Gas Grill How Tos

How do I prepare my grill for spring?from inside the grill into the drip pan.
Be sure to clean spider webs out of the venturiAccumulated grease can cause a fire hazard. Do
tubes as described below.not line the drip pan with aluminum foil, as it can
You may open your grill in the spring and findprevent the grease from flowing properly. The
remnants of the meal you cooked on it lastpan should be scraped out with a putty knife or
season. Don't worry. According toscraper, and all the debris should be scraped into
Howtocleananything.com, cleaning the grill isthe disposable grease tray. This tray should be
actually easier than most people realize, and youreplaced every two to four weeks, depending on
can usually forego the brushes, dirty sink andgas grill usage. For supplies, see your dealer.
elbow grease if you start the day before youHow do I clean the outside of my grill?
need the grill. However, use the following methodDo not use abrasive cleaners to clean any painted,
only after checking with your owner's manual.porcelain or stainless steel parts. Porcelain enamel
Some manufacturers warn against using ovencomponents must be handled with additional care.
cleaner on any part of their grill.The baked on enamel finish is glass like, and will
Lay a plastic bag on the ground, followed by achip if struck. Touch-up enamel is available from
newspaper, then lay your grill on top of theyour dealer. Exterior grill surfaces should be
newspaper. Spray liberally with an oven cleaner,cleaned while warm to the touch, with warm
and cover with another layer of moist newspaper.soapy water.
Follow this with another plastic bag and weighHow do I clean the stainless steel parts of my
down the edges so the whole mess doesn't endgrill?
up in your neighbors yard. Now instead ofAccording to the Specialty Steel Industry of North
scrubbing and scouring, just let the oven cleanerAmerica, stainless steel needs to be cleaned for
do the work for you overnight. The next day,aesthetic considerations and to preserve corrosion
remove the grill and place all the saturatedresistance. Stainless steel is protected from
newspaper into one of the garbage bags. Wearcorrosion by a thin layer of chromium oxide.
gloves and follow all of the manufacturers safetyOxygen from the atmosphere combines with the
precautions whenever working with causticchromium in the stainless steel to form this
cleaners, such as oven cleaner. Rinse the grillpassive chromium oxide film that protects from
thoroughly, and then wash off any remaining ovenfurther corrosion. Any contamination of the
cleaner residue with some soapy water. Rinsesurface by dirt, or other material, hinders this
again, coat with a light brushing of vegetable oil,passivation process and traps corrosive agents,
and you're ready to go!reducing corrosion protection. Thus, some form of
It is a good plan to fire up your barbeque for 30routine cleaning is necessary to preserve the
to 45 minutes on High temperature to sanitizeappearance and integrity of the surface.
everything before the first use of the season.Like any surface that is exposed to the
How do I season the cooking grids for the firstenvironment, stainless steel can get dirty. Dirt and
time?soil can consist of accumulated dust and a variety
For a new grill, you need to burn off theof contaminates that come from many sources,
protective oils that are applied by theranging from the wind to everyday use. These
manufacturer by running the grill on high for aboutcontaminates will vary greatly in their effect on
30 minutes. After the grill cools, coat the gridsappearance and corrosivity and ease of removal.
with a vegetable oil spray and run for 30-45Frequently, warm water with or without gentle
minutes on high. This will draw the oil into the gridsdetergent is sufficient. Next in order are mild
and prevent foods from sticking.non-scratching abrasive powders such as typical
How do I clean the cooking grids?household cleaners. These can be used with warm
As soon as the food is removed from the grill,water, bristle brushes, sponges, or clean cloths.
brush the grills with a grill brush for about 10Ordinary carbon steel brushes or steel wool should
seconds. If you have porcelain-coated grills makebe avoided as they may leave particles
sure you only use a brass bristle brush, neverembedded on the surface which can lead to
scraping the grill with the scraper that is usuallyRUSTING. For more aggressive cleaning, a small
attached to most brushes.amount of vinegar can be added to the scouring
Then turn off the grill immediately. After the grillpowder. Cleaning should always be followed by
has cooled down spray vegetable oil, such asrinsing in clean hot water. When water contains
Pam, liberally on the grill (this should also be donemineral soldis, which leave water spots, it is
before you light the grill each time as well). Whatadvisable to wipe the surface completely with dry
this does is loosen whatever food is stuck to thetowels.
grill, knocking it into the bottom of the grill whereFingerprints and Stains - Fingerprints and mild
it will be incinerated the next time the grill isstains resulting from normal use are the most
pre-heated.common surface contaminates. Fortunately, these
Turning the grill on high for ten minutes willusually affect only appearance and seldom have
emulate a self-cleaning oven, but that is like usingan effect on corrosion resistance. They are easy
your grill twice. Of course you may forget youto remove by a variety of simple cleaning
are burning off your grill, and it can easily be leftmethods. Fingerprints are probably the most
on for 30 minutes or more. This puts your grilltroublesome marks to remove from the surface
through the same stress as using it 3 or 4 times,of smooth polished or bright finished stainless
meaning you will need to purchase new parts, orsteel. Fortunately, they can be removed with a
even a new grill, much sooner than you shouldglass cleaner or by gentle rubbing with a paste of
have to.soda ash (sodium carbonate) and water applied
If you feel you just must burn off your grill, oncewith a soft rag. Once again, this should be
a month won't really hurt anything, but religiouslyfollowed by a thorough warm water rinse.
brushing for 10 seconds as soon as you're doneFor more stubborn stains see the Specialty Steel
cooking and keeping the grills well oiled is allIndustry of North America's web site.
anyone should have to do.How do I clean the aluminum parts of my grill?
To help make the grill easier to keep clean, don'tThis is the beauty of cast aluminum...all you have
apply tomato based sauces until the last fewto do is hose it down. About once a year, take
minutes before the food is removed from the grill.some detergent soap that you would use to
Marinade and baste the food with vinegar, citruswash your automobile, and wash your aluminum
or soy-based mixtures to help make clean upgrill. With die cast grills, you can leave it outdoors
easier.all year round, regardless of the climate. (taken
How do I clean the burner?from outdoor-patio-furniture.info)
You will from time to time have to clean theHow do I clean spider webs out of my venturi
burner to keep the burner holes clean. The flametubes?
coming from the burner should be blue, if theIf you notice that your grill is getting hard to light
flame is orange or red you may need to replaceor that the flame isn't as strong as it should be,
or clean the burner. At this time you should alsotake the time to check and clean the venturis.
check the gas supply (venturi) tubes to be surePlease refer to the photos on our website.
that there are no obstructions. If you use yourIn some areas of the country, spiders or small
barbeque heavily you may want to spray a foodinsects have been known to create "flashback"
safe organic cleaner or degreaser and let it sit forproblems. The spiders spin webs, build nests, and
a while and hose the entire barbeque off. And forlay eggs in the grill's venturi tube(s), obstructing
safety sake on your BBQ, you should only openthe flow of gas to the burner. The backed-up gas
the propane tank valve half a turn. It will workcan ignite in the venturi behind the control panel.
just as well and if there is ever an emergency,This is known as a flashback, and it can damage
you can shut off the gas in an instant!your grill and even cause personal injury.
How do I clean the inside of my grill?Shut off, then disconnect the gas supply to your
Remove the cooking grids. Using a soft brass wiregrill. Disconnect then tilt the burner down below
brush, clean loose debris from casting sides andyour control panel. Run a long handled pipe cleaning
insides of the lid. Scrape sear plates with a puttybrush back and forth in the venturi tubes as
knife or scraper, and use a wire brush to removepictured below. Reconnect the venturi tubes and
ash. Remove sear plates and brush debris off ofgas supply.
burners with a brass wire brush. Brush all debris