Men's Health

 

Don't allow carbonized grease to affect the flavour of your food. Use this 6 phase attack

1 BURN OFF THE GUNK

Crank the heat (or light some coals), close the grill lid and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. The high temperature will char food residue so it’s easier to scrape off.

2 SCRUB THE GRATES

Remove the charred residue from the grates with a T-Brush, with long-wearing bristles that won’t damage a gas grill surface, but will get into hard-to-reach places (small R149, large R159 www.weber.co.za). If the grates’ undersides are greasy, remove them and wipe them down with a wet, soapy sponge. Then rinse them with a hose and towel-dry. If you have a charcoal grill, jump to step 5.

3 ATTACK THE BURNERS (PART 1)

Pricier grills often have burner protectors – V-shaped pieces of metal guarding the gas jets from food drips. Remove them, and use a putty knife to scrape grease off. If necessary, scrub them with soapy water, hose them off and towel-dry them.

4 ATTACK THE BURNERS (PART 2)

Clean the burners with the brush, using a side-to-side motion, not a lengthwise one. This helps keep debris from falling into burners’ holes. Look close: are the gas jets clogged? If so, use the tip of a wire hanger to poke through the centre of each one. If the holes are rusted, it’s time to replace the burners. Remove the burners for the next step.

5 HIT THE WALLS

Scrape the walls of the cook box with the putty knife; you want to remove carbonised grease so it doesn’t affect the flavour of your food. Very filthy grills may warrant a round of dish soap and water.If your grill has a drip pan, make sure to degunk the grease-channelling system with the putty knife, too.

6 GIVE IT A RUB DOWN

Your inaugural BBQ calls for a shiny grill. If it has a stainless-steel finish, wipe the grease away with a dedicated stainless cleaner and a semi-soft sponge. Warm water works fine for other finishes.