by megabliss

Best Way to Clean A BBQ Grill Grate

Well you just got done cooking out and now the real work starts – cleaning the barbeque grill.  When caring for your grill, there a number of details to know and remembering to do those things are just as essential.  Cleaning your grill can make it last longer.  So, I have come up with a short list of things you ought to be aware – whether your choosing a new barbeque grill, reading a barbeque grills review or wanting to know some stuff before you start cleaning the grill.

Here is what to do for the preservation and cleaning of your grill so the proper care can make the grill last a longer time.

1.  As soon your done cooking and your meals are removed, start using a barbeque grill brush for about just a few seconds to clean the grill grates and to remove any debris around the cooking area. If you have porcelain-coated grills be sure you only use a brass bristle brush, don’t scrape the grill using a scraper since it may remove the porcelain coating.

2.  After the barbeque grill is switched off and it has cooled down spray a vegetable oil on the barbeque grill to ensure that is well covered.  It safeguards the grates from corrusion.  It’s also wise to put vegetable oil on prior to each time you grill.  It doesn’t only shield the grates, but any food, char, or particles will fall on to the flames or will turn to ash when the grill is switched on and preheated.

3.  Do not leave the grill for a long time after your done grilling – it is just like running a self-cleaning oven, it’s fine to leave it on to burn off the extra foods or char off, however just don’t neglect to switch it off, your going to put a great deal of stress on the components and just think of how many times you might of used your barbeque grill in the period you forgot about it and left the grill on.  Letting the grill to run a minute or two is satisfactory because your going to clean and spray it anyhow.  Additionally whenever you preheat the grill next it will burn away the excess.

5.  To help alleviate the cleanup process, hold on until the last few minutes just before your done cooking to use tomato based sauces – these kinds of sauces get thicker fast and turn out to be like a cement paste if left on too long. Marinade and baste the foods using vinegar, lemon or lime or soy type mixtures to help make clean up simpler.

6.  It is never suggested to use alcohol or beer as a technique of putting out a open fire or as the cleaning agent.  You are much better off consuming the beverage or using it in a recipe than wasting it, plus it might hurt the barbeque grill grates with corrusion.  Work with baking soda as a cleaning agent.  Just by keeping it nearby it will reduce the hassle of you hunting to locate all your barbeque grill accessories or if a fire erupts you can use it to put out the fire on the barbeque grill.

Chrome grills and grates are more complicated to maintain than a porcelain covered barbeque grill and have a tendency to corrode fairly easy.  Porcelain coated steel grills resist rusting and are easy to clean.  Porcelain coated cast iron has the benefits of cast iron wrapped in an easy to clean and maintain bundle. If you get grills with porcelain coatings make sure to only use a brass bristle brush to clean the grills as the brass is relatively soft and will Not scratch the porcelain off of the grills.

Cast iron grills hold the heat extremely well and warm very evenly, but should be kept seasoned with cooking food oil to prevent rusting. This can be a problem on a grill that is utilized and kept outdoors.  Stainless Steel grills will last a very long time, but don’t hold the heat or sear as nicely as cast iron. If you are getting a grill with stainless steel grates make certain the grill rods are thick and heavy if you want to sear your meat or fish so that it is left medium rare in the center. If the majority of of what you do is cook is fairly slow (chicken, pork, roasts), then stainless steel would likely be an easy to retain, long lasting option.

The last suggestion I can provide is if you would like to reduce the inconvenience and duration of cleaning your grill, keep a carrier or bucket of all your barbecue utensils and cleaning products nearby.  Took some time for me to learn that lesson of having to search for everything after I was done cooking.  Now I have all my stuff in a neat little bucket.  Saves me about 15 minutes, that’s the 15 minutes I could of already had the grill cleaned and ready to go for next time.

BBQ Charcoal Grill Related Blogs

by marksdk

How to Prepare a Charcoal Grill Fire

So you’re planning on doing some grilling, huh? Well remember, it’s all about the heat, and building your charcoal fire is more than just dumping in the charcoal and dousing them with lighter fluid. This may be how many people do it, but do it that way and you’ll probably end up with burned burgers or raw chicken.

Even heat is the key to great grilling. The only time you should have any variation in heat is when you plan for it. If you evenly distribute the coals you can minimize any variation and get good, even grilling. This is very important when you are cooking a large amount of food on the grill. If you just dump your coals in randomly you will have hot and cool spots.

As a general rule of thumb, plan on using about 30 charcoal briquettes to cook 1 pound of meat. You want to make sure that you have enough briquettes to cover the grill’s pan in a single layer and extending out about 2″ beyond the area of the food on the grill. The first step is to place the briquettes in the grill’s pan to determine the quantity and then stack them up in a rough pyramid shape to light. Soak the briquettes with approximately 1/2 cup of lighter fluid, and let set for a few minutes before lighting.

After the coals have begun to burn and ash starts to form (usually around 15-20 minutes), you will then need to arrange them with long handled tongs into a single layer keeping the coals tight together. This will provide you with an even, direct heating surface all ready to go for whatever meat you’re in the mood for.

The indirect heating method is an alternative to cooking your food directly over the heating area. The simplest way to do this is to put all the coals on one side of the grill and no coals on the other side. On a gas grill this is equivalent to turning the burner on one side on and leaving the other off, but with a charcoal grill you can do even more than that. If you are using a kettle style grill, you can use a method know as “The Ring of Fire”. All that is required for this method is to push the coals to the outside of the coal grate leaving the middle empty after the coals are hot. This gives you an even heat around the entire grill and a good indirect cooking space.

To add a little something extra to your food, you might want to consider using slow burning hardwood chips in your coal fire to infuse your meat with a smoky flavor. All you’ll need to do is add a few pieces of the hardwood chips to your coals. To make things a little simpler, you could even pick up some charcoal briquettes that are manufactured with hardwood chips built right in.

More Charcoal Grills Articles

BBQ Charcoal Grill Related Blogs

Question by For Fun: Charcoal Vs Propane Grill? What is Best Charcoal for Grilling?
I am looking to get a portable mid size grill for my apartment patio. do you suggest propane or charcoal? i really liked the charcoal taste, never tasted propane ones. which model do you suggest for around 100$ . What is the best charcoal to use for grilling? something that doesnt smell awefull and makes less fumes etc;.

Best answer:

Answer by death_note
Depends on how much mess and smoke you want to deal with and how much notice you need to grill. Its pretty unanimous that charcoal tastes better if done right. That being said, I’ve had plenty of delicious meals cooked on propane. A charcoal set-up is more likely to smoke you (and your neighbors ) out, and you’ve gotta get the ash out and dispose of it from time to time. You also need a bit more time to get a charcoal grill up to cooking temp.

Add your own answer in the comments!

BBQ Charcoal Grill Related Blogs