Is your BBQ grill messy from the last cookout? Here are some quick tips on how to clean your grill before you invite the neighbors over for the next barbecue.
Prevention: Instead of going through the trouble of cleaning afterward, you can prevent beforehand if you just spray a little non-stick spray on the rack first. Spray the rack first, then turn the gas on, so you don’t spray and cause undue excitement from your spouse. Spraying will not prevent all from sticking, but it will make it much easier to clean afterward.
Pan Bottoms: Does your pan look like it has suffered multiple burn marks? Is it caked with soot? Simply rub a bar of soap over the bottom of the pan before placing on the rack. The soap will dissolve the soot as you are cooking.
Self-Cleaning Grills: If you wrap your cooking rack with foil, then place it back in the grill, you can clean it like a self-cleaning oven. Turn the grill on for 30 minutes, which will heat up the “debris” on the grill and release its clinging power into the foil. After the foil and rack has cooled, removed foil and any stubborn debris.
What Leak: Sometimes, we can smell a gas leak, but we can’t figure out where it is coming from. Is it the tank, the hose, the connection? The easiest way to find a leak is to use a little dish soap and warm water. Pour a little on the connection and the hose, and then if you see the soap bubbling up, you’ve found your leak.
Unlike the above grill, mine is the old fashion charcoal grill. It may not be a popular idea with some, but before I lay anything on that grill of mine I want it sanitized, and I accomplish this by using the lighter fluid not only on the charcoal but sprinkle it heavily all around the ashes beneath the grill. Be careful when you light it with book matches only, as the flare up might be considerable.
The intense fire and heat will turn all that left over fat and barbeque sauce into black ash, easily scraped away. Then I take a paper towel and wipe the grill quickly to get any ash off it.
Not for everyone I know, but that grill we indeed be germ free and therefor sanitized.
