Without looking, you probably know if your grill needs a cleaning, and as we near the end of summer, there's a good chance it does. Cleaning your grill means loving your grill and it will make a world of difference in the flavor of the food you take off the grill . (A little char is one thing, but nobody wants a burnt taste in their bib .) Also, dirty grates attract bacteria, can contaminate food, and make you sick. A dirty grill is also dangerous, as fatty deposits and encrusted leftover food can start an unwanted fire in your garden.
And then there's the health of your grill to consider. The same accumulation of dirt will drastically shorten the life of your Weber or Char-Broil and reduce its day-to-day performance. Gas grills rely on clean burners that allow for an unobstructed flow of propane. If the shell of a gas or charcoal grill is not emptied or cleaned regularly, it will rust and spoil much faster.
If you're wondering how to properly clean and care for your grill so it lasts longer and doesn't cause problems this summer, here are a few simple steps. For this article I used a propane fueled model to illustrate the best grill cleaning techniques, but this routine can work for charcoal grills , pellet smokers, and Kamado grills as well. (See How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet and How to Clean Your Kitchen in Under 15 Minutes for more cleaning tips.)
How often should you clean your grill?
How often you need to clean your grill depends on how often you use it and how dirty it gets during use. Most experts recommend deep cleaning your grill at least twice a year and doing a lighter routine cleaning after each use. If you grill a lot (or aren't that good at cleaning up after dinner), three times a year would be a better schedule. If you grill seasonally, you should definitely give your grill a thorough cleaning before storing it for the winter, and probably again in the middle of peak season.
How to properly clean a grill
1. Open the grill and take it apart.
First you have to open the grill and remove its different parts. This will give you access to the main chamber of the grill. Usually located below the grates, heavy leftovers and droplets of fat fall out here.
Start with a cold grill. Open the hood, remove the cooking grates and set them aside. Some propane models also have one or more metal heat sinks that sit over the burners. If your grill has these, remove them as well.
2. Clean the inside of the grill.
Inside the grill, also known as the "grill box", large amounts of fat and leftover food often accumulate. Using an inexpensive spatula (metal or plastic) or an old spatula, scrape down the sides of the cookbox to remove as much dirt as possible.
Any thin, flat tool will do. Just make sure it offers a good surface or grip to hold on to. You might also want to think about getting a pair of work gloves as it's bound to be some dirty work.
On charcoal and wood pellet grills, ash collects in the charcoal pans and in the fire pits. This in turn restricts airflow and ultimately affects cooking performance. And with pellet grills, the ash can cause the pellet system to misfire. Sometimes this situation leads to a dangerous overheating condition if too much fuel is ignited at once.
Avoid this by regularly cleaning the grill of ash deposits. However, make sure you do this when the ash has completely cooled.
Watch this: How to safely clean your grill
3. Disconnect the tubes from the burners.
When you have a gas grill , the burner tubes are often clogged. A symptom of fouled burners is reduced flame size. You can also burn with an orange color instead of the usual blue. Both indicate unusually low temperatures and a too weak grill.
Typically, a gas grill will have multiple burner tubes, but some may only have one. Gently clean the small holes in the tubes with a nylon or steel wire brush. Be sure to stroke outwards from the center of the tube, moving to the sides (not up or down). Otherwise, there is a risk of foreign objects entering the pipe or holes instead of cleaning them.
Use a metal scraper instead of a steel bristle brush.
4. Clean the cooking grates.
Raise the grill, set it to the highest setting and close the hood. It may even be that the burner dials show a certain degree of cleanliness. After a few minutes, open the lid and vigorously scrape the grates. I recommend using a bristle-free metal grill brush, like the $21 Kona Safe Clean Grill Brush. It is made of stainless steel and contains no bristles. Therefore it is safe to use on porcelain, ceramic, steel and cast iron surfaces.
You can also use a nylon brush, but make sure you only do this when the grill has cooled. Other options include the $17 GrillArt grill brush and scraper or the $10 Char Broil nylon bristle grill brush .
It may happen that a thorough cleaning is required, for example at the beginning of the barbecue season. To loosen charred and stubborn dirt, soak the grates in soapy water overnight. Another option is to rub the grates with a spray-on grill cleaner like Simple Green .
A metal scraper removes dirt without leaving dangerous hair behind.
5. Prevent future accumulations
Certain measures can help to prevent the formation of dirt and grease deposits. One method is to oil the hot grill grates with some cooking oil just before grilling. Likewise, rubbing your grill grates with a raw onion is another tactic you can try. If you have a non-bristled grill brush, it's a good idea to scrape hot grill grates before and after you grill.
Another tactic is to rub the hot grates with the open side of a sliced (halved) onion. The idea here is that you're flavoring the grates while also adding moisture. This would also release organic compounds that break down stubborn grease and dirt. I didn't find it to be as effective as an exfoliant, but it smells wonderful.
A thorough cleaning every few months is the best way to enjoy a spotless grill. A little effort goes a long way.
Check out more cleaning tips here: How to get the organized TikTok fridge look and how to remove and keep mold out of your washing machine .
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