Properly Cleaning Your Grill

When purchasing your barbeque grill, think of it as an investment rather then just another item for your outdoor entertainment. You should expect this item to become a large part of your outdoor activities for many years to come. But like any other investments, proper maintenance and care is needed to ensure that your barbeque grill will work for you for many years to come.

Leaving you grill messy after each use will not only make it harder on you when you finally do clean the grill, but it will also drastically decrease the lifespan of your grill. If you grill sits dirty, you increase the risk of rust.

While some maintenance and cleaning is specific to the type of barbeque grill your own (gas, electric, charcoal or smoke barbecue grill), the majority of maintenance that should be carried on does not change from grill to grill.

Step 1- Gathering The Necessary Items

You will need some common household items on hand when it comes time to clean your barbeque grill.

Brass wire grill brush
Steel wool pads
Mild dish soap
Sponge or dishcloth
Spray cooking oil
Dry baking soda
Aluminum foil

Step 2- Brushing Your Grill Off

The first thing that should always be done to your grill is a routine brushing. Using your brass wire grill brush (or other brush suitable to your type of grill) you should brush off all the surfaces. By routinely brushing your barbeque grill, you will prevent any type of buildup. If buildup from food is left to long, it can become increasingly difficult to remove, and can end up causing problems such as rust.

Step 3- Spray Cooking Oil

Once you are sure that your grill is free of all buildup and debris, and that your grill is completely cooled off, you will want to spray it down with a light layer of cooking oil. Spraying it down with cooking oil will prevent your barbeque grill from rusting. It is especially important to make sure you barbeque grill is completely cold, as spraying cooking oil on a hot surface may cause the oil to heat up and ignite, which could be potentially dangerous to you and your barbeque grill.

Step 4- Use Baking Soda and Aluminum Foil on Your Grill
Baking soda is a very nice cleaning and polishing agent. Once you have removed any extra debris and buildup, lightly scrubbing your barbeque grill with baking soda will give it that extra shine, similar to the day that you brought it home from the store. This can also be used on handles and knobs to remove any extra buildup tat cannot be taken off with a wire brush.

Aluminum foil can also be used to keep your grill looking nice. Gently rub the aluminum foil on your grill, and you will notice that it removes grim and buildup. This is a cheap and inexpensive way to clean your grill.

Step 5- Clean Your Racks

The racks in your grill are especially important as this is where the food touches when it is cooking. You will have to use the wire brush to remove as much buildup as possible. Once you remove as much as possible, start washing the racks with dish soap. If the racks are really dirty, you may also want to use the steel wool pads. Be sure to completely rinse off all soap and residue before cooking on these racks again.

Barbeque Maintenance Tips

When purchasing your barbeque grill, think of it as an investment rather then just another item for your outdoor entertainment. You should expect this item to become a large part of your outdoor activities for many years to come. But like any other investments, proper maintenance and care is needed to ensure that your barbeque grill will work for you for many years to come. While some maintenance and cleaning is specific to the type of barbeque grill your own (gas, electric, charcoal or smoke barbecue grill), the majority of maintenance that should be carried on does not change from grill to grill.

Step 1- Gathering The Necessary Items

You will need some common household items on hand when it comes time to clean your barbeque grill.

Brass wire grill brush
Steel wool pads, preferably that contains soap already.
Mild dish soap
Sponge or dishcloth
Spray cooking oil
Dry baking soda
Aluminum foil

Step 2- Brushing Your Grill Off

The first thing that should always be done to your grill is a routine brushing. Using your brass wire grill brush (or other brush suitable to your type of grill) you should brush off all the surfaces. By routinely brushing your barbeque grill, you will prevent any type of buildup. If buildup from food is left to long, it can become increasingly difficult to remove.

Step 3- Spray Cooking Oil

Once you are sure that your grill is free of all buildup and debris, and that your grill is completely cooled off, you will want to spray it down with a light layer of cooking oil. Spraying it down with cooking oil will prevent your barbeque grill from rusting. It is especially important to make sure your barbeque grill is completely cold, as spraying cooking oil on a hot surface may cause the oil to heat up and ignite, which could be potentially dangerous to you and your barbeque grill.

Step 4- Use Baking Soda and Aluminum Foil on Your Grill

Baking soda is a very nice cleaning and polishing agent. Once you have removed any extra debris and buildup, lightly scrubbing your barbeque grill with baking soda will give it that extra shine, similar to the day that you brought it home from the store. This can also be used on handles and knobs to remove any extra buildup that cannot be taken off with a wire brush.

Aluminum foil can also be used to keep your grill looking nice. Gently rub the aluminum foil on your grill, and you will notice that it removes grim and buildup.

Step 5- Clean Your Racks

The racks in your grill are especially important as this is where the food touches when it is cooking. You will have to use the wire brush to remove as much buildup as possible. Once you remove as much as possible, start washing the racks with dish soap. If the racks are really dirty, you may also want to use the steel wool pads. Be sure to completely rinse off all soap and residue before cooking on these racks again.

Step 6- Preventing Problems

The majority of problems that arise from barbeque grills comes from lack of cleaning and maintenance. That means if you notice something does not seem quite right with your barbeque grill, chances are it can be fixed with just a simple cleaning. Even if you clean it, and still find that it is having problems, at least you saved yourself the potential embarrassment of taking it to a professional only to find out all it needed was to be cleaned.

Tips For Outdoor Grilling

The Outdoor Grill

There is no better way to cook food than to have it in an outdoor grill. The healthy ambiance of being outdoors also compliments perfectly the great quality of food you would produce when grilling outdoors. While most people think that outdoor grilling is only for barbecues, they are not aware of the many things you can do with outdoor grills, some of those are baking, roasting, searing, steaming and smoking. Cooking it in a grill is not only more fun but also has a distinct grill flavor.

Even if you might not see it, your outdoor grill can do more things than your kitchen oven, you just need to know some techniques and some great recipes that you can cook outdoors. So to help you get more stuff done at your outdoor grill, here are some methods of cooking that you can do and how to do each right.

Classic Grilling

Grilling outdoors would never be complete without some foods that are classically cooked directly on the grill. Direct grilling is best for cooking steaks, chops, sausages, fish fillets, kabobs and chicken cuts. Not only does grilling these items make it easier for them to cook but grilling them directly would also give them a very pleasant flavor that only a grill could produce.

As for whole fish, chicken, turkey or ribs, you can use another grilling method which is known as indirect grilling. This method involves having only one side of the grill lit and placing the items on the other side of the burner that is not lit. Another way of indirect grilling would involve having an aluminum foil placed on the center to regulate the temperature, moisture and adding a different flavor to the items to be cooked. You can also place spices, lemon juice and other flavorings to enhance the flavor of items on the grill.

Roasting On The Grill

There are two main methods of roasting that you can do on the grill. The first is pan roasting; this involves having an aluminum foil pan on top of the grills surface and having meats such as ham, ducklings or large cuts of meat. This method allows the meat to be cooked by its own broth which would drip to the pan while cooking and would turn into vapor during the process. For added flavor, you can add spices, wine, lemon juice and other flavorings to enhance it.

The second method of roasting on the grill is called spit-roasting. This method is best used for poultry, meat and lamb and is known to give these meats taste more like themselves. The process is similar to pan roasting, except you have the item rotate over the heat having it constantly soaked in its own juices. The juices gathered here can later be collected and can be used as gravy.

Smoking

When grilling outdoors, fishes, meats, turkeys, whole chicken and game tastes really great if smoked. Of all methods of grilling, smoking is known to have the most distinct and pleasant flavor and it is quite easy to do. The process of smoking involves the use of firewood, this if which would give that smoky flavor to the items to be grilled. To prepare it, have the wood soaked overnight in water.

After doing so, place them in aluminum foil and prick a few holes on the side. Place holes facing upwards along briquettes and you are ready to get smoking.