It’s Summer Time- Let’s Talk Grill Maintenance

by Ryan Ruffcorn

Grills, music, and sunshine- it’s barbeque season! Summertime the best time to fire up the grill. The Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association says that 70% of Americans own a grill or smoker. But what we don’t know- how many are maintained, cleaned, and ready for the next cookout.

No matter how often you use your grill, cleaning it regularly is a must. Before getting into cleaning tips- let’s go over some general safety tips:

The 10- foot rule: grills should be kept 10-feet away from structures- this includes sheds and carports.
Stable surfaces for BBQ grill placement: a grill should not be ignited if not on a stable surface.
Don’t overload the grill with food: too much fat and flesh dripping onto the grill can cause flames.
Make sure the charcoal embers are out: sometimes, charcoal embers appear to be out but are not.

Why Cleaning a Grill is Important

Cleaning grills kills bacteria and helps improve food flavor. A clean grill improves the grill’s efficiency and increases the life span. Less build-up, fewer bacteria, turns into the reduction of flare-ups and soot.

Cleaning grills also remove carcinogens. It’s important to remove harmful carcinogens and charred food particles that can be transferred to food.

The Areas that Should Be Cleaned on the Grill

Because there is more to a grill than one may realize, taking the grill apart is a good idea.

The grates: turn on your grill to the highest temperature setting and allow it to run 10-15 minutes. This allows leftover food to burn. Use a bristleless scraper to remove the residue/debris

The lid: the build-up of soot will look like paint chipping. Cleaning the lid will help with efficiency and will improve flavor.

Cleaning cobwebs: use a wet and dry vacuum to suck up the cobwebs or other debris that may be in or on your grill.

It’s important to check the grills fittings, tubes, and connections to make sure that everything is in good condition before igniting. The tubes should have no: bug build-up, grease build-up, or food build-up.