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If you are like most people, you hope to keep your grill working well and cooking delicious meals for a long time. In order to accomplish this, you must plan to devote some time to maintaining your grill. No other home appliances will keep working without some care – and your gas grill won’t either. Protecting and maintaining your gas grill requires you to clean the grill. Most recommended maintenance programs are grouped into three time frames.
Every Time You Grill
- In order to sanitize and clean your grill, allow adequate time for preheating. Always allow it to heat up completely before adding food.
- Grill on a clean cooking surface by brushing the grill grates to free them from food particles.
- After removing the last food from the grill, turn up the heat to burn off any grease, food particles, or drippings.
- When the grill has cooled down, cover it. A grill cover provides great protection for a grill.
Every 10 Cookout
- Take the grill grates out of the grill and clean them thoroughly.
- Clean the metal pieces that are underneath the grates and just above the burners.
- Take a whisk broom or stiff metal bristle brush and remove any particles inside the grill.
- Remove and clean the grease drip pan.
- Put your grill back together and heat the grill for 10 minutes or more. Before grilling, be sure the grill is not producing any smokes.
Annually
If you do not use your gas grill during the winter months, do the following things to your grill before you put it away.
- Take out the grill grates and leave them in hot, soapy water for a while to soak off all residue.
- Take out any removable barriers and allow them to soak with the grates.
- Brush and remove any particles inside the grill. Leave a greasy film on the metal – it provides a layer of protection.
- Now that the grill is empty, fire it up and assess how your burners are working.
- If you notice uneven flames, the burners need to be cleaned. Simply remove the burners and clean the affected holes with a wire or pipe cleaner. Simply insert the wire or pipe cleaner to dislodge any particles. Hold the burner with an open end toward the ground and tap on it to remove anything from the burner’s interior. Now, put the burner back on the grill and fire it up again to check the flame. If the flame still burns unevenly, repeat the cleaning steps.
- Check the grease drip pan. Clean the grease from it if you can. If you cannot clean it well enough, just replace it.
- Close the grill’s lid and thoroughly clean the outside.
- Remove the grill and barriers from the soak and rinse thoroughly. Then, replace all parts and put the grill together.
- Light the grill and wait for it to heat up. This step will dry any remaining moisture from cleaning the parts.
- Detach the grill from the gas supply and close the lid if you are planning to store your grill for the winter season. You would also need to properly store the propane tank. Be sure to leave it in a safe, well ventilated storage area. Place the cover on your grill and park it in an area away from direct heat or cold.