Keeping your barbecue clean will ensure that you get the best results from it for years to come. But how often should you be cleaning it and when do parts need to be replaced? This blog explains how and when to clean each component of your barbecue and when to replace depreciating parts.

Cleaning your grates

We recommend you clean your grates every time you use your barbecue. The easiest way to do this is to use a wire cleaning brush and clean your barbecue while it is hot. Before using your barbecue, preheat the grill with the lid down then use the wire cleaning brush to scrape all of the the grease and food residue off of the grates.

If you have a large buildup of grease and fat on your barbecue grates then Traeger's All Natural Cleaner is a natural, food-safe cleaning spray that cuts through grease and fat with ease. If your barbecue has cast iron grates, we don't recommend wetting them as this could lead to rusting. However, if you have a Weber charcoal barbecue or a Traeger Pro or Ironwood series then the grates can be removed and cleaned in warm soapy water.

Cleaning your grates on each use will keep your grill in good condition and extend the lifespan of the grates.

Replacing your drip tray

Emptying or replacing your grease liner or drip tray is an important step in preventing fat fires. All Weber gas, electric, and pellet grills have a space for a drip tray beneath the cook box. Replacement drip trays can be purchased in packs of 10 and slot easily into the drip tray holder. How often you need to empty or replace your drip tray will depend on how much you use your grill, keep an eye on it and try not to let the drip tray get too full.

Traeger Pro and first generation Ironwood models have a grease bucket on the side and the first generation Timberline has a slide out grease tray, replacement grease bucket and grease tray liners can be purchased in packs of five. Compatible grease liners can be purchased for all first generation Traeger grills. These sit atop the bottom tray of the grill underneath the grates to catch grease and fat and make cleaning and maintaining your Traeger easier than ever.

New Ironwood and Timberline grills do not require grease liners due to their design. The bottom tray of the barbecue forms a funnel into the grease and ash keg below, which is larger than the grease bucket of the first generation Traegers. Liners for the grease and ash keg are available in packs of five.

Cleaning your cook box

Cleaning your cook box will also help prevent grease fires. If you have a charcoal barbecue, use the lever at the base of the bowl to rotate the blades and scrape the ash into the ash catcher. Empty the ash catcher pan, ensuring that ashes are fully cold and no embers remain. If you have a Traeger grill, remove the grates, bottom tray, and heat baffle and use a vacuum cleaner to clean out any ash remaining in the base of the barbecue and firepot.

Once you have disposed of any ashes, or if you have a gas barbecue, it is now time to clean any grease buildup in your cookbox or barbecue bowl. Remove the grates and Flavorizer bars and use a plastic scraper to scrape any excess grease and fat out of the cookbox. If you have a Weber Genesis barbecue or a Spirit other than a Spirit II model, then your barbecue will have a removable grease tray underneath the cookbox. Slide this tray out for ease of cleaning.

After scraping your cookbox and grease tray clean off any remaining grease with a cleaning spray or warm soapy water and a microfibre cloth or sponge. Make sure to clean any additional elements, such as the heat deflectors, charcoal grates, or the bottom tray of your Traeger.

Cleaning the outside of your grill

Once the inside of your grill is spick and span, you can move onto the outside. Clean the outside of your grill using a cleaning spray or warm soapy water and a microfibre cloth or a sponge. If you have a Weber grill, you can purchase Weber's compatible cleaning spray. The enamel cleaning spray is suitable for any of their porcelain-enamelled barbecues, this includes all of their charcoal grills and many of their gas barbecues. A stainless steel spray is available for barbecues with stainless steel components and for gas barbecues with a stainless steel finish. A Q & Pulse cleaner is also available for their Q range and Pulse electric barbecues.

Other tips & tricks

You should only need to deep clean your barbecue once or twice a year, depending on how much use it sees. We recommend you clean your grates on every use and empty your grease tray or ash catcher every few months to prevent fat fires.

The burner tubes on Weber's gas barbecues are protected by the Flavorizer bars, or by solid sections in your cooking grates, however, you may want to check that your burners are functioning properly and do not have any blockages.

If your Flavorizer bars have surface rust, this does not mean that they need to be replaced. Nor does this necessarily need to be cleaned off, although doing so will increase their life expectancy. For more information see our blog post 'Is it ok to cook with rusty Flavorizer bars?'.

Weber and Traeger barbecues are warrantied whether or not you cover them, however, keeping them covered or undercover when not in use will extend their lifespan and make maintenance that much easier. Weber covers and covers for Traeger grills are available on our website.