Loading... Please wait...

Blog

Thorough Grill Cleaning

Posted by

Someone recently asked how I do a High Heat Burn-Off to clean the grill WITHOUT a grease fire. 

First, remove as much grease & burnt on foods!  BUT, don't remove the "seasoning" you have worked so hard to achieve.

AND I DO NOT USE FOIL, on the grill, E.V.E.R.

I do routine maintenance to ensure I have a well running grill.  READ this post, TO THE BOTTOM.

How OFTEN do I do a high heat burn-off?  Look at the grease tray, how many LONG cooks and remember WHAT meats you cooked and dry rubs and/or sauces you used.  Chicken, brats, burgers spells grease. Sauces not only drip onto the grease tray but also can cause Sooting if left too long

I take the time to do Preventative Maintenance and you will never hear me complain about my grills not running right.  Am I anal about it.....well yes maybe, but read the previous line, come on it's not rocket science.

Also, I take care of the Outside of the grills and the electronics.  I don't mis-manage the power supply or cigarette adapter plugs.  I protect the Controller if grilling in a mist of rain.  That's another blog.

Now how do I prepare for a high heat burn off, as in the stove/range in your home, it's sort of the same thing.... a self-cleaning oven by high heat.

At the END of the last cook and the food is off the grill, BUT before doing the proper Shutdown procedure, crank the grill up to 500-550 degrees.  I use a heavy duty long handled wire brush to get the heavy grease, foods, sauces, dry rub that is on the grates....its easier and more efficient at high heat.  Using high heat silicon gloves, I flip the grates over and wire brush the undersides also.

Next Day or after its really cooled down, remove the grates and set aside. Remove the Grease Tray.  I place it end up in a 55-gallon drum with a trash bag in it.  Using a 4" wide metal putty knife, I scrape down into the 55-gallon drum, then turn the grease tray end for end and scrape the other way.  I scrape as much as I can off, but its not 100%.  Doesn't need to be.

Remove Heat Shield, turn it upside down and shake it a bit into the 55-gallon drum, getting the ash out from inside.  Take notice of the BURN PATTERN on the Inverted V on the underside of the Heat Shield.  The Burn Pattern should be in the center of the V.  If not, measure how far it is off and adjust the Heat Shield position when replacing it.

Now for cleaning the insides...

Using the 4" putty knife, scrape the metal areas, again just enough to get any accumulation off, BUT NOT the Seasoning:

- Scrape the Ledges near where the grates set

- Scrape the V-channel where the right hand end of the grease tray drips into.  Be sure to scrape both walls of the channel AND be sure the Grease Tube opening is free and clear.  

- Peer into BOTH ends of the Chimney to be sure its clear.  If it needs cleaned, a long handled wooden paint stirrer stick works well.  (Wooden stick doesn't mar the inside, which leads to a scratch, which leads to more accumulation).

- Scrape the belly of the grill real well, this is where grease and ash mix and cause the most grease fires.

Vacuum all of the gunk out, including the Firepot, being CAREFUL not to disturb the Ignitor Rod.  

Vacuum into the end of the Auger Tube and see if the natural Lignin in the wood has built up near the end, scrape that with the wood stick or wooden shims.  Wooden Shims can be broken to be a smaller point to scrape that burnt on Lignin out.

Reassemble, paying attention to the position of the Heat Shield.

- Daniel Boone / Ledge - approximately 4.25" from the LEFT wall to the Left end of the Heat Shield

- Jim Bowie (centered firepot) / Peak - approximately 9" from the LEFT wall to the Left end of the Heat Shield

- Davy Crockett / Trek - approximately 3.25" from the LEFT wall to the Left end of the Heat Shield OR ALL the WAY to the RIGHT

Cleaning the Hopper:

- I use an old LARGE coffee cup with "ear" to scoop it out.  (I do not use the side pellet dump door, that's another story).

- Vacuum the hopper out of pellet dust AND into the Auger opening

- Refill the hopper with KNOWN FRESH pellets

BURN-OFF:

Burn off at 500-550 degrees until the chimney burns clear.  NO gray smoke, no White smoke, no smoke at all... it;s a self cleaning oven.  Can take anywhere from 30-minutes to an hour, depends how much it needed cleaning and HOW CLEAN you scraped it.  You have incinerated the gunk, it is mostly ash and sanitized (sorta).

Do the Proper Shutdown Procedure, wait for it to show OFF on the Controller, unplug the grill, let cool and stow away as normal.

You have done the High Heat Burn Off and are ready for the next cooks.



News