As you use your Kamado grill more often, it is crucial to keep it clean. The need for regular cleaning is that meat and other food residues will cause the grill grates to char. In addition, leftovers will burn the next time you light the grill. Those burned bits contain amino acids and chemicals that will contaminate your food.
Therefore, you want to know how to clean Kamado grill grates.
1. Scrape Grates Using the Correct Brushes For Grill Cleaning
Kamado grills feature several types of material used for grill grates.
- Stainless stell
- Cast Iron
- Ceramic coated
Professionals recommend the application of the right brushes for cleaning the grills.
Nylon brushes do not damage the grill grates; hence the nylon brushes come out as the best choice for cleaning BBQ grills. However, using a nylon brush takes more effort to clean the grill.
Wire brushes make an ideal choice for stainless steel and cast iron grill grates. However, the major downside is that if you use a cheaper one the wire bristles come off with heavy cleaning. Therefore, you need a proper rinse-off to get rid of stray wire bristles.
Softer bristle brushes are recommended if your Kamado grill features porcelain or ceramic-coated grates. The soft nylon bristles will ensure an excellent scratch-free cleaning.
Here are tips and ideas on how to clean Kamado Grill grill grates.
2. Clean Kamado Grill Grates While Still Warm
Cleaning Kamado grill grates after use ensures grease comes off easily and faster. Otherwise, you will need to work harder, while there is no guarantee the leftovers will stick out completely. If you lack time to clean the grill grates immediately after use, we recommend warming up the Kamado grill to let off the stuck leftovers and melt off the grease.
3. Clean the Kamado Grill Grates In Hot Soapy Water
After scraping the grill grates, soak them in hot water to cut off any remaining grease. Use a gentle cleaning detergent and a scouring pad to scrub off any dirt. After a thorough cleaning, rinse the grills using warm water and dry thoroughly.
4. Use Vinegar or Grill Spray
While cleaning the grill grates with soapy hot water is often the favorite approach, some barbecue lovers prefer vinegar or grill spray to get the job done. Therefore, add two cups of white vinegar to two cups of water and spray the mixture into your grill grates.
Let the mixture sit on the grates for about 10 minutes. After, brush the grill grates with a grill brush.
5. Protecting Your Grill Grates After Cleaning
Cast-iron grates are tough, and so they can handle the wire brushes. However, if you used wire brushes to scrape dirt, the cast-iron grates could be exposed and prone to rusting. After drying, consider rubbing the grates down with vegetable or canola oil.
The stainless steel grates are durable and do not require much care as the porcelain or the cast-iron grates. However, these grates may rust after cleaning. Therefore, dry the grates entirely before cleaning.
Conclusion
In professional restaurants, the health department does an annual unannounced inspection for cleanliness and other things. As home grill chefs we need to have the same cleaning standards to keep ourselves and the people we cook for safe from eating bad and unhealthy food caused by dirty grill grates.
Cleaning the grill grates after or before use helps you attain the rich taste of barbecue. However, do not forget to apply the correct brush to scrape the dirt and the proper technique to ensure a sparkling grill grate.
Clean grill grates are a requirement for food safety and if not done the right way can cause food born illnesses.
Do not forget to clean the rest of your grill and cleaning tools. Apply suitable detergents and accessories to aid your grill cleaning process.
Jeffrey Brooks
Jeffrey Brooks is an experienced backyard griller that uses a Kamado grill for most of all the cooking he is doing. With his experience, he will do reviews and answer every question you have about Kamado Grills. You can read more about Jeffrey Brooks