CLEANING THE BARBECUE

April showers bring May flowers - or so the saying goes. Well, yesterday morning, the skies darkened here and then let loose with 15 minutes worth of hail and a lot of rain! Nonetheless, the sun burst forth shortly after that and the temperature rose to 23C.  If that doesn't make you  feel like spring, I don't know what does.  The garden is now looking very promising with the crocuses poking through the soil and we are tempted to spend more time in the backyard. It is definitely time to to start thinking about cooking outdoors! But first, we want you to do a bit of spring cleaning - to your barbecue!

One thing that our husbands have in common is that they both take pride in having a nice clean barbecue, so we have no problem  handing that job over to them!  The dogs are always a big help too.


 Not only do we want it to look good on the outside, we want it to be safe on the inside, so follow these simple steps to ensure that you have a safe and delicious grilling season ahead of you.

Cleaning Your Barbecue Grill Before Each Use:

1.     Preheat grill on high with the lid closed for approximately 10 minutes.  Do not leave the grill unattended.

2.     Turn the grill to desired temperature setting.

3.     Use a stainless steel bristled barbecue brush to clean the warming rack and cooking grids.  Remember the grill is hot so protect your hand with a safety mitt.

4.     Brush the cooking grids with vegetable oil to prepare the surface for cooking.

Periodic Cleaning of your Barbecue Grill:

1.     Preheat grill on high with the lid closed for approximately 10 minutes.  Do not leave the grill unattended. 

2.     Turn off the grill and let cool. 

3.     Empty the Grease Pan and Grease Tray and put back into place before proceeding. 

Stainless Steel, Porcelain Wire and Chrome Plated Cooking Grids and Warming Racks:

4.     While cooling, use a stainless steel bristle barbecue brush to clean the warming rack and cooking grids.  Remember the grill may be hot so protect your hand with a safety mitt.  It is not necessary to wash the grids and warming rack, but if you wish to do so, use a barbecue cleaner such as Barbecue Genius Grill Cleaner or mild soapy water on stainless steel or porcelain coated wire cooking grids.  Be sure to rinse thoroughly.  Never use commercial oven cleaning products.  Cast Iron Cooking Grids:  While cooling, use a stainless steel bristle barbecue brush to clean the cast iron cooking grids.  Remember the grill may be hot so protect your hand with a safety mitt.  Do not wash cast iron cooking grids with soapy water or use a grill cleaner as this may promote rusting.  Brush the cast iron cooking grids with Vegetable or Olive Oil to protect from rusting.

5.     Remove Cooking Grids and Warming Rack.

6.     Flav-r-wave: Scrape the Flav-r-wave or Vaporizor Heat Tents and inside of Firebox with flat scrapper and vacuum the debris.  (A wooden paint stir stick works well.)

7.     Remove the Flav-r-wave or Vaporizor Heat Tents.

8.     Firebox: Scrape the bottom of the Firebox with flat scrapper and vacuum the debris.

9.     Burners: Lightly brush the burner ports with the (back side of the) stainless steel bristles.  Clean the Venturi Tubes with a bottlebrush or venture brush.

10.   Grease Pan and Grease Tray: remove, clean and replace.

11.   Replace the Burners (if removed), flav-r-wave, and cooking grids.

Cleaning the Exterior of your Barbecue Grill: 

1.     All exterior surfaces may be wiped clean using a cotton cloth and a mild soapy water solution.  For a more thorough cleaning follow the steps below.

2.     Die Cast Aluminum components are rustproof and require very little care.  Wipe clean using a cotton cloth and a mild soap and water solution.  If white oxidation spots appear, wipe with a clean cotton cloth dipped in cooking oil to restore the lustre.

3.     Stainless Steel components are rust resistant.  Wipe clean using a cotton cloth and a good quality Stainless Steel cleaner. For aggressive stains, use an aggressive cleaner suitable for Stainless Steel and plastic scrub pad following the manufacturer’s directions and then wipe clean using a cotton cloth and a good quality Stainless Steel cleaner.  Caution: be careful not to use an aggressive cleaner on other surfaces of the barbecue grill or on Stainless Steel Cooking Grids. 

4.     Painted Surfaces: Wipe clean using a cotton cloth and a mild soap and water solution.  To restore lustre, apply an automotive wax following the manufacturer’s directions.

5.     Resin/Plastic Surfaces: Wipe clean using a cotton cloth and a mild soap and water solution.  To restore lustre, wipe using a clean cotton cloth a resin/plastic protector.

After all of that hard work,  what better reward than a steak and salad dinner -simple, healthy, delicious! We always throw a few extra strip loin steaks on the grill so that we can make steak salad, fajitas, or sandwiches for a quick dinner midweek.

As always, the technique for grilling a Perfect Steak is on the Broil King website. Follow the link for this no-fail method.

We also prepared a simple appetizer, because the kids were getting a little rest-less during the intense grill cleaning period. The asparagus is another harbinger of spring - can't wait until it is available at our local asparagus farm, Barries.

Grilled Asparagus and Prosciutto Spears

2 lbs asparagus, cleaned well

1 tbsp. olive oil

12- 15 slices prosciutto

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat barbecue on HIGH for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to MEDIUM.

Meanwhile, prepare asparagus by rinsing thoroughly in cold water to remove sand. Snap off the woody end.  Toss lightly in olive oil, place on grill and cook for 6 minutes, turning once.  Remove from grill and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Meanwhile, cut each piece of proscuitto in half, lengthwise. Wrap bottom half of each spear of asparagus in proscuitto.

Arrange on platter and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and freshly cracked black pepper.