How to Clean Barbecue Grills and Smokers

When you purchase your new barbecue grill or smoker, consider it an investment not just an item for outdoor entertaining. Expect this item to become a central part of your outdoor lifestyle for many years to come. But keep in mind that like any other big investment, proper care and maintenance is required to ensure that your barbecue grill or smoker will work for you for many years to come. While some basic maintenance and cleaning is tailored to the type of barbecue grill your own most of maintenance you perform changes little from grill to grill.

Most grills can be cleaned with inexpensive items you may already have around the house. Here are list of the things you will need.

Brass wire grill brush
Steel wool pads, ones containing soap if possible.
Dish soap
Sponges or dishcloths, preferably ones you can dispose of.
Spray on cooking oil
Appliance cleaner or dry baking soda

The first thing that you should always do is a good routine brushing of grill interior surfaces For smokers do not brush off the interior because the seasoning needs to remain in place. Use the brass wire grill brush to do this. By routinely brushing your barbecue interior, you will prevent cooked on buildup. If food buildup is left too long it can become more and more difficult to remove.

Once you have your grill free of all buildup and debris, and are sure that your grill is completely cooled off, you should spray it down with a light layer of cooking oil. The sprayed on cooking oil will prevent your barbecue grill from rusting. It's very important to make sure your barbecue grill is completely cold, because spraying cooking oil on a hot grill may cause the oil to ignite and flare up, which could injure you and damage the barbecue grill.

Appliance cleaner used to clean refrigerators or stoves work well for cleaning the exterior of grills or smokers without scratching them. Baking soda also makes a good substitute for the appliance cleaner if you don't want to spend the money on cleaner. Baking soda will also give your grill a nice shine as well. If you have stainless steel grills or smokers do not use steel wool pads or you will scratch the grill.

The cooking racks in your grill or smoker are very important since this is where the food sits when it is being cooked. It is best to use a wire brush to remove as much buildup as possible. For grills you can simplify this job if you leave the racks in the cooker with the temperature set to high for about five minutes. The food will burn off for the most part and can easily be brushed off. Since smokers cook at about 225 degrees there is no benefit leaving the cooking grates in to burn off the food, what's on the grates will just get cooked on tougher.

After you remove as much as possible from the grates wash the racks with dish soap. Another good tip is to like to let them sit in soapy water for a couple of hours. If the racks are really dirty, you use steel wool pads to clean them. It's very important to fully rinse off any cleaning residue on the cooking grates before you use the cooker or grill again.

Most problems with your barbecue grill will stem from failing to clean or maintain it. So if something does not seem to be working right with your bbq grill or smoker take the time to clean and inspect it. Some people actually buy a new grill when about ten dollars in cleaning gear and a bit of elbow grease would make it work as good as new.

Lastly, the best thing you can possibly do to prevent problems with your grill and extend its life significantly is to invest in a cover. Look for one made for your grill or smoker, and if one is not available look for one made for your style of grill. Its best to find a cover that has a softer non scratching interior lining and a vent area to allow moisture to escape. This will prevent scratching and rusting. For those that live in areas where snow is possible see if you can find a corner of the shed or garage to get the barbecue out of the elements.

Take the bit of time to perform this basic cleaning and maintenance on your barbecue grill and smoker and you will get a lot more enjoyment out of it and it will last a lot longer