No More Dirty or Burnt Up Grills

Spring is synonymous with barbecuing. I envy people who can barbecue just about any cut of meat. My repertoire is limited to burgers and ribs...I haven't learned yet to do anything else, but something that all of us grillers have to deal with is cleaning the grill. Who likes to do that? Yes, I know, you keep the flame going and burn the stuff off, but eventually, you're going to have a grease and gunk build-up that you need to get rid of. Tell that to my husband who actually MELTED DOWN our grill, thinking he could just turn off the flame, close the hood and "let it burn itself out" while he and his buddies jack-jawed about their latest military exploits...well, while they were otherwise distracted, the grill burned itself out alright, after melting down most of the grill and the knobs. God must've been watching over us that day by not allowing the propane tank to explode and do some serious damage to the house, not to mention us! But, I digress...here's the easiest way to clean your grill.

• Remove grate and put it in a large heavy-duty plastic bag. Spray it down with oven cleaner. Close bag with twist tie and let it sit overnight.
  

• Put on rubber gloves, open bag, remove grate, rub down grate, and hose it down.

• The next time you use your grill, spray it with oil before turning on the heating element or heating coals.

• Get rid of burnt up charcoal ashes by dumping BBQ over a spread-out newspaper. Roll up paper and throw away. Make sure coals are burned out or you'll start a fire.

• If you've got a propane grill, be sure to empty the grease catcher every so often.

• Keep a cover on your grill to keep out dirt and pollen and to keep it looking new as long as you can.

What do you do to keep your grill clean?