A few weeks ago I was at a family BBQ / birthday party for my two year old nephew. Since my brother-in-law worked later than he had hoped, I took up barbecue duty. A 5 + 1 burner gas grill is no big deal for a seasoned veteran like me: gas open, burner turned on, switch pressed. Lit.
Instead of normal preheating, I got a grease fire.
It turned out that this grill hasn’t been cleaned in a while. Possibly ever. I had to make loads of decisions in a very short space of time to avert a disaster, and luckily the only damage was to the grill itself – and a bit of siding that is now reminiscent of lasagna pasta.
The fire was on the left, on the pilot burners. That could have been a lot worse. Photo: Sam Bithoney
Baked on. Photo: Sam Bithoney
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Grease the gas valve and inside of the door. The doors. Pictured: Sam Bithoney
If you have a grill, you must have a fire extinguisher. “
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All of this could have been prevented by regular cleaning and, in the worst case, a fire extinguisher. If you own a barbecue, you must own a fire extinguisher. Do you have two grills? Good news, they come in packs of two! The safety of you and your loved ones is worth more than the $ 50 you will spend.
How to clean a gas grill
Whether you’re a new grill owner in need of a tutorial or an old professional who put it off, today is a great day to start cleaning. Let’s take a tour of my gas grill, which hasn’t been cleaned since the end of April. (I like to clean mine as soon as my tank is low, about once a month in the summer.)
Burn off the excess
Start with a burn off to loosen things up. Those crispy pieces on the wire rack may be the only thing touching your food, but there’s a lot more of them below and they get better when things are warm.
ATTENTION: If your grill is awful, awful, splattered with fat and overflowing the drip pan, don’t turn it on. Skip to the drip pan and tub cleaning stages below and come back here afterwards.
Turn all burners on, close the lid, and leave alone for an hour. During this time, put together your mise en place: gloves, spatula, garbage bag and newspaper or a flat cardboard box. Scrape your grids off as best you can with the brush of your choice and kill the heat. Part one is done.
Once the grids are cool enough to handle with heat-resistant gloves or mittens, remove them as well as any internal parts (like these triangular bars) and place them on top of your handy, flattened piece of cardboard.
Everyone out! Photo: Sam Bithoney
Somebody is bathing today! Photo: Sam Bithoney
Clean the drip pan and the pan
Pull out your drip pan and use the spatula to scrape whatever you can straight into the trash. If the pan is covered in fat, clean it too! I don’t use any chemicals here other than dish soap but if you use one Solvent or grease remover, be sure to wash and dry the pan thoroughly before putting it back in your grill.
Next up: the tub (where the burners are). Now that you’ve cleaned your drip pan to a splendid shine, we’re going to get it dirty again. The drain hole from the tub to the drip pan can clog, so it is best to clean the tub’s contents first before attempting to stuff more dirt through such a small opening.
Grab your trusty knife and lure all of the loosened dirt into the drip pan, tip it out, and replace the pan, grids, and interior components if necessary, and that’s it. It’s a very short and incredibly satisfying process that too better heat distribution through your cooking surface.
Oh yeah, and if you’re thinking of buying a Father’s Day BBQ, Independence Day BBQ, or throwing a BBQ to celebrate reunion with your friends, please grab a fire extinguisher first (and hope your family never has to think about it thank you for keeping them from burning).
