How To Choose The Best Time To Clean Your BBQ

Aug 11
12:15

2013

Stanley N. Lew

Stanley N. Lew

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

A lot of people most likely think that the most recommended time to clean your barbecue is immediately after you have finshed cooking, however is this really true? Keep reading to discover why a different method might be more appropriate.

mediaimage

If you intend to get the very best results from your barbecue it is crucial to look after your grill. By keeping your grill in good condition you are not just going to guarantee that your food tastes better,How To Choose The Best Time To Clean Your BBQ Articles but you are also going to extend the life of your barbecue grate. We have already talked about deciding on the very best BBQ grill brush for the job, but when is the best time to actually do the cleaning?

Well there are 2 schools of thought here, both with their benefits and drawbacks. What they share in common is that they are both times when the cooking grid is hot, which makes the job much easier.

CLEANING BEFORE COOKING

A lot of people most likely think that the best time to clean is after the food has been prepared, but there are some great advantages to doing it beforehand also. Warm up the grill first, then give it a quick clean before you put any type of food on. The initial benefit of doing things this way is that food will be prepared on a totally clean grate. Little bits of dirt can in some cases find their way in there if you have not grilled for some time, and you don't want these screwing up the flavor of your dinner! Another benefit is that by cleansing beforehand, and leaving the grill dirty afterward, you are leaving a layer of charred on food/grease on the bars that will shield them from corrosion till you next get the barbecue out. This is especially vital if you have cast iron grills, as they are the most vulnerable to rusting. One last benefit, and this is a big one for me, is simply that you are getting the cleaning out the way as quickly as possible; I can never be bothered to get up and tidy when I have a belly loaded with meat!

CLEANING AFTER COOKING

The is probably the more typical way of doing things. The first benefit here is that the grill is already going to be hot, and all the food and grease is fresh and as a result much easier to brush off. But as we pointed out before, by cleaning after the meal, you are leaving the cooking grill much more exposed to the elements and at a higher threat of rusting. This issue can be worked around by making sure you oil the grate once you have finished cleaning as the oil will protect against any type of moisture corroding the metal. Bear in mind, this is particularly crucial if your grate is cast iron.

So now you understand the benefits and drawbacks it is up to you to decide which technique best matches your way of life. Do not forget to make use of a high quality BBQ brush!

Article "tagged" as:

Categories: