Best Way to Clean a Barbecue Grill After Everyday Use
Are you planning on firing up the barbecue grill for the first time this weekend? If so, you may want to check out my thoughts on the best way to clean a barbecue grill:
Preparation is the Key
One of the best things that you can do to make barbecue grill clean up a cinch is to prepare your work surface property. That means coating the inside of your charcoal grill with aluminum foil, coating the barbecue grates with oil or non-stick spray and setting up a splatter mat or drip pan before starting to grill. I typically use a drip pan instead of a splatter mat, but that is just my preference. Some folks like to use both.
Timing is Everything
From my perspective, the best time to clean a barbecue grill grate is while it is still slightly warm. I like to use a barbecue grill brush that has close-knit, stiff, brass bristles with a built-in scraper. You can generally purchase one for less than $3 through your local home improvement or hardware store. My family and I go through at least two barbecue grill brushes a year because we barbecue often. I’d recommend scraping down the barbecue grill grate with the barbecue grill brush after every use. Once you’ve scraped most of the mess off of your barbecue grill grate, I’d recommend taking a garden hose and some cleanser to it.
Bar Keepers Friend
Based on my personal experience, Bar Keepers Friend is one of the best things that you can use to clean barbecue grill grates. I keep a container of the stuff in my house at all times. I was first introduced to Bar Keepers Friend when I was working in the hospitality industry. At the time, we used it to clean commercial kitchens and bartenders’ areas. I use it now to clean my barbecue grill, kitchen and bathroom. It works on porcelain, stainless steel and chrome barbecue grill grates. You can find it at most grocery stores. A 21 ounce canister tends to sells for roughly $3.
Food Safe, Commercial Degreasers
I’d also suggest periodically using a food safe, commercial grade, grill degreaser. The commercial degreasers tend to take a foam or liquid form. Most work really well at removing caked on grease and burnt food materials from barbecue grills. You can generally purchase a bottle through retailers that cater to the food service industry. Prices for commercial grade, grill degreasers vary greatly.
Killeen Gonzalez enjoys the great outdoors with her family and has traveled extensively. She has also worked in the hospitality industry.
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