How to clean a BBQ

Nothing says summer like having a BBQ. As the weather warms up and the garden blooms, it is time to dust off the BBQ and enjoy some outdoor dining.

And while the delicious taste of coal (or gas) cooked food is certainly a delight, what is not so good is cleaning the BBQ afterwards. It’s a messy job and that cooked-on food can be stubborn to remove so here are a few tips to help.

No delays

Try to scrape off the worst of the food residue when the grill is still hot (but without touching the hot metal) as this is when the burnt-on food is easiest to loosen. There is a range of special BBQ brushes for sale which can help. Once the grill has cooled enough for it to be handled safely, use a solution of washing up liquid and hot water and set to work.  If you can’t clean it completely, you can use a special BBQ grill cleaner to give you a helping hand. There’s plenty to choose from. Remember to also dry the grill properly so it doesn’t rust. To help, you can wipe it over with some vegetable oil on a piece of kitchen towel to protect it against future rust.

Steam clean

Steam is a great cleaner and that applies to BBQs too. If you have a BBQ with a lid, once it has started to cool, cover the grill with water-soaked newspaper and close the lid. Leave it closed for about 30 minutes while the steam does its work and cooked-on food can be easily wiped away.

Nature’s way

There’s plenty of good BBQ cleaning products on the market but there’s also some natural cleaners which could help to clean your grill. While your grill is cooling, attach an onion to a stick or fork and rub it over the hot bars. The water in the onion will help to remove any stuck on food and clean the bars. Another tip is to mix 500 ml of vinegar with the same amount of water in a spray bottle and dowse the cooling grill. Leave the mixture on for about ten minutes and then spray again but this time with neat vinegar. Once cool, you can then scrub the grill which should come up gleaming. Coffee is also another natural ingredient which helps to shift hard-to-remove food as is baking soda. Just dissolve the baking soda in some water and scrub the grill until the baking soda is gone and the grill is shining.

Fire cleaned

Some BBQ grills are big and cumbersome and it is simply not possible to remove them let alone clean them in the kitchen. However, the Food Standards Agency acknowledges burning off food residue at a high heat will kill any bacteria present. So once you have finished cooking, turn up the gas or stoke the coals and heat the grill for at least 15 minutes. It may not look clean but it should be fine to cook on again.

Don’t forget the base

You have cleaned your grill and safely disposed of the coals, but don’t forget to clean the BBQ base. Once everything has been removed, give the base a good wash with warm, soapy water and then dry it so it does not rust.

You are now ready for your next BBQ. Let the good times roll.

For more information on BBQs including our Weber BBQ cookalong courses, go to our website.