How to look after your grill during the summer season

How to look after your grill during the summer season

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While enjoying the delicious cooking that your grill provides, do not forget about the maintenance it needs. Proper in-season care not only helps to prolong its lifespan and reduce the need for a grill repair service. It also helps to ensure your cooking is free from any unwanted off-flavours.

​In this post, we will discuss how to look after your grill during the summer season.

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Crucial maintenance tips

Quick cleaning after every use

To ensure your grill hygiene, keep the unit clean. So, after every use, arrange a quick cleaning for your grill:

• Spray the grates with lemon juice or rub the cut onion along the hot grates, use tongs
  
• Cool the unit down slightly and scrub the grates with a wire brush
  
• Apply cooking oil to the grates to prevent rust
  

Deep cleaning after heavy use

Arrange deep cleaning at least every 3-4 cooking sessions. If you had a lot of cooking, arrange deep cleaning in addition to quick cleaning right after the cooking:

• Burn off any residue by running your grill on high heat for 10 minutes, the lid closed
  
• Soften built-up grime by soaking the grates in hot soapy water once your grill is cool
  
• Get rid of the grime by scrubbing the grates with a stiff brush
  
• Check for rust and scrub it away, if any
  
• Dry the unit and apply cooking oil to the grates to prevent rust
  

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Other maintenance tips

Quick scrape for pre-start

Even if your grill is in good condition after the previous use, it still needs pre-start care. To clarify, after reaching the right temperature and before putting food on it, give the grates a quick scrape to remove moisture and light rust that may have formed.

Managing the ash and drip tray

Grilling produces a lot of fat and juices that flow into the tray. The summer warmth can turn old grease rancid, which will create unpleasant odours when you use your grill next. So, after every use, once your grill is completely cool, empty the ash (for charcoal grills) or the drip tray (for gas grills).

If a sudden rain hits while you are cooking, once it stops and the coals have cooled, empty the ash immediately. Leftover wet ash turns into corrosive sludge and rots your grill metal.
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To conclude, it is necessary to add that proper grill care also includes proper storage. To clarify, when your grill is not in use, keep it dry and use a weather-resistant grill cover to protect it from rain and moisture.