The Secret To Cleaning A BBQ
As summer season approaches, barbecue owners around the country will likely look forward to getting their outdoor grills fired up. Spending a warm evening in the backyard with good friends and family and a grill full of tasty food is among life's simple delights. Keeping your barbecue clean, however, is not so much fun. It makes sense, then, to make sure that you know the very best and quickest way to get your grill grate clean so time can be spent taking advantage of the great weather, instead of toiling over the BBQ. The method explained below will work with a gas grill, charcoal grill, rotisserie grill or infrared grill.
There are two things to think about when cleaning your barbecue: the appropriate cleaning device and the appropriate cleaning technique. The appropriate tool would be an excellent quality, heavy duty wire grill brush. There are a plethora of brushes available, yet if you know what you are looking for the choice narrows down dramatically. Perhaps the most crucial point is picking one that will not cause any kind of damage to your grill grate, particularly if you have a costly Weber or Char-Broil BBQ. It is typically believed that the best option is a brass bristle grill brush, as brass is softer and as a result will not scratch your grates, and that stainless steel bristle grill brushes should be avoided. This is not necessarily true, however. While some stainless steel grill brushes might damage grates, particularly the more delicate porcelain coated grill grates, many won't. The advantage of stainless steel brushes is that they clean a lot more effectively and last much longer by virtue of their stiffer and more durable bristles. For this reason, the most effective brush would be a stainless steel grill brush which scratches neither porcelain enamel coated nor cast iron grill grates.
The next point to think about when picking a brush is the brush design. The majority of conventional brush heads are composed of a wood or plastic block, in to which a series of bristles are embedded, all pointing the exact same way. While a brush of this layout is good for cleaning the center of the grill, it will be unable to effectively clean the sides and corners of the grate. A much superior design is one consisting of a twisted wire frame, from which bristles protrude in every direction. This enables the user to hold the brush at any kind of angle without losing contact between the bristles and the grate. This, consequently, means that the user is easily able to clean all areas of the gril.
Lastly, you should try to find a brush with a rigid, lengthy handle. This allows you to clean the grill when it is hot, without needing to worry that you might burn your arms. The ideal length is 17 to 18 inches, unless you have an extremely sizable barbecue. In that instance an even longer handled brush may be more effective. Bear in mind that the longer the handle, the less force will be applied through the brush and onto the grate.
Now you have decided on an appropriate brush, you want to ensure that you use it in the most efficient way. 2 things will make your grill cleaning experience a lot easier: water and heat. A hot grill is much easier to cleanse compared to a cold one, so before cleaning allow the grate to get nice and hot. The other vital ingredient is water, not on the grate, but on the brush. Fill a container with water and keep it by the grill. When the grill is hot, dip the brush in the water to get the bristles wet and begin scrubbing. The combination of water, heat and an excellent brush will make even the most stubborn burnt on food come off in seconds.
There are two things to think about when cleaning your barbecue: the appropriate cleaning device and the appropriate cleaning technique. The appropriate tool would be an excellent quality, heavy duty wire grill brush. There are a plethora of brushes available, yet if you know what you are looking for the choice narrows down dramatically. Perhaps the most crucial point is picking one that will not cause any kind of damage to your grill grate, particularly if you have a costly Weber or Char-Broil BBQ. It is typically believed that the best option is a brass bristle grill brush, as brass is softer and as a result will not scratch your grates, and that stainless steel bristle grill brushes should be avoided. This is not necessarily true, however. While some stainless steel grill brushes might damage grates, particularly the more delicate porcelain coated grill grates, many won't. The advantage of stainless steel brushes is that they clean a lot more effectively and last much longer by virtue of their stiffer and more durable bristles. For this reason, the most effective brush would be a stainless steel grill brush which scratches neither porcelain enamel coated nor cast iron grill grates.
The next point to think about when picking a brush is the brush design. The majority of conventional brush heads are composed of a wood or plastic block, in to which a series of bristles are embedded, all pointing the exact same way. While a brush of this layout is good for cleaning the center of the grill, it will be unable to effectively clean the sides and corners of the grate. A much superior design is one consisting of a twisted wire frame, from which bristles protrude in every direction. This enables the user to hold the brush at any kind of angle without losing contact between the bristles and the grate. This, consequently, means that the user is easily able to clean all areas of the gril.
Lastly, you should try to find a brush with a rigid, lengthy handle. This allows you to clean the grill when it is hot, without needing to worry that you might burn your arms. The ideal length is 17 to 18 inches, unless you have an extremely sizable barbecue. In that instance an even longer handled brush may be more effective. Bear in mind that the longer the handle, the less force will be applied through the brush and onto the grate.
Now you have decided on an appropriate brush, you want to ensure that you use it in the most efficient way. 2 things will make your grill cleaning experience a lot easier: water and heat. A hot grill is much easier to cleanse compared to a cold one, so before cleaning allow the grate to get nice and hot. The other vital ingredient is water, not on the grate, but on the brush. Fill a container with water and keep it by the grill. When the grill is hot, dip the brush in the water to get the bristles wet and begin scrubbing. The combination of water, heat and an excellent brush will make even the most stubborn burnt on food come off in seconds.
