make sure you can continue to flip those burgers and sizzle those sausages, keeping on top of the upkeep of your BBQ is essential. Here, we will look at the best ways to clean your cooking utensil so that it is fit and ready for action when the weather picks up.

Fire it up

This may sound like a weird place to start but stick with us. Although recommended, many of us won’t thoroughly clean our equipment after each use. While the likes of our tongs and spatulas will be cleaned by hand when we pack up, the grill is sometimes left forgotten.  

If this relates to you, it’s time to start up your BBQ – but without the food. By having an intense heat, this will burn off a lot of the most stubborn lingering food pieces and make it easier to rid those still clinging on.

Wipe your grill clean

Once the residue has either disappeared or loosened thanks to the flames of your grill, it’s time to wipe it clean – once it’s cool enough to touch of course! With a wire-bristled brush, scrub over your grill, just as you would with your oven’s version. To avoid any damage to your equipment, it’s recommended that you use a brass-bristled brush. However, don’t fear if you don’t have one of these to hand. Simply screw up a ball of aluminium foil and use this instead.

Next, fill a bucket of soapy water and have it ready. Again, just as you would with your kitchen utensils, clean it with a dishcloth. If you find that the grime is too stubborn, it may be worth investing in some household cleaning products. Just make sure it’s specially designed for the job, otherwise you may find it’s too abrasive and toxic.  

Clean the grill burners and lids.

Once you’ve got your grill shining and germ free, next comes the equipment which shouldn’t take as much cleaning. However, you still need to dust down inside your barbecue, using soapy water where necessary.

For those who have gas BBQs, with food caught in the burners, it’s best to check the manufacturer’s guide you got with it when you purchase it. This will tell you the best way to extract it. Make sure that no matter what is recommended, you’ve turned off your barbecue before you make an attempt.

Cleaning settings on BBQs

Many gas BBQs come with it’s very own self-cleaning setting. While this is a good place to start, it certainly shouldn’t replace a manual clean. Yes, it does burn off certain particles, but it’s not a substitute for regular cleaning.

Ensure that you clean every cooking compartment after using it and clean the heat deflectors every couple of uses. You should also plan in an annual clean and disassemble each part to give it a thorough clean. Before putting your utensil back together, allow each component the time to thoroughly dry so that dampness doesn’t affect your product when left to sit.   

Keep it covered

End your cleaning spree by covering up your equipment. Doing so will keep it in the best possible condition until you want to use it again. While it may seem like a fiddly job and is often overlooked, this will help to protect your BBQ from all the elements Mother Nature may throw at it.

If you haven’t got one, then you should be able to find one that’s best suited to your BBQ model and, even though they’re an added cost, they add years onto your BBQ’s life. This is because it will help you to avoid any unnecessary rust from occurring.  

Of course, each BBQ is different to the other, so it’s important to follow instructions best suited to your equipment. However, by following these steps, you will be well on the way to ensuring the cleanliness of your piece and your barbecue will be ready for use when the sun makes its next appearance.

Sources

• https://www.thespruce.com/how-often-should-i-clean-my-grill-1900617
• https://www.idealhome.co.uk/care-and-cleaning/how-to-clean-a-bbq-170977