Whether you and your family love traditional summer favorites like hot dogs and burgers or you like to make the grill your official summer cooking destination for everything from chicken and kabobs to pizza pies, there’s nothing like a meal fresh off the grill. We want to ensure that you get to enjoy these meals summer after summer and it’s why we offer outdoor grill covers to protect your grill from the elements, but it’s also why the theme of this post is grill maintenance. There are things you can be doing after every meal to ensure that your grill can be relied upon for delicious meals day in and day out.
There’s a lot of strain put on your grill during the summer months and maintenance is a must. Without it, you run the risk of lower temperatures, increased sticking of food to the grates and uneven heat. As soon as you take off your outdoor grill cover, every meal should begin with some high heat. Turn your grill on high heat and close it. Allow for 10-15 minutes of burning to turn any leftover residue from your last meal to ash. A high quality stainless steel brush should then be used to wipe away debris and provide a clean grilling surface that will help ensure what you put on the grill is all that you eat and all that you taste.
It’s a good idea to clean your cook box at least once per month. Obviously, this should be done when the grill is completely cool. Remove cooking grates and any bars. Use your grill brush to find all grease and debris in the area that’s been left over from previous cooking sessions and move them to the bottom tray. It’s then simple enough to discard and have your grill in tiptop shape.
Beyond the interior of your grill, don’t forget to acknowledge the cleanliness of the exterior. In particular, wipe down the side tables regularly. This is not only key to maintaining a proper appearance, but it’s also a great way to keep your family safe through sanitation as side items will be placed on those side tables regularly. Microfiber towels are the best tool for this job, but you can use paper towels as well. Keep one of outdoor grill covers on when the grill isn’t in use and your grill will look as great as the food you are making tastes.