How to clean your BBQ

Before the season begins when you don the apron and wield the tongs, there’s one sacred thing to do - clean the BBQ.

Whether you’re wheeling out a cobweb-covered five burner that’s been languishing all winter, or simply giving a spruce up to the BUGG hot plate you use all year, it pays to give your BBQ a solid once-over, between those immediate post-BBQ plate cleans.

Here’s our how-to BBQ cleaning guide - whether doing an everyday or deep clean.

HOW TO CLEAN AFTER EVERY USE

What you’ll need

Spray bottle
White wine vinegar
Water
BeefEater brass BBQ brush
Paper towel or cloth
Cooking oil
Spray cooking oil

CLEANING STEPS

A clean BBQ is an efficient one, so you need to give it a clean after every use. Rather than an intensive job, a bit of elbow grease, with some oil and a BeefEater brass BBQ brush on a hot BBQ will do the trick. It not only helps with hygiene and getting the perfect charred effect on your cooking the next time round and aids to overall longevity of your BBQ.

Step 1

On a warmed BBQ, oil down the hot plates and grates and let them burn off for a bit, eating up any unwanted food remnants and flavours, before rubbing vigorously with a brass BBQ brush.

Step 2

Allow this to cool, so you’re able to touch the surface, then use paper towel or a cleaning cloth to wipe the hotplate down, so no oil residue remains.

Step 3

If you want something more potent on top of that, you can mix together a 1:1 water to white vinegar solution to spray on the hotplate. Simply leave for 10 minutes to eat into the grease, before wiping away. This can also help remove any mould if your BBQ has signs of it.

Step 4

Spray the hotplates lightly with oil to prevent rusting.

Step 5

Close the lid and cover it with a BeefEater BBQ cover to protect against the elements.

How to do a twice yearly deep clean

What you’ll need

Spray bottle
White wine vinegar
Water
BeefEater brass BBQ brush
BBQ scraper
Paper towel or cloth
Cooking oil
Spray cooking oil
Washing detergent
Large tub

CLEANING STEPS

Like any appliance, if you want to keep it operating at its best and ensuring you get the maximum lifespan out of it, you might want to perform a BBQ deep clean once or twice a year. While most BBQs will follow the same general cleaning rules, it might be handy to check your BeefEater user's manual for instructions on how to deep clean the model you have. If you have a gas BBQ, make sure you disconnect the gas before you start this cleaning process.

Step 1

Start by removing the hot plates, so you can get your wire brush into tricky corners for scrubbing, though your post-BBQ clean should mean it’s in pretty good nick.

Step 2

Remove the drip tray, emptying the food debris and build up into the bin. Scrub away cooked-on food using a brass BBQ brush and scraper before washing with hot soapy water. You can either do this at an outdoor sink or in a large tub.

Step 3

If your hotplate needs a deeper clean than what your brass BBQ brush and high heat can provide, you can also scrub it using soapy steel wool pads, or the same 1:1 ratio white vinegar and water solution.

Step 4

Spray the hotplate lightly with oil to prevent rusting.

Step 5

Give the outside of your BBQ a wash with warm soapy water and voila, BBQ season awaits.

DOs AND DON'Ts

DOs

DO oil down the hot plates and grates

DO allow the BBQ to cool before cleaning the hotplate down

DO use a strong vinegar solution and brass brush to clean the hotplate

DO spray the hotplate with oil to prevent rusting

DO protect your BBQ with a cover

DON’Ts

DON'T rush to take the vinegar cleaning solution off – leave it for 10 mins

DON’T leave food residue on BBQ when cleaning

DON'T keep the BBQ on when wiping with a paper towel

DON'T close lid without a cover

MORE HOW-TO GUIDES

How To Clean Your BBQ

HOW TO CLEAN AFTER EVERY USE

What you’ll need

CLEANING STEPS

How to do a twice yearly deep clean

CLEANING STEPS

DOs AND DON'Ts

How To Cook Salmon On The BBQ

How To Connect Gas To Your BBQ

How To Clean Your BBQ