Summer is here and the smell of barbecue is in the air! Which makes it time for getting your barbecue grill ready for the season. Some folks will take one look at their grill and decide to just go and buy a new one, mainly because it got put away without any cleaning. Many people don’t realize that it really doesn’t take a whole lot to clean up that old grill once you get started. Just devote a little time and elbow grease to cleaning your grill and you’ll be ready for backyard barbecue parties in no time.

To start getting that grill ready you need to remove anything that is not tied down. From there you can start cleaning the inside of the grill, removing the loose gunk with a stiff wire brush. Then with some soap and water scrub all the burnt on stuff right out of the grill. A water hose can help to quickly rinse the inside of the grill when you are done scrubbing. A light coat of cooking oil sprayed onto the inside of the grill will help prevent any rusting, so that your grill will be usable all season long. Now work on cleaning the parts that you had removed earlier. A sink full of hot soapy water will work best when cleaning these parts. Depending on the condition you may have to let them soak for a while. When they are ready use your wire brush and scrub off all grease and burnt on gunk. Once these are cleaned and rinsed, spray with a light coat of cooking oil and place them back into the grill.  Make sure you pay special attention to the grill grate. A dirty grill great will stick to anything that you place on the grill and rob you of those great grill marks that are the hallmark of the grilling master.

For gas grills, you will want to check all connections and hoses to ensure that there are no leaks. Once you have inspected the grill, you should perform a quick operations test to guarantee that the grill does indeed work. If one or more of your burners doesn’t generate much of a flame then it may be because a gas jet or the venturi tube has become clogged. If these are clogged, turn off the grill and let it cool. Once cool enough to touch you should be able to use a small bit of wire or q-tips to clear the blockage. If your efforts do not clear them, you can buy new ones online. If your gas barbecue grill uses briquettes and you have already got a few seasons out of them it would be a good time to replace them too.

Once you have cleared any blockage you can check all the gas connections by coating them with a 50/50 mix of dish washing liquid and water. If there is a gas leak you will see bubbles forming in the mixture. If tightening the connections or replacing the seals does not cure the problem, then take your grill in for service before using if you feel it is worth whatever minimum charge they may have, or buy that new grill you have been secretly coveting.

While this does not cover all situations, if you follow these simple hints and tips, your barbecue will provide another season of great barbecue. Despite the fact that your grill is freshly cleaned inside where the food goes, if the outside looks dirty this can dampen the appetite… So make sure that you devote time to cleaning up the outside of your grill as well. Once you’ve got your baby all clean inside and out buy a grill cover so it stays clean. A spare propane tank or a propane level indicator is a good idea too, so that you do not run out of fuel while cooking ribs. All that is left to do is invite your friends over for a first day of summer backyard barbecue party.

Thank you to our friends at Weber Grills for donating a Weber One Touch Gold Charcoal Grill. Just leave us a comment and we’ll be picking one lucky winner to ship the grill out to on June 1st.  Limit one entry per IP address. Unfortunately we are limited to shipping to addresses in the United States. Good Luck!