It’s no secret… The key to keeping your BBQ lasting longer and your dishes cooked the most deliciously is to keep that baby clean! But just how do you go about cleaning your BBQ efficiently? Well, that all depends on what sort of BBQ that you have, and what pieces are involved.
The Grill
If you have a BBQ with a grill over the top, then the best time to clean the grill is while it is warm. If the grill is removable, take it off first. First, scrape off the food as much as you can with a scraper. Then, use a wire bristle brush to brush off the rest of the food. After, scrub all over with warm soapy water to remove all the residue. If there is a drip tray, wash away all the fat and grease and wash with warm soapy water.
Once the grill is all clean, you can replace it and then run your BBQ until it gets hots – which will remove any soapy taste from when you cook with it next. In fact, you need to run your BBQ for around 15 minutes hot before every cook, just to kill off any germs that may be lurking.
Stainless Steel Plates
If your BBQ has stainless steel plates, then you need to be very careful about what sort of substances that you apply to it. This means no strong chemicals, and no harsh scrubbers, or metal scrubbers, as they can destroy the surface of your BBQ tray. Treat them gently and with gentle products to ensure that they are long lasting.
No High-Pressure Cleaning
Although you use your high-pressure cleaner for lots of cleaning tasks in the back garden, cleaning your BBQ with it should not be one of them. Cleaning off food scraps at high pressure means that they’ll go flinging off into your garden and get all over absolutely everything – which is pretty gross. Let the high-pressure cleaner for walls and paths and things where the only thing to get flung about is a bit of dirt, dust, and cobwebs.
Use A Grill Sheet For Your Drip Tray
If you have a drip tray on your BBQ, one thing that you can do to reduce the amount of cleaning you need to do all the time is to pick up some disposable drip tray covers from the local hardware store. If you use these to line your drip tray each time you can just throw them out if you have a BBQ so that you don’t have to clean the tray itself as regularly.
For A Fire Pit
If you have a BBQ over a fire pit, then you might be tempted to clean out the inside of the bowl even now and then. However, this usually isn’t a good idea. Why’s that, you say? Well, like a work, the fats used in cooking helps to protect the bowl of the fire pit, so washing them away with soap may actually be detrimental to your BBQ.
If you go too long between cleans of your BBQ, then you might find that it’s rusted or just no longer salvageable. If this is the case, then you might like to consider getting a new one. Outdoor fire pits in all sorts of shapes and sizes are a good cheaper option that can also keep you toasty warm over winter too.
For those looking for a smaller, or portable option, you can now pick up a little Webber that you can use in small areas like a small apartment balcony. It’s barbequing minimalism style.
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