Nothing gets dirty like a grill. All that heat and meat, and charcoal combines into a powerful brew of sticky black smudge that gets on everything and is hard to get off everything else! Here are some tools that will help you keep your grill just a clean as it needs to be without losing the flavor or performance you want.
Here are some of the best tools for cleaning your (charcoal, gas, pellet, or electric, it doesn’t matter) grill…
GrillStone Grill Cleaner
Just a few years ago everyone was using cheap grill brushes to clean their grill. Wire grill brushes are dangerous and should be avoided! Yes, they are cheap and you’ve used them for years, but you should stop right now.
Instead, you should use a high quality grill cleaning brick. These are chemical-free and non-toxic products made out of sort of recycled glass foam. The bricks are affordable, easy to use, and excellent at cleaning. They tend to wear out quickly, but they are so effective that you can use each brick multiple times. These will get your grill great as clean as possible in just a few seconds.
The downside of a grill stone is that it does serious cleaning. This means you need to only use it on your grill grate. Do not use the brick on any paint, as it will remove it from any surface. Similarly the brick will clean the grate down to the chrome so you’ll lose any cooked on seasoning which can prevent sticking and, some say, add flavor.
Bristle-free Grill Brush
If you want a more traditional grill brush then get a bristle-free one. These are like those old, dangerous ones, but new, and not dangerous! The bristles have been replaced with a sort of metal mesh. This material is safe on porcelain and other delicate surfaces that your grill might have. It’s not as effective a cleaner as a grill block, but it’s just as effective as that old brush.
Grill Scraper
A grill scraper is a great way to clean off the the grill grate while leaving that delicate seasoning intact. This will remove the big, burnt on chunks and not touch the rest. You could do this with a wood grill scraper or something else but this tool is effective and it’ll stand the test of time. Avoid any plastic. The GrillFloss is a nice option with a long handle and good leverage but this is a simple task so almost anything food-safe and heat-resistant (as in, not plastic) will do.
Grill Cleaning Fluid
At the end of easy season you are going to want to give your grill a good cleaning. This can be done with soap, water, an old rag, and a ton of elbow grease or you can use a grill cleaning spray to get a deeper clean. This will remove that tough grease as well as baked-on fat and soot that just seems to get on every surface of your grill. The right cleaning fluid will be biodegradable, food-safe, and not too harsh.
A citrus-based grill cleaner can be quite effective as well. This will be an ideal way to remove grime and grease, but not harm your grill or introduce toxins to any cooking surface. These fluids will be safe on painted surfaces, like the metal outside of a Weber charcoal grill. These are porcelain-safe as well.
Grill Grate Lifter
OK, this isn’t a must-have but they do come in handy. Grill grate can get very dirty and very hot. They are also quite difficult to hold, even with gloves. A grill grate lifter does just what it says on the tin: it’s a type of specialty pliers that lifts your grill grate.
And of course, you will need grill gloves…