We’re now
blissfully in March, and each passing day brings us closer to summer! Ah, summer. . . I can imagine it now, summer
barbeques, pool parties, and jars of fresh, home-squeezed lemonade on my porch
with a nice cool breeze as I watch my kids play through the sprinklers. Summer
is probably my favorite season. That
being said, with summer comes the all those fun barbeque parties with good
food!
In order to
have a great barbeque, you need a great grill. If you’re like me, you own a
small charcoal grill that you’re perfectly content with because, let’s face it,
everything tastes better with that smokey flavor from charcoal. Even so, I
still dream about those shiny silver grills with all the knobs and buttons and
all that space for grilling hamburgers and steaks and chicken and hot dogs. . .
maybe I’m a glutton, but if I am, at least I’m a happy one!
Today I
wanted to share with you all some tips on how to take care of your outdoor gas
grill, if you happen to own one of these (if you don’t, you can always pick one
up from Plumber’s Stock). An outdoor gas grill is such a large investment,
you’ll definitely want to make sure you can make your grill last as long as
possible. Here are some tips to keep your grill working to perfection:
EVERY TIME
TIPS:
·
Preheat your grill – Preheating your grill fully
before putting food on there to cook cleans and disinfects your gas grill.
·
Brush the cooking grates to remove nasty, grimy
residue and give yourself a clean cooking surface.
·
After you’re finished cooking, turn the grill to
the max power setting to burn off the drippings and grease in the grill.
·
Cover the grill once it’s cooled down. This
prevents contamination and rusting.
EVERY 10
COOKOUTS:
·
Remove the cooking grates and clean them out on
both sides with warm water and a scrub. While the grates are out, clean off the
metal barriers above the burners and below the grates.
·
Bush out the inside of the grill into the drip
pan.
·
Clean out the grease drip pan (replace if necessary)
·
Put everything back once it’s clean and turn on
the grill. Place the cover on and let the grill run for about 10 minutes to
disinfect the interior. Keep the grill on until you see very little or no smoke
coming out.
ONCE A YEAR:
·
Thoroughly brush out the interior of the grill,
but leave the greasy accumulation as a protective layer on the metal.
·
Remove the barriers and cooking grates and clean
them if they haven’t been cleaned recently. With everything out, turn up the
heat just long enough to notice how the flames are coming from the burners. If
the flames are uneven, you need to clean out the burners. HOW TO – Remove the
affected burners from the grill and using a small wire or pipe cleaner, push
through the ports (holes along the side). Gently tap the burners, open end
down, on the ground to displace any debris from inside the burner. Once clean,
replace the burners and heat up your grill again. If the flames are even, move
on to the next step. If not, repeat.
·
Clean out the grease drip pan (or replace if
necessary).
·
Close up the grill and give the exterior surface
a clean wash.
·
Once all the components are clean, including the
grates and barriers, put your grill back together and light it up, allowing the
fire to disinfect the interior.
·
If you’re planning on putting your grill away
for a long period of time (say, during the winter), close and disconnect the
gas supply. Remove the propane tank from the grill and place it in a safe,
ventilated area. Cover your grill and place it in a safe and sheltered location.
