We use a charcoal grill and I have always waited till the grill gets hot and then clean it with a brush (metal) and paper towel and the heat melts the grease and lets the pieces of old meat fall off!

MY DH suddenly discovered my STEAM cleaner and wants the grill steam cleaned each time! I say this is useless and not always good for the grids.

HOW do you do it?

Uh, is he the one doing the cleaning???? Ours gets the same treatment as yours does now. Except ours is gas.

We also use charcoal & ours gets cleaned every time & sprayed with a grill protector...sorta works like vegetable oil spray...keeps the metal from getting rusty between uses.
I don't have a steam cleaner but mine gets a hot sudsy wash w/wire or very stiff brush & then a rinse with the hose & drip dry...then spray & put away.

marcy, So funny! This is a bit of an ongoing-dispute between DH and I - one I let DH win because DH does most of the grilling. He likes the idea of that just "burning off" the grill cleans it - myself, I would prefer to clean it with my Shark Steamer.

But, to be honest, I have enough to clean inside our home without volunteering for more work so I let DH do his thing. I figure that any bacteria probably is killed by the protracted burning - the grill just doesn't look "pretty" after but so what? DH is happy, continues to grill and I don't have to clean it!

DH burns and scrapes it with a grill brush every time the coals are heating up.

quote:

Originally posted by zone9alady:
DH burns and scrapes it with a grill brush every time the coals are heating up.

Same here... that's one thing I'm not OCD about ;o

Do any of you have trouble with finding pieces of the wire from the grill brush in your cooked meat. I haven't but just asking.

quote:

Originally posted by May:
Do any of you have trouble with finding pieces of the wire from the grill brush in your cooked meat. I haven't but just asking.

I never have! But I rinse my grate with the hose and then spray it...so I'd see anything before it got into/on the meat.
And if a grill brush gets so bad that it is looseing wires...I replace it.

quote:

And if a grill brush gets so bad that it is looseing wires...I replace it.

I agree! In fact, the last few years at our house, Santa has brought DH one or two grill wire brushes in his stocking. A fun gift that has him looking forward to moving the snow so he can grill once again.

After we finish grilling something, I close the top and turn the heat up to high for a bit. That burns off any grease or meat bits. Then when the grill has cooled down I brush it with a wire brush. I only take it apart and wash it occasionally, as it stays really clean with the burning off.

Maybe awful to some here...but I just turn on the gas and get the grill grate good and hot prior to use. Scrape with the wire brush, continue to heat a bit, scrape again. Burns/cooks whatever was left on it prior, as well as any errant spiders that may be lurking.

I'm the griller at my house...and like FFG, I always clean while it's heating up and I also clean it after cooking. I have a charcoal grill as well. I save all the grease from bacon, sausage etc from stove cooking and put it in a jar. I swab my grates before and after each use. Definitely keeps my grills seasoned. Very little rust! Happy Grilling Y'all!

I just burn it on high at the end of cooking til whatever is on the grates turns white and brushes off with a wire brush. Pretty much what Weber recommends.