With some sunshine and blue skies, summer brings lots of scope for planning barbecue parties.
When you’re prioritising sorting the essentials such as your propane or charcoal supply, not to mention those tasty marinades and stocking up on ingredients before they sell out – cleaning your barbecue might be the last thing on your mind.
How much does this really matter though?
“It’s important to keep your barbecue clean, as just like with everything else, it needs to be maintained so you’re able to use your grill time and time again,” says Dan Cooper, head grill master at Weber.
“If you don’t regularly clean your barbecue, you can run the risk of exposing your fresh food to residue, dirt and grime, which could ultimately affect the taste and flavour of your cooking.”
To help you get to grips with the build-up of grease and grime, here are some expert-recommended guidelines.
1. If your barbecue hasn’t been used for a while, give it a thorough clean
When it comes to giving your barbecue a thorough clean, Mr Cooper says the first step is key. “Heat your barbecue up to the max for about 30 minutes – this will help to burn off most of the old residual grease and fat.”
“Then, it’s essential to have the right tools for the next steps so you can clean the grate, internal components and exterior of the barbecue properly, to help keep your grill cooking and looking like new, season after season,” he continues. “Helping to ensure high performance and the utmost in barbecue safety.”
Cleaning your barbecue at regular intervals is absolutely essential, as a barbecue with a build-up of grease is dangerous to use and won’t last as long.
By removing all parts and scrubbing off the charred fat build-up with a wire brush, and then cleaning with a dedicated barbecue cleaner greatly extends the life of the parts. It also saves money on having to continually replace them, just because they’ve reached dangerous levels of fat residue build-up.
2. Always eliminate dirt from the cooking grates
“Make sure your barbecue is still hot, and then brush the cooking grates with a grill brush to remove any leftover residue that may be left behind after the burn-off,” advises Mr Cooper.
“Next, we recommend using half a raw onion on the end of a barbecue fork to scrub the grates. This will pick up any grease left behind, as well as any small specks of dirt and carbon, due to its acidity.”
3. Once cooled, clean the internal bits
Let it cool down before proceeding to the next step. “Put on your rubber gloves and remove all the grates and internal components,” says Mr Cooper. “Then use a T-brush and scraper to clean everything, making sure all grease channels are clear, before placing them back into the barbecue.
“Make sure you don’t jet-wash or put components in the dishwasher, as this can cause some parts to rust,” he adds.
Make sure you wear some gloves to protect your hands and nails.
4. Your barbecue will benefit from a good buff
Once you’ve got the chore of cleaning everything out of the way and patted yourself on the back, it’s time to polish up.
“Use your microfibre cloth for buffing to give your barbecue the best shine possible,” says Mr Cooper. “And that’s it – you’re now ready to grill and become a grill master this season. Enjoy!”
How often do you use your barbecue? Why not share your favourite thing to grill in the comments section below?
– With PA
Also read: Barbecued Sticky Pork Spare Ribs
What a load of rubbish. When I grew up the backyard barbecue was only ever cleaned with a bit of screwed up newspaper and a bit of oil on the hot plate. And here I am alive and well at 70.