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  • 4 Must Do Things To Get Your Grill Ready For Spring

4 Must Do Things To Get Your Grill Ready For Spring

February 20, 2015

It doesn’t feel like it now with all the weather we have been having, but spring is coming. And with the warmer weather getting outdoors after a long hard winter is a welcome change. Make sure your grill is ready to fire up with these 6 steps.

Tools for the job

Start by being prepared to do the job right. A pail of soap and warm water, a sponge, paper towels and a good grill scrub brush are all cleaning necessities.

First, wipe down the exterior of the grill. Move to the inside to remove any grease splatters under the lid and around the edges of the grill. Once you remove the splatters if you were fortunate enough to invest in a stainless steel grill, use a stainless steel cleaner to add that shine.

For the grates you will need a stronger tool. A wire bristled grill brush is strong enough to remove cooked on food and rust and then wipe up other debris with a sponge.

Take a look at your grill brush. Now throw it away. Start with a clean, new brush every season if you can.

Clean and Scrub

Start with the grates. Take them off the grill and clean them well with soap and water. While we don’t recommend doing this all year long, a good clean to start your season is important. If it’s been a year or more since the last clean you may need to soak them. A proper clean will keep food from sticking when you fire up the grill.

If you’re looking to do less work, and who isn’t, you can reduce your elbow grease by spraying the grates with equal parts of vinegar and water.

Wait about an hour and all that gunk should easily scrub away.

After a thorough cleaning, coat the grates with vegetable oil. If you put them in the oven at 450 degrees for a couple of hours you can “cure” them and ready them for reuse.

Don’t forget to check around the air vents on your grill and remove any debris to ensure free air flow and limit any fire hazards.

Maintenance

Take apart as much of your grill as possible and clean both the inside and outside with soap and warm water using a strong bristled brush. Areas with lots of grease deserve special attention.

If necessary use a citrus based degreaser for the tough greasy spots. And don’t forget the grease tray!

Check your burners for any holes. If you see any, replace those burners, Examine any tubes for spiders that like to find a home during cooler weather inside the tubes because the grill hasn’t been being used.

Crown Verity is the official grill of Tailgate Joe . Tailgate Joe uses a 6ft long MCB72 and a 4ft long MCB48 that provides him with over 17 ft of enclosed cooking surface and 260,000 BTU’s of heat fed off of 4 propane tanks.

These grills have been tested and will hold up throughout the season in any weather, and for a crowd of any size Joe is cooking for. And believe us, as the biggest and best New York Jets tailgate party and gameday fan club, Joe is an expert at keeping his grills in top shape! Grill maintenance pics courtesy of Tailgate Joe who is obviously serious about keeping his grills clean!

Watch this handy little video on that will walk your through how to take your grill apart and the process of how to separate those parts for cleaning.

Safety

Look for cracks and leaks in your hoses. Check the resilience of your control knobs. Does your temperature gauge work, are the grills handles loose? Tighten them. Regular maintenance will keep your grill in tip top shape.

Check that your hoses and tubing are not damaged and that ignition parts of the grill aren’t covered in any grease. You can do leak test by putting soapy water on the hoses, regulator, and valves. Turn on the propane tank and look for any bubbles. If you see bubbles it means the gas is leaking and its time to replace the hoses or your tank.

Regardless of type of grill you have, always refer to your owner’s manual before cleaning. If you’ve been diligent and kept your grill up all these years and the manual is nowhere to be found, you can access most brands with a quick Google search.

With a few simple steps and using the right tools you will be ready for spring grilling and add years to the life of your BBQ.