# Cleaning your cooking grill?



## sandman67 (Sep 23, 2008)

I've always taken my cooking grill inside and washed it with soap and water until its clean and shiny each and every time I smoke or grill.

A friend was over a few weeks ago and laughed when he saw me doing this and told me I was nuts to do that. He said all you have to do is just heat them up and brush them down with a wire brush after cooking. Told me not to worry if they get black...that's just extra flavoring. Well hell that sounds good to me, lot less work too. 

So do you all just heat em up and brush them down or do you wash with soap and water? Can they also be left outside in the grill/smoker or should they be stored inside?


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## coyote-1 (Sep 23, 2008)

The answer, as always, is: It depends.  lol

Stainless grill surfaces indeed ought be cleaned thoroughly after every use. Same with porcelain.

Cast iron, however, ought be left alone. Simply let it burn off before cooking and scrape it down to remove the residue, then spray it with olive oil and start cooking! That said, because I grill constantly I do wash mine (from the Weber gas grill) down with soap & water every few weeks or so - but I immediately dry and re-season them so they don't rust.


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## lcruzen (Sep 23, 2008)

I think a grill gets hot enough that brushing it off with a wire brush is fine but since smoking is done at lower temps a good cleaning won't hurt but 200o+ is plenty hot to kill the nasties. 

My GOSM - clean with soap, water and scrub pad
Charbroil Silver Smoker - wire brush
Weber Kettle - wire brush
Big Chief - soap water and scrub pad.

Looking at it my method makes no sense at all!


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## solar (Sep 23, 2008)

Like Hank Hill once said, "Bobby, some people think that the leftover chunks on the grill adds flavoring, we won't be eating there". 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






On my weber kettle grill it gets hot enough that I can brush the rack clean and then I brush it with a little cooking oil.  On my smoker, I remove the grates and soak them in hot water and soap and give them a good scrubbing, then dry and replace them.

You can leave your racks in your grill outside, if they're chrome they won't rust, but if they're cast iron then you should wipe them with cooking oil to keep them from rusting.


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## blacklab (Sep 23, 2008)

With  the kettles I just wire brush them while there still hot. As for the GOSM I just wire brush it to unless it needs a good cleaning.


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## packplantpath (Sep 23, 2008)

You mean you can clean grates?????

Holy crap batman, I had no idea.

Honestly, I just wire brush all of them.  Maye once every decade a true wash.  All that black stuff on the grate, that's non-stick coating.  As long as it's not chunky, it's fine.

Recently, my ceramic smoker had a nice mold outbreak everywhere.  I was concerned about how to clean it up, but they recommend just getting it scalding hot and brushing it down.  Course, scalding here is about 700*, but still.


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## dirtman775 (Sep 23, 2008)

rule #1 NO SOAP AT ALL, NOT ON ANY GRILL OR SMOKING SURFACE.
rule #2 CLEAN ONLY WHEN HOT ENOUGH WITH A WIRE BRUSH.
rule #3 COOK ON MY MAN!!!!!!


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## gabriel (Sep 23, 2008)

Something I saw next to a Reynold's Wrap coupon, use some tin foil and just set it on top of the grates and the heat is immediately reflected back down on the grates and at even low on my grill it gets flamin hot and in about 30s I can scrape off anything.

I've taken off my smoking grates and put them on my grill to clean them this way once.

I just fold them up and put them under the lid on my burner next to the grill and use them over and over again..and it's not Reynold's.


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## curious aardvark (Sep 23, 2008)

yep - you don't wash grills. SHAME ON YOU ! lol
Use the softest wire brush you can find. I tend to give the grates in the outlaw a quick brush after the foods gone and the coals are still hot, just to knock the lumps off - the heat and flames sterilise the grates and the old black coating is what it tells you in the manual is the 'non-stick coating it will develop'. And yep a spray down with olive oil to fend off the rust it attracts in damp old blighty. 
The steel baskets from the smoker get washed down with hot water and a brush. No soap.


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## garyt (Sep 23, 2008)

Mine are porcelain. I Soak and clean after each use, I cant buy another New Braunfels, They don't make em any more and I flat out love this thing and take very good care of it. I line the cooking area and fire box with heavy duty foil before each use It makes total clean up in the morning take about 2 minutes and use a leaf blower if you can picture that to clean out any small amount of ash left in the firebox, I have been told ash will rust it out, call me a wuss but I take very good care of it. It treats me well





Also plugged the drain holes in the btm of smoker with a flat head screws and washers, lay the foil down and let it collect everything, forms a solid when cool, makes clean up a cinch and no more grease on the deck or driveway


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## ddave (Sep 23, 2008)

Amen, brother!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Several years ago, we were planning a birthday BBQ party for my son. Since I was cooking for a bunch of people, I thought it would be nice if I cleaned the gunk off of the grills and the inside of my Charbroil Masterflame gas grill. I can't remember the name of the crap I used to clean it ,(and I probably wouldn't admit to it if I did), but after the cleaning, I let it dry and grilled some chicken breasts for dinner that night.

That was the CRAPPIEST tasting meal I have ever pulled off of that grill. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Fortunately, I had enough time before the party to cook some more stuff and partially gunk it up again. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Now that grill gets the grates heated, brushed and oiled before the meat goes on. The big chunks that fall through and bake on the lava rocks gets chipped off once in awhile, but that is it as far as cleaning goes.

The smoker grates get scraped off after a smoke and the tuning plates and baffle get the big globs of grease wiped off and wiped down with a paper towel. 

Sunday my wife and I were sitting on the patio and my wife says "Something smells good. I think someone is barbecuing." I smiled and chuckled. What she was smelling was the smoker which was around the corner from us in the breezeway. It is seasoned to the point that it smells good even when there is no meat in it.

So . . . don't get carried away with the cleaning.

Dave


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## waysideranch (Sep 23, 2008)

I only pick off large pieces and brush occasionally.  Leave smoker going after each smoke to ensure all is burnt off well.  IMO.


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## coyote-1 (Sep 24, 2008)

That just means you missed a step.

Ordinary dish soap on stainless or porcelain, IF CLEANED AND RINSED PROPERLY, will leave no residue. And of course on cast iron you rinse, dry, and immediately re-season; once again, if well-cleaned and properly rinsed there's no residue.

Please don't blame the concept of cleaning - blame the poor job done by the person doing the cleaning.


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## bmudd14474 (Sep 24, 2008)

I heat up the grates then brush off. Then apply olive oil to the grates. About once a year or every other year Ill pressure wash the inside of the grill. Just depends.


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## roadrunr (Sep 24, 2008)

i just brush after cooking while still hot, then reseason with pam, vegetable oil, or similar. some folks use pork fat, which i like to do when its available


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## ddave (Sep 24, 2008)

Well, I didn't use ordinary dish soap. I used something stronger to cut the grease. (Why do you think I said I wouldn't admit to remembering what it was even if I did remember.) 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Actually, I think it may have been Tide detergent. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Oops, I admitted it. Something strong to cut the grease is what I believe I was thinking - or was I thinking?

And you have a point although I didn't do a poor job of cleaning it. It was VERY clean. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 I just did a really poor job of selecting a cleaner. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 I guess Dawn would have been sufficient.

At any rate, I really don't think the grates need anything more than a brush off and the bigger chunks scraped off the insides of the grill once in awhile.

Just my opinion though.

Dave


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## coyote-1 (Sep 24, 2008)

Actually, Tide should work fine! Again it depends more on the person doing the cleaning than anything else....

I suppose that if you use ANY soap and leave ANY black stuff on the grates, they will have absorbed some of the soap and will of course spew that back into your food next time you cook. If you're gonna clean the grills, ya gotta make sure they are truly CLEAN and thoroughly rinsed. NO leftover gunk whatsoever.

I clean my Weber kettle stainless grills in the slop sink in the basement laundry room. So indeed I have used Tide on those grills, with no ill effect (they are spotless). Of course, since I only use the kettle as a smoker I don't get that burned-on black that you get from a grilling BBQ. The cast iron from the Weber gas grill gets washed in the kitchen, on those rare occasions when I do wash them. And again, the scrubbing is thorough with steel wool; they are immediately dried and re-seasoned.


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## ddave (Sep 24, 2008)

I didn't use Tide on the grates -- just the inside and outside of the grill.  But you're probably right.  It probably wasn't rinsed thoroughly.

Dave


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## dangerdan (Sep 24, 2008)

I've been using a charbroil SP lately. It may seem like a lot to go through but I usually build a good hot fire under the grill just for cleaning. I keep moving the grills around until every lil particle of crud is carbonized and brush it all clean. After the grill cools to a warm temp I appliy veg oil to hold it until the next cook.


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## davidmcg (Sep 24, 2008)

Not sure what ya'll are using to wash these racks down in, but my racks for one will not fit in our kitchen sink.  But even if they would fit, if I brought that mess into my wifes kitchen I believe I would be missing some things.  But as was earlier said, I take mt grates after the meat is pulled and drop into the firebox.  They don't fit all the way so I just rotate them.  While over those direct hot coals I just brush them off then go over them with some newspaper.  Good as new.


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## capt dan (Sep 24, 2008)

The household weber gets a wire brush after a preheat at 400+ degrees, they are porcelain coated steel. They don't need to be washed unless they are  catching on fire all the time, the flavorizer bars that  cover the burners just need a scrap every now and then.  The Charbroil silver also has porcelain coated grates, no need for washing, just brush off the large crap,  get the  smoker up to temp, and wire brush again,  coat with spray  anti-adherant, good to go. The Lang has steel expanded metal grates, they get scraped and wire brushed with a very stiff stainless steel brush. The logburner gets ramped up to 400 degrees or more, a fast spray with the  hose(steam cleaning in a  massive  way),  and then another brush with the stiff brush, and  before  the food  goes on, a good spray down with spray anti-adherant (GFS brand). On occasion after huge  cooks, I pull the grates off,  scrape the gunk off the reverse flow baffle, and pressure wash the  grates, and re season. Its amazing how much stuff  gets on that baffle with 100-120 lb cook sessions.


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## carpetride (Sep 25, 2008)

You folks using a wire brush should check out this thread...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=21756


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## tn_bbq (Sep 25, 2008)

I brush mine off.  I throw them in the driveway and use a stiff bristle deck brush.  Much easier than using those small hand held wire brushes.

Every now and again I'll spray them with oven cleaner and spray them off with the hose.

I've also seen folks use weed burners to burn them clean.


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## slickrat (Sep 25, 2008)

For my smoker racks and pans, I throw them all into my recycling bin with dishwasher soap and fill it with water for an overnight soak. The next morning, everything comes off the racks with a garden hose and sprayer... done!


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## trent741 (Sep 25, 2008)

A friend show me a trick he uses to clean his grates from the grill..... He uses heavy duty oven cleaner to spray the grates and then puts them in a black trash bag and sets them in the sun for a while. Take 'em out and stuff comes right off!


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## crewdawg52 (Sep 25, 2008)

Seems to me you can do anything you want.  If you want to scub it clean afer every use..... Go for it!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   If you want to brush it down  when heated..... Great!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   BTW - still typing arn't ya........


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## kaabi (Sep 25, 2008)

Interesting, I have that exact thing!  In fact, there is where I got it from:

http://www.thehardwarecity.com/?sku=6511109

What a coincidence.


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## tn_bbq (Sep 26, 2008)

I got mine at Wal-Mart.  The above is simply a picture of something very similar. Most folks around here (including me) like pictures rather than 1,000 word descriptions.


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## irish (Oct 3, 2008)

Ouch! My dad got a wire in his gum when we were kids! Emergency room trip to get it removed! Ever since, we always have used a ball of aluminum foil and a wad of wet paper towels... get the grates good and hot, mop with sopping wet paper towel wad (using tongs) and scrub with aluminum foil ball, if necessary. Wipe oil on the grates before cooking.


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## azkitch (Feb 4, 2009)

For sale: wire grill brush. Or trade for cooking grate or trashed top to weber kettle grill.
DK


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## noobsmoke (Mar 12, 2009)

I hope this thread isn't too dead yet.  

I am hoping you guys can offer some advice.  I had seasoned my Chargriller smoking pro and over the months, the nice black coating on my grates has started to come off, and a few of the grates began to rust.  After each cooking session, I wire brush them and then coat with vegetable oil, but I am unsure of how to get back my black protective coating.  Can someone help me please?

Thanks,


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## azrocker (Mar 12, 2009)

Mine are expnded metal and if they get nasty I put them in the chargriller and fire it up really hot them brush them off. Yes I use a wire brush but a quality one. I then wipe them down with olive oil. Tried the self cleaning oven route once. Smoked up the house big time. Won't do that again


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## geek with fire (Mar 12, 2009)

Well the grates are cast iron so you can season them as you would other cast iron cookware:

1.) Just scrub those suckers down with a wire brush and remove anything that flakes (basically scrub just past the point of being sick of it).  
2.) Wash them in warm water and the slightest bit of mild soap.  
3.) Dry, and let rest or put them in a low temp oven for about a half and hour to ensure they are dry.  
4.) Rub them down with crisco or lard and cook at 300 degrees for an hour.  You can cook them in your oven for best results, but they will smoke up your house.  I do mine in my drum and use a rib rack to cook them all at the same time.
5.) If you want a thicker seasoning, coat and cook them again.


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## jnstrom (Mar 15, 2009)

Wow great idea! That will speed up my initial time!!


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