How do you clean your barbecue?

[Jason]

The weekend is nearly here. For many of us, the weekend provides the opportunity to fire up the gas or the charcoal, pick up the tongs and cook a barbecue feast. 

But inevitably, there is also some cleaning required. How do you clean your barbie? And do you tend to clean it before you cook, after, or both?

Jason

[Mick]

Why would you want to remove all the flavour by cleaning it? 

Seriously though, I tend to leave it after cooking as the oil and fat protects the hotplate and grill from rusting. Then before the next cook I'll get it really hot and give it a good wipedown and scrape. I've tried those BBQ wipes and they can be handy but arent usually necessary. 

[Ben]

If I'm doing multiple rounds on the hotplate for a large gathering for family or friends, a splash of my beer on the hotplate in between each round is perfect to ensure the hotplate is clean for the next type of meat. Also a great excuse to always have a beer handy whilst on the barbie!

Otherwise a small cup of water onto a really hot hotplate does the job nicely.

Then scrape off the gunk.

Here's my power users tip: the best bbq cleaning tool I own is a metal paint scraper. http://www.bunnings.com.au/100mm-sharp-edge-paint-scraper_p1670156

Gets even the most stubborn gunk off of your hotplate and is quite short, so not prone to bending like some bbq cleaning implements if you push them too hard.

[stupidfish]

I used to use newspaper - but those bbq wipes are pretty good. Then seal the hot plate with an oil with a high smoke point (I use rice bran oil). Never use extra virgin olive oil for cooking or sealing your hot plate - it has too low a smoke point and an overwhelmingly strong flavour.

I've tried using half a lemon to clean the bbq before, but that didn't work very well for me.

[kaylah_rose]

Lime, a scraper and a paper towel are usually our weapons of choice. 

Paper towel first (especially if it is a public barbecue) to remove dust and debris.

Heat up the hotplate and add a squeeze of lime. Followed by some super intense scraping.

We usually clean the barbecue before and after cooking. We don't use it all that often so cleaning it, straight after cooking,  keeps it in good condition and allows us to easily use it whenever we want.  

[Andadams]

Matador BBQ's have released a series of video’s of how to clean an old BBQ, cure a new one and general maintenance. Easy and quick steps to ensure longevity of your pride and joy, a must is to invest in a good BBQ cover. Cleaning would all be for nothing, if you can’t protect it from the elements: https://youtu.be/J3e4LMnunXQ

[timjeffries]

We use ours a lot so I tend to leave it after cooking (plus by then it's time for eating!). That seems to protect it and then I give it a clean before use by heating and scraping it. I often intend to follow @Ben's lead but can never bring myself to part with beer for the sake of cleaning.

[Joker]

Anyone tried this?

Why take to your greasy grill with harsh chemicals and a Brillo pad when there’s a far simpler solution? Scrub the grates with a halved onion faced downwards. This will remove grime and grit without the putrid chemical smell. 

Sounds unlikely, but I might give it a try...

[Jason]

This is a good idea. Anyone use this method?

Jason

[Mick0s]

Mines a Weber Q, so I give the grill a once over with the wire brush before using each time, and if its really dirty after use, I'll leave it running for an extra 10 mins or so on high to char up any mess.

Every now and again i'll scrape down the inside of the box with a spatula, but that's about the limit for me.