When it comes to cranking out the best hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, a clean grill is essential. Listed below are our favorite tips to get the grill sparkling clean.
1. Choose Your Cleaning Equipment...Wisely
Nothing beats a long handled wire brush, a five-gallon bucket, and some elbow grease. Avoid using toxic chemicals to clean your grill since they can leave an undesirable taste on the food you're grilling. Instead, all you need is some warm water, grease-cutting dish soap, and a simple concoction made of white vinegar and baking soda. Plus, if your grill has a stainless steel outside, a good stainless steel cleaner can add that extra shine.
2. Light Her Up
To clean a gas grill, start by firing up the grill, closing the hood, and letting it come to full temperature. Wait at least 30 minutes for the extreme temperature to burn away any sticky food or grease. Next, dip the wire brush into a bucket of warm, soapy water and scrub off all the gunk from the grates. Then turn off the gas, and disconnect and remove the propane tank. Let the grill cool completely.
3. Get It Soapy
Once the grill is cool, remove all the grates and flavorizer bars and totally submerge them into a tub of warm, soapy water. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes. Remove anything else from the grill that you can easily take off, such as burner-control knobs, warming racks, and grease trays.
4. Scrub, Scrub, and Keep Scrubbing
While everything is out (including the propane tank) and soaking, use this as your opportunity to clean the firebox. We recommend a putty knife to scrape away the gunk, and a hose to wash it all away. After the grates and panels have soaked, take them out and scrub them with the wire brush. For really stubborn gunk, mix a paste of white vinegar and baking soda and apply it directly to the worst caked-on food bits. Rinse all surfaces clean, making sure to thoroughly dry cast-iron grates to avoid rusting.
5. The Final Touches
Empty the bucket of dirty water, and then refill it with clean soapy water. Scrub down the entire outside of the grill using a large kitchen sponge. Be aware the steel wool, metal sponges, and coarse scouring pads can cause scratches, so avoid using them on the finished outer surfaces. After washing the outside of the grill, use micro-fiber towels to it wipe down and dry all surfaces.
Once everything is clean and dry, reassemble your grill back to its original state. Finally, reconnect the propane tank, shut the hood and fire up the grill. We like to let it heat for at least 15 minutes, then turn it off. This firing will help burn off any remaining cleaning solution, season the cast-iron grates, and serve as confirmation that you reassembled everything properly.
Now, all that's left to do is invite over some family and friends and cook up some delicious Feltman's hot dogs!
