Burn, Baby. Burn!
This is less of a method itself and more of a simple first step to make the other methods even easier. All you have to do is turn all the burners up to high (after your cook is complete). Close the lid and let all the tough-to-reach food bits burn into a ready-to-scrape crisp. Once your grill stops smoking, you’ll know it’s ready for you. Just grab a brush and get to work, or use one of the methods below.
Tears of Satisfaction: The Onion Method
This one is for when your grates are still warm. Simply cut an onion in half (avert your watering eyes!) and insert a two-pronged fork into one of the halves. Run the onion flat-side down along the grates. The heat, combined with the natural properties of the onion, will remove anything unwanted from your grill.
A Silver Bullet
Start opening drawers in your kitchen, and you’ll find the silver bullet you didn’t know you had! Tear off a sheet of tin foil, and ball it up to the size you need to get into those tight spaces. Use tongs to start scraping with the tin foil ball.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Use a Power Drill!
That’s right – break the tools out! All you have to do is halve a lemon, then puncture the drill into the skin of the lemon so that the flat side faces away from the drill. Next, gently pull the trigger, spinning the lemon across the surface of your grill grates. The friction and acidity will take care of the rest.
Giving Dark Roast a New Meaning
This one is for when you need a deep clean, removing the “seasoning” and starting fresh. First, find a container wide enough to hold your grill grate. Then get to brewing! Make enough coffee (the cheap stuff works fine) to fill your container high enough to submerge the grate. Soak it for an hour or until the coffee dissolves all “seasoning” and residue. Afterward, be sure to scrub and dry with care.
All clean now? Time to load it back up. Here are some ideas for your next cookout!
