It is not going to be long before you have that sweet smell of a neighborhood grill floating through your open windows! With that being said, let’s take a look at how you can prep your grill for the summer grilling season!
If you did not thoroughly clean your charcoal grill BEFORE you put it away for the season last fall, you have a project to add to your “Good Weather List”.
Step 1: Scrub and Clean Grates
First, scrape all of the food particles from your grates. In some cases you might even seen some rust build up on the grates. This needs to be removed as well and can be done with a stiff wire brush of any kind
Aluminum grates can be cleaned with a rag, dish detergent and warm water.
Stainless steel grates need a little extra care. Purchase a stainless steel grate cleaner first. Take your grates and put them into a trash bag, or some other bag that can be tied shut.
Spray the grate cleaner inside the bag making sure the grates are covered with the spray and tie the bag shut. Put outside and let the bag sit overnight. The next day, take the grates from the bag and place them on flat surface so you can easily clean them.
Scrub the stainless steel grates with a wire brush or scouring bad to removes all of the debris and old food. Rinse the grates with water from a hose or bucket of warm water.
Step 2: Clean The Grill Inside and Out
Remove any old coals from the bottom of the grill and put them into the trash. After you remove the larger coal pieces, make sure to remove all of the ash from the bottom as well.
This can be done through the holes in the bottom, with a vacuum or just a wet rag. Wipe down the inside and outside of the grill body with warm water and dish detergent.
Thoroughly rinse the inside, outside and grates with water from a hose and allow to air dry.
Step 3: Fire Up The Grill
Put the grates back into the grill, add charcoal by following the instructions on the bag/box, put the cover on and allow the grill to burn for about 20 minutes removing anything left from the cleaning session.
After 20 minutes, you can add more charcoal and get ready to enjoy your first grilling session of the season!