There are hardcore folks out there who fire up their grills all winter long. But once the snow starts to accumulate and the deck gets covered many lose interest! So spring means time to give the ole grill a good clean, and a little tune-up.
Here's how:
1. Clean the burners. Detach all the burners from the grill. Use a valve cleaning brush through the burner holes to break through any blockages. Brush tops of the burners with a brass wire brush. Before reattaching the burners, check the ports. Poke through and clear away any stuck food bits with an appropriate-sized drill bit.
2. Clean sear plates and cooking grills with warm, soapy water. Rinse well. Brush the cooking surfaces with a thin coating of vegetable oil to re-season.
3. Clean the exterior of the entire barbecue with hot, soapy water. Rinse well so not to leave any soap spots. If the exterior is stainless steel, use stainless steel cleaner to give the outside a polish.
4. Using a spatula and in a downward direction towards the drip pan, scrape the inside walls of the grill releasing any stuck or burnt bits. Remove the drip pan and clean with hot, soapy water. Replace tin-foil grease catcher, if you have one.
5. Inspect hoses and feed tubes. Look for crimps, scratches or punctures and replace any that are damaged. If you replace any parts on your barbecue, a leak test is recommended before you use it. Check your owner's manual for how to do this.
6. Check ignition parts. Replace batteries, if battery-powered. Check electrode leads if they're rusty or grease-covered use fine sandpaper to clean them up.
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