Whether you're making slow-smoked barbecue, fast-and-fantasic burgers, or quick grilled fish, there's one thing you need to know: How to clean a barbecue grill. If you've never cleaned your gas or charcoal grill, you might have to put in a little elbow grease, but once they're primed, maintaining your grill is an easy routine. And the reward: clean, distinct grill marks, food that tastes like what you're grilling now (instead of what you grilled last weekāew), and less fuss when flipping or otherwise encouraging your food to release from the blazing metal. So why put this off any further? The faster you clean, the faster you can start grilling.
How to Clean a Barbecue Grill
1. Remove Old Ash From the Grill Base
Remove the upper and lower grill grates and set them aside. Using a small grill shovel or handheld brush and dustpan, remove the ash and burnt-out charcoal from the base of your grill. Dispose of it in a non-combustible container in the trash. If your charcoal is 100% hardwood, you can also reuse it in your backyard, since hardwood ash can help improve the quality of your soil. You can either spread cooled ash throughout your yard directly, dissolve it in a bucket of water to pour over your garden, or add it to the compost pile.
2. Fire Up the Grill and Scrub
The heat will help loosen up the clinging dirt particles, and in some instances char them into easy-to-remove ash. Get your grill good and hotācover your gas grill to concentrate the heat, or, if you're using charcoal, by all means use a chimney to get things started. Then use a wire grill brush to aggressively scrub the grates. This is where you might need a little strength and determinationāand a good pair of heat resistant gloves wouldn't hurtābut once you get passed this step, it's smooth sailing.
3. Oil the Grill Grates
Grab a cloth kitchen towel (one reserved especially for this taskāhere's the Epi favorite) and dip it in vegetable oil so that it's just coated but not dripping. Using tongs to hold the towel, rub the oil all over the grill grates. According to Joe Carroll, chef of Fette Sau and co-author of Feeding the Fire, āif youāre cooking steak, your grill is now primed and ready.ā But, he notes that if youāre cooking something more delicate, like skinless chicken, or meat coated with a sticky sauce, āwait 5 minutes and then oil the grates again.ā He suggests oiling three to four timesāand up to 10 times for fishāevery time you grill.
4. Repeat
When you're finished grilling, but while the grill grates are still hot, give them a once over with the brush and then again with the oiled cloth. That way, the next time you're ready for a cookout, your grill is waiting for you, and not the other way around.
