Deep cleaning your grill can be a job we all like to avoid, but proper care and maintenance will ensure you get the longest life out of your barbecue. Cleaning will also help to restore your grill to peak performance and gives you the chance to inspect components clearly for wear and tear.
To get the best return on your time investment - follow the steps below to simplify the process so that you go from grime to grillin' as quickly as possible!
Required Tools:
- Set of work gloves
- Grill brush, preferably bristle style
- Small paint scraper (1.5"-3")
- Barbecue Cleaner / Degreaser of your choice
- Softball sized ball of aluminum foil
- Painters tape / Masking Tape
- Garbage Bag
Recommended Extras:
- Small tarp or plastic drop sheet
** Please note that when using a Cleaner / Degreaser inside your grill it will eventually need to be rinsed out so be prepared for a decent amount of water to drain through the bbq and onto the ground. **
Step One: Find a good work space
Start by finding a good area to complete the project, preferably with a good amount of space and with access to a garden hose. If you have a small tarp or similar that you can lay down while cleaning it will help to not only protect the surface below, but will also speed up the final tidy up once the job is done.
Step Two: Quick clean prior to soak
Now is a great time to empty the lower grease cup and also give the large grease tray a real quick once over with your scraper. This will allow you to easily collect all the mess being scraped down from the inside of the cookbox during the cleaning.
At this time you can also remove all cooking grates, heat plates, warming racks etc from the grill to give you better access to the entire cookbox. Give the heat plates a real quick scrape with your paint scraper and set aside. Cooking Grate cleanup can be found HERE
Step Three: Burner Cleanup
We like to start with the burners so that they are not wet when applying the painters tape prior to rinsing... more on that later! It also helps to keep debris out while cleaning.
Let's start by using your bristle brush to scrape off any loose debris from the burner tubes. This should give you a better look at the condition of the tube itself. Have a quick look and inspect for cracks or holes. If you see any cracking between orifice holes, or any new holes or damage to the burners they will need to be replaced. When the tube loses its integrity, the balance of the gas pressure will be disrupted resulting in uneven heating and hot spots on your grill.
Once the tubes are fairly clean (they don't need to be shiny!) focus on opening up any of the burner orifice holes that may have clogged over with grease. Many times the holes appear normal but actually have a plug of dark grease blocking the port. Your bristle brush will usually do the trick, but sometimes using something like a paperclip or sewing needle is required to poke the hole clear. This small step makes a big difference in the overall performance of your grill! Now onto prepping the burners for eventual rinsing.
Any time water is introduced into your grill you want to ensure that it does not find its way into the burner tubes. You can either choose to remove the burners completely, or we like to use a strip of painters tape to cover the holes in the tube while rinsing the cookbox. Some burners use a single row of holes on the top of the burner, while others use two rows - one on each side of the burner tube. Just ensure you do your best to cover as many as possible. If you don't have any painters tape handy, a plastic bag placed around the burner can also do the trick.
** If water does find its way into the burner tubes it can pool at the bottom and create a rippling or fluttering effect to the burners flame. If you experience this, remove the burners from the grill and dry them out completely before re-installing. **
Step Four: Lid Cleanup
The inside of your grills lid will likely need some attention, and may have what almost appears to be paint peeling back - this is actually baked-on carbonized grease and smoke residue that builds up over time and then eventually peels back due to the heat/cool cycle of the grill.
For this part of the cleanup use the crumpled up, softball sized ball of aluminum foil and use it to scrub the inside of the lid. The foil is strong enough to knock off a lot of the carbon while being gentle enough to not scratch your grills finish. Once complete, you can also use paint scraper to further tidy up the lids interior.
Step Five: Cookbox Loose Debris Clean
In this step don't focus too heavily on making things perfect - we just want to bulk off the loose debris stuck to the sides of the cookbox so that the cleaner has the best chance of breaking down all that grease.
Using the paint scraper, start to shave the interior walls of the grill downward toward the grease tray. Depending on how dirty the grill is you may need to empty the tray once or twice during the process so keep a garbage bag handy.
Once complete, remove all tools etc from the cookbox and empty the grease cup and tray one more time prior to spraying on the degreaser!
Step Six: Degreaser Soak
We've now come to the main part of the cleaning - the cookbox degreaser soak!
Take your chosen cleaner/degreaser and soak all walls of the cookbox liberally. Allow to soak for approx 5 min. Next use your bristle brush to agitate and scrub all walls while the degreaser is still wet. We like to give it an extra shot of fresh degreaser after agitating. Allow to soak for another 5 min. Give it one final scrub with your bristle brush before preparing to rinse.
Step Seven: Final Rinse
Now that most of the hard work is complete, it's time to complete the final rinse. Make sure to plan for a significant amount of water to come out through the bottom of the grill.
Using the hose on a very low setting, rinse the entire cookbox making sure to get any leftover degreaser.
In extreme cases, a second application and agitation of degreaser may be required.
Step Eight: Allow to dry
Allow the grill to dry thoroughly. While drying you can use this time to tidy up your Cooking Grates and Warming Rack.
Step Nine: Replace Internal Components / Burn Off
Re-install the grill internals including heat plates, cooking grates and warming racks. Finally, pre-heat the grill to med-high heat and allow to run for 15-20min before adding food. This will ensure any left behind degreaser will be burned off completely.
Step Ten: Enjoy Your Clean BBQ!
- The Johnstone's Team