Well, summer is finally here in earnest, so I went and unearthed the grill from the back of the garden shed at the weekend, ready for the barbecue season. Nothing is better than sausages and burgers on a breezy afternoon! Then I realised I’d put the barbecue away without cleaning it… so I had some work ahead of me.
The good news is that a regular cleaning is fast and easy.
Here’s what I try to do (when I remember):
1) Get your barbecue up to full heat with the lid closed. Leave it on full blast for a good 20 minutes. This will turn all the grease and stuck-on food particles to ash, and make the rest of the project very easy.
2) Wait for the barbecue to cool (this may take an hour or so), then scrub the entire inside surface and the grill itself with a steel or brass brush.
3) Empty the grease trap. Depending on what type of barbecue you have, this might be full of greasy ash. Give it a going over with the wire brush as well.
Now you’re ready to cook.
The end-of-season deep clean is a bit more involved.
1) Bake and scrub the barbecue and grill just like in steps 1 & 2 above.
2) Remove the grill and wash it in warm water and washing-up liquid. Use a sponge that you don’t mind throwing away afterward. You can buy specialty cleaning products for your grill, but I don’t see much point in it.
3) Dry thoroughly with a towel or rag (do not let it air dry).
4) Brush on a very thin coating of vegetable oil (any kind will do). This will prevent your grill from rusting over the winter.
And that’s all there is to it. Caring for your barbecue is a fairly simple process, but doing it right can greatly extend its useful life. Oh, and that’s 2 burgers for me, ta. I skipped lunch.
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