It is simple to clean the charcoal BBQ’s and it is a task which should not be put to the bottom of your to do list. Cleaning your BBQ will help keep your BBQ in good shape, keep it operating at peak performance and ensuring it is safe to use.

The BBQ Lid

Your BBQ lid overtime may have ‘paint-like’ flakes on the inside. When using your BBQ, grease and smoke vapors oxidize into carbon and deposit on the inside of your lid. These are not toxic but can be annoying if falling into your food. Brush the carbonized grease from the lid with a stainless-steel bristle brush. To reduce the build-up, you can wipe the inside of your lid with a paper towel whilst the grill is warm (not hot, please take precaution).

The Cooking Grates

Before your next cook, preheat your BBQ by opening all vents and keeping the grill at high temperature for around 15 minutes. Take a stainless-steel t-brush and brush over the grill to remove any excess debris which is left on the grates. This is vital as any residue left on the grate may cause food to stick during future grilling.

The Bowl and Ash Catcher

To ensure a nice steady air flow and better grilling, remove all ash and old charcoal from the bottom of your bowl and the ash catcher before each use of the grill. Make sure that when doing this step, all charcoal is fully extinguished and cool.

Most of the Weber Charcoal BBQ’s will feature a One-Touch Cleaning System which consists of 3 blades attached to the handle under the bowl. Moving this handle will push the ashes and coals into the ash catcher.

Using the cleaning system might not get everything out of the bowl and at least once a year or more often, if possible, the inside of the bowl should be scraped with a plastic/rubber scraping tool to clean the blades and anywhere that the blades cannot reach.

If your BBQ does not have a One Touch Cleaning System, you will need to rely on the plastic cookbox scraper tool as a means to clean the inside of the bowl and this should be completed on a regular basis.

Please Note: Do not use any of the following to clean your BBQ: Abrasive stainless steel polished or paints, cleaners that contain avid, mineral spirits or xylene, oven cleaner, abrasive cleaners, and abrasive cleaning pads.