Summer is the perfect time for grilling out with friends and family but if you are like me you can find any reason to break out the grill. However, if you want to make the most of your grill, here are 4 Tips to treat your grill right all year long.
How not to take care of your Grill
Like most people when I first got a grill. I cleaned in before cooking on it. I got rid of the ashes when the new charcoal needed to place to sit and I didn’t care if it was rained on because it belonged outside. So after 7 years of marriage and a grill that looked like this ( see below) my wife decided it was time for a new grill a beautiful heavy Kamado Joe! The photos below is what happens after you take your grill for granted.
4 Tips to Treat your Grill Right
Treating your grill right really takes no time at all. There are a million things you can do but I have here are four tips to help keep your grill in good shape anytime you feel like getting on the grill.
- Clean your Grill after every session (after it cools)
This will help prevent build-up of residue that can cause flare-ups. Also, by cleaning your grill often it saves you time in the long run. Clean the grates, empty the ashes, clean your tools all while having your favorite grill beer so the time time you grill you can get right to it.
2)Invest in a good quality Grill Cover.
Trust me on this one this will protect your grill from the elements the rain, the sleet, the snow, the birds , and extend its life span. I recall talking to my doctor a few years back and he told me that he opened his grill at the beginning of grill season and found a snake. Now how true is that I don’t know but if anything is on my grill is getting cooked.
3) Apply a light coating of cooking oil to the grates before each use.
As you grill more this become like a ritual. This will help keep food from sticking, and makes cleaning much easier. I like to do is take some citrus fruit a lemon or lime and slice it and use tongs to go over grates after dipping in cooking oil. It’s very relaxing.
4) Keep a chimney starter on hand for starting charcoal or wooden lump .
I learned this method of starting a fire 15 years ago and have not looked back. It is a great way to ditch the lighting fluid . If you don’t properly build the fire lighter fluid is the only you will taste. The Chimney Starter I have pictured I purchased about 12 years ago for 24.99.
Tips for keeping you grill Healthy
Treating your grill right quick notes.
- Clean often
- Get a grill cover
- Oil your grates
- Get a Chimney Starter