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My dad's friend who's a fireman says that the fireboxes of BBQ grills need to be scraped & cleaned with oven cleaner once a season because the build-up can cause a grease fire. Every summer season he's had to respond to a few flare-ups where the whole grill gets engulfed (usually because the homeowners freak out & forget to turn off the gas). Cleaning the grates is one thing from a sanitation point of view, but the firebox that holds the burners is the most important. I don't think you need to go through the trouble of pressure washing though. Here in LA there are specialty patio cleaning crew that scrub everything down & polish them to a sparkle. They're mainly for those mini-mansions with full outdoor kitchens, like under-the-counter refrig, wet bar, built-in grills, outdoor stoves etc.
If you use charcoal, after you're done grilling, (while it's still hot), scrape it with a good wire brush that is meant for a grille. It cleans more easily when still hot.
If you use a propane tank or piped-in gas, at the end of the grilling session, set a timer for 10 minutes or so and then go back out and scrape it with the brush. If you forget, (or choose to do it later), fire it up next time and when it is hot, (before food goes on), scrape it.
A clean grille helps the current food keep its own flavor and promotes less sticking... BBQ sauce has a lot of sugar in it and that, added with the fat and grease in meat makes for a lot of sticking.
If there is a tray underneath, (the one that catches grease drippings), empty it often. We had a house recently burn down to the ground in our development......long story which involved an exploding bbq propane tank, not for this thread. Anyway, we had a meeting with firemen last week......that tray full of grease is a good way to start fires....and it also attracts rodents.
Well sure, dump out the drip tray. Nobody wants a grease fire. But pressure washing a whole grill every time is only for people who are unclear on the concept!
My dad's friend who's a fireman says that the fireboxes of BBQ grills need to be scraped & cleaned with oven cleaner once a season because the build-up can cause a grease fire. Every summer season he's had to respond to a few flare-ups where the whole grill gets engulfed (usually because the homeowners freak out & forget to turn off the gas). Cleaning the grates is one thing from a sanitation point of view, but the firebox that holds the burners is the most important. I don't think you need to go through the trouble of pressure washing though. Here in LA there are specialty patio cleaning crew that scrub everything down & polish them to a sparkle. They're mainly for those mini-mansions with full outdoor kitchens, like under-the-counter refrig, wet bar, built-in grills, outdoor stoves etc.
Yeah, well, what are you going to do with civilians? I've seen people throw water on grease fires. What were they thinking? Oh, wait, they weren't thinking.
Cleaning the grill: post grill, turn the temp to high, incinerate everything stuck to the rack. After it cools a bit, scrape or scour bits off. Spend as little time as possible on this chore.
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