gardens
How to maintain a BBQ
May
You could use your barbie all season then just wheel it into the shed or garage and forget about it. Next time it comes out to play it’ll be a bit grubby but hey, so what? Actually it’s much more sensible to do some simple ongoing BBQ maintenance to extend its life, maximise hygiene and keep it constantly party-ready. Here’s how to maintain a BBQ.
There are some important jobs to do as soon as you’ve finished cooking. Get them done and it’ll be more fun next time you want to use the BBQ, easier to get ready. First off, brush the grates and grills with a wire brush while they’re still warm but not hot, to get rid of any food residue before it cooks itself onto the metal or lingers and rots to eventually give you food poisoning. Then grab a soft, damp cloth and wipe off any grease or muck. A little squeeze of washing up liquid in the water will cut through the grease.
As a frequent BBQ user, a deep clean every now and again will stand you in good stead. Take out the grills and grates and wash them thoroughly with warm, soapy water or, if you have some, a special grill cleaning product. If things have become horribly greasy and mucky you can soak grates and grills in a mix of vinegar and baking soda, great if you’re not into scary chemicals, or alternatively buy a special de-greasing product. Just make sure it’s a food-safe cleaner.
Heading inside the BBQ, first brush out all of the ash or use one of those little car hoovers to get it all out. Then you can clean the interior burners, heat shields, grease trays and whatnot with a grill brush and soapy water. The grease tray also deserves your attention since a build-up of grease and oil quickly becomes a fire hazard.
Rust and corrosion happen because of damp, so always dry everything thoroughly and don’t reassemble the barbie until every part you’ve taken out to clean is perfectly dry. Lightly oiling the grates with everyday cooking oil helps prevent rust without causing a fire hazard.
A special fitted grill cover will protect your BBQ not just from the weather but the corrosive effects of bird poo – which is surprisingly powerful stuff, being mostly uric acid, and can mark the surface is left for too long. The best barbies come with a specially fitted cover, either separate or included, made from super-tough weatherproof and UV resistant fabric, which’ll look good as well as doing a top job.
Then there’s the nasty sticky stuff given off by aphids, the stuff that makes parked cars all sticky in summertime. Luckily you can wash that off with warm soapy water.
The black paint on metal BBQs is available in the shops for touching up, either as a heat resistant spray or ordinary paint. That’ll help keep any rust at bay.
If you have a gas grill, not a wood fired BBQ, there’s no ash to clean up but it’s wise to have a good look at the burners to see if they’re clogged and if so, use some wire or a pipe cleaner to get rid of the gunge. This’ll keep the burners working properly, with a strong and even flame. You’ll also want to frequently check the gas hose and all the connections to make sure there’s no gas leakage. Here’s a top tip: soapy water around the connection will bubble if there’s a leak, so you can see exactly where the problem is.
If any of the gas burners are corroded or damaged in any other way, replace them straight away – you don’t want to mess with gas. When not using the barbie, disconnect and store the gas cannister somewhere safe, dry and well ventilated.
Harsh abrasive cleaners can scratch a steel barbie, so don’t use them if you want to keep the shine. A special stainless steel cleaning fluid is your best bet.
Now you know how to maintain a BBQ. We wish you an awesome summer full of flavour and fun!
