If you’re like many people, chances are good that you might not have used your grill very much during the fall and winter months. Now that the temperatures are beginning to rise, you might be ready to start using it again. These are a few steps that you can take to help you get your BBQ grill ready for the summer.
Perform a Safety Check
First, you’re going to want to perform a safety check. If you have a gas grill, take the time to check the valve and gas tank for leaks and replace if necessary. You’ll also want to make sure to check the hoses to ensure that there aren’t any holes.
Check and Clean the Grates
After performing a safety check, it’s time to get the grates nice and clean. To make this job easier, start up the grill and allow it to get hot for several minutes. Then, you can use a wire brush to remove any caked-on food or other debris. For many jobs, this is sufficient, but if your grill racks are extremely dirty, you can allow them to cool, remove them and run them through your dishwasher. Once they have been cleaned, you can check your racks for rust. If they are rusty, you may want to replace them to avoid the contamination of your food.
Hose it Down
After you have cleaned your grates thoroughly, you’ll want to spray them down to rinse them of any particles. Now is also a good time to clean the outside of your grill, which might have gotten dirty since last time you used it. You can use a solution of gentle soap and water — dish soap works great — to clean away any stains.
Let it Dry
Once your grill is nice and clean, you’ll want to open it up and leave it out in the sun so that it can dry thoroughly. To avoid problems, do not use your grill until it is completely dry.
Stock Up on Essentials
Once you grill is ready for use, you may want to stock up on a few essentials to ensure that you have everything that you need when you’re ready to put it to use. For example, if your grill is a charcoal grill, you may want to go ahead and buy a bag of charcoal and some starter fluid, and make sure that you have a grill lighter on hand. If your grill is a gas grill, you’ll want to refill or replace your tank to ensure that you have ample gas. You may also want to invest in some grilling tools, such as a wire brush to clean your grill with and other essentials. You can even purchase special pans that are designed for use on the grill and that can be used for preparing foods that you might have never thought about making on your grill.
Now that the weather is warming up, you are probably excited about the idea of firing up the grill and preparing your favorite meals. If you go ahead and get your grill ready now, all you must do is pull it out and fire it up when you’re ready.