There’s nothing better to welcome in the arrival of warmer weather than a good old barbecue. Friends, food, and fire all come together in a delicious celebration of the upcoming months of spring and summer. On your balcony, in your garden, in the park – we love to barbecue everywhere!
The downside is, however, scrubbing the grill! Caked on and burnt fat, grime of an unknown origin and the old coals all take a while to get back into shape.
No worries though: we’ve got 11 simple tips to make your barbie sparkle EVEN after you’ve cooked a whole lamb!
1. Coffee v.s. grime: Brew some (cheep) coffee, pour it to your sink and allow your grill plus utensils to soak. You’ll probably need a few litres for this. Give it an hour, a quick scrub and a hose down with hot water – the grime should come right off. It’s the acid of the coffee that does the magic, loosening up that caked on grease and residue.
2. Onions for the quick win: Divide an onion in twain! Stick it with some prongs, or a fork, using the moist side to make contact with a hot grill. Provided this is just a normal BBQ (i.e. not too meat intensive), this should do the job!
3. Aluminium foil: Don’t have an onion? Then spray vinegar on your grill plate, wait until you can breath in its vicinity and then use a ball of aluminium foil to remove all traces of the dirt.
4. Natural cleaning. A tablespoon of baking soda and another of vinegar plus a litre of hot water; this is what you will need. Give your grill a soak in the solution for a an hour or so and then clean as normal.
5. BONUS TIP – sterilize your cutting board: Make sure the bacteria from the raw meat prep are is all gone – rub salt and lemon on the tainted areas! Make sure you wipe it off though, you don’t want to go ruining your nice marble work surfaces.
6. No more smokey house clothes: Sick of tainted clothes and drapes after your barbie? Leave a sponge soaked in vinegar in the often affected areas! This will help to combat the invasive smells like smoke and fat from the BBQ. If this still doesn’t do the trick, dilute some vinegar in water and spray the effected areas lightly! This should absorb the smell and help against the fat.
7. Rust be gone: Got an iron barbie? Give it a quick wipe over with olive oil (or similar) after you clean it. This stops it from rusting and keeps it looking sexy.
8. Steam off: Fill a shallow tin with boiling water and stick it in the lit BBQ. Close the lid. The steam looses dirt, making it easy to clean!
9. Scrape with a spatula: Whilst hot, use a robust spatula (like below) to remove the majority of the mess. When hot, it is easier to remove! But do it after you cook, as not to throw the old food residue down onto the new coals.
10. Soap: Clean your barbecue the classic way, without the effort. Soak your grill in hot, soapy water for a few of hours, followed by giving it a thorough scrub down. It is less creative this way though.
11. Renounce the residue. Remember to give your grill a good blasting before whacking your food back on their. This will banish any soap smells that might transfer to your food.
And you? Do you have any BBQ hacks we’ve missed? Let us know, below!
Happy grilling, everyone!
