How to clean your grills
Wayne Abrams, owner of Wayne’s Body Shop and local grilling expert, said the best way to clean a grill is to use a specific grill cleaning solution and a soft, plastic-bristle brush.
“Majority of people that cook in their backyards, they’ll have a Weber or some type of stainless steel,” he said. “This cooker that I use here has steel racks in it, but what I use to clean my grills whether it be stainless steel, steel, whatever, I get this oven, grill and fryer cleaner. ... You have to be real careful because it’s strong.”
Abrams emphasized when cleaning a grill to never, ever use a wire brush, whether stainless steel or just steel.
“I think a misconception, a lot of people think they’ve got to get a wire brush and scrub it with a wire brush, and I really wouldn’t recommend that. Little particles of metal, things like that, will be left on the surface when you go to cook,” he said. “What I do when I get down to scrubbing, I’ll use a soft, plastic bristle to clean the grill.”
Abrams demonstrated the power of the cleaning solution just after he’d finished grilling for a competition. He sprayed the racks heavily and immediately the grease began to melt away.
“Let that sit for a while,” he said. “I’ll hose it off with water and then I’ll come back with a second application” and then the brush.
After you’ve finished cooking , Abrams recommends you go ahead and clean the grill quickly to make the task easier.
“It does work better, if you’re going to clean your grill, to do it while your grill is hot,” he said. Don’t “let it sit there for a week, two weeks or until the next time you think you’re going to cook.”
If it’s going to be a while between grilling times, spray a coat of Pam on the grill after it dries, he suggested.
“It might be a week or two weeks before I cook again,” Abrams said, “but your equipment will last a long time if you just take care of it.”
