Are you wondering if you should clean your grill after every use? Grilling is a favorite activity especially during the summer where the good weather makes it more fun to grill outside. Regardless of how often you cook using the grill, make sure that it is thoroughly clean to avoid food contamination. Is it ideal to clean the grill before or after you use it? We will find out below.
Should you clean the grill after every use? No matter what type of grill you are using, it should be cleaned after every use. Cleaning the grill after will not only avoid food contamination but will also improve the cooking performance of the grill. Moreover, food and oil residue that is stuck on the grills are easier to remove when you clean them immediately. It is best to do the cleaning after you are done cooking. When the grill cools down and is still warm, remove any food particles that are stuck with the use of a grill brush.
Depending on the grill that you have, cleaning can take some time and effort. This is because every part of the grill is prone to grease and fat residue which requires thorough cleaning and maintenance to make sure that they are properly functioning. Gas and charcoal grills need a different cleaning process as well. Read the rest of the article below for more tips and information.
Why Should You Clean Your Grill After Every Use?
You need to clean the grill after every meal preparation because the marinade and barbeque sauces that you use on the meat drip down and leave fat and grease residue on the grill. Neglecting to clean the fat and grease deposits will allow them to dry and harden which can be very difficult to remove. Moreover, these residues look unhygienic, unhealthy, and disgusting and can also affect the performance of your grill. You can also check out this article that we have shared titled, are smokeless grills safe? Find out more about this type of grill and how safe they are to use.
How Often Should a Grill be Cleaned?
You can clean your grill after every use and have a thorough cleaning every six months. Cleaning can be challenging especially if you have a large grill with many parts. However, cleaning the grill is an important thing that you need to do. Take note that when you do not clean the grill, grease, carbon, and other carcinogenic deposits start to build up. This can damage your grill. When you cook food in a dirty girl, you can also put your health at risk.
Clean After Every Use
Make it a habit to clean your grill after every use. It is recommended that you do the cleaning after you are done cooking. As the grill cools down and is still warm, clean any food particles and residues that are stuck on the grate with the use of a grill brush.
Thorough Cleaning Every Six Months
It is also best to thoroughly clean your grill every six months. If you are using the grill regularly, make sure to do a deep cleaning and also inspect your grill for any damage and needed maintenance. You might need to disassemble the grill and check for any signs of rust and other damages.
What if You Do Not Clean Your Grill?
If you do not clean your grill, grease stains, mold, and bacteria will start to build up. It will also affect the taste of the food that you are cooking, and you will not notice any signs of damage that need maintenance or repair. Let us find out more about these below.
Grease Stains Build-Up
The grill has a grease catch at the bottom where all the leftover grease accumulates. If you do not properly clean and maintain this part of the grill, the grease will eventually overflow. This can cause infection, be a fire hazard and can the melted fat can also leak and spill around the grill.
Neglecting Needed Maintenance
While cleaning, you will go through different parts of the grill and you will notice if they need maintenance or repairs. If the grill is not properly functioning, it can cause accidents and will also affect how the food cooks. Burners can get clogged or deteriorate, rust can start to build up and damage the metal, and hoses and gas lines can crack. Hence, cleaning the grill is also an opportunity to check and make sure that everything is in good shape.
Affect the Taste of the Food
All kinds of food residue get stuck on your grill when you are done cooking. If you do not clean the grill, you will be exposing fresh meats to all leftover residues. Take note that food residue can stick to what you are cooking. Moreover, leftover fats, grease, and meat pieces at the bottom of the grill will eventually go up in smoke and into your cooking. We have also shared this article that discusses if BBQ smoke kills. Read the article to learn more about the dangers of BBQ smoke exposure.
How Do You Clean a Gas Grill After Every Use?
Cleaning the gas grill requires different steps. You need to scrub the grates, wash the burner protectors, wipe the grime, and remove the gunk from the bottom. While gas grills have a long lifespan, they can be shortened if you do not regularly clean and maintain them. The burners of the grill can get dangerously clogged, gunk can build up and can cause small fires, and rust will start eating away the metal. Luckily, all these damages can be avoided with proper maintenance and cleaning. Below are the steps on how to clean a gas grill after every use.
Scrub the Grates
Get rid of all the chunks and charred meat flesh from your grill by scrubbing the grates. If needed, you can use a metal scraper on your brush to remove food leftover. After brushing the top side, take the grates out and scrub the bottom part as well.
Wash Burner Protectors
The burner protectors are the ones that protect the burner mechanisms of the grill from grease and other things that could clog them. The burner protectors can get very dirty. Use a soapy bucket and old sponge to scrub and clean burner protectors.
Wipe Grime from Burners
Some grills have burners that are. Wash the burners using soapy water. Take note that grime can clog the burner if it is not regularly cleaned.
Remove the Gunk at the Bottom
Wipe the burners and remove the plates underneath. Clean the plates with a grill brush. Also, clean the removable bottom tray. Scrap off any food leftover and grease from the tray. You can also check out this article titled, can I line the bottom of my grill with foil? We have shared the pros and cons of using foil when grilling.
✅ Video – How to Clean a Gas Grill
The Home Depot shared the video below on YouTube. It shows how to clean a gas grill. Consider the type of grill that you have when cleaning. Some grills have parts that can easily be removed while others do not. Watch the video below for helpful tips and tricks on how to clean a gas grill.
What is the Best Way to Clean Grill Grates?
You can use an aluminum foil, nylon scouring pad, grill stone, and hot soapy water when cleaning the grill. Some are using the traditional grill brush, but this can be dangerous. The wire bristles can break off and fall into the food that you are cooking. If you would like to choose a safer cleaning tool, below are some of the choices that you can have.
Aluminum Foil
Get a handful of aluminum foil and ball it up. You can wear gloves or use grill tongs to hold it while you scrub. You can reuse aluminum foil from cooking your favorite foil packet recipes or those that you use to wrap and cover food in the freezer.
Nylon Scouring Pad
Another tool that you can use is a nylon scouring pad. Grab a scouring pad from your kitchen and use it on your grill for fast and easy cleanup.
Try a Grill Stone
You can also use a grill stone if you have one. Gently rub the pumice-like grill stone back and forth across the grill grates. Once you are done, wipe the area clean using a soft cloth or water.
Hot and Soapy Water
An effective way to clean your grill grates is with the use of hot and soapy water. Scrub the grill grates down with hot and soapy water. By doing this, you can make sure that there won’t be any buildup on the grates.
Conclusion
You have reached the end of this article that discusses if you should clean the grill after every use. We have found out that is recommended that you keep the grill clean after use. This is important to remove any grease buildup and food particles to stick into the grill. Moreover, we have discussed different issues that you can encounter if you do not clean your grill. We hope that this article has helped you learn the importance of cleaning your grill. Thank you for reading!