Barbecue cleaning and maintenance

What better way to enjoy your garden than to sit out in a stylish gazebo with a burger straight from the barbecue?

Of course, when showing off your barbecue skills, you’ll want to make sure your barbecue is up to scratch. A rusty kettle or burnt grill will add flavours you just don’t want.

Here’s our guide to barbecue maintenance – helping you keep your barbecue in top condition:

Sensible storage

Store your barbecue safely. Barbecues need to be kept away from moisture to avoid rusting, so if you have no space inside, a garage, shed or covered area of the garden will do.

Wrap your barbecue up in a BBQ weather cover to protect it from the rain and cold.

Treat paintwork with care

Never wax or paint your barbecue as this will make it look dull and smeary.

Weber barbecues have a baked-on porcelain enamel finish that means you need only wash the outside with warm soapy water and a soft cloth before rinsing it.

Never use oven cleaner on your BBQ as this can destroy the paintwork. Grease drippings, too, can damage paintwork - so look after your barbecue by wiping up grease as soon as possible.

Keep your BBQ clean

One of the most important things to remember when looking after your BBQ is to keep it clean.  Below you will find our top tips for successful barbecue cleaning:

Body

Wipe off the grease from the inside of the lid, bowl and exterior surfaces of the barbecue with warm soapy water before rinsing and drying. Ash absorbs moisture which can lead to premature rusting of your BBQ. Empty out the ashes, once they have cooled, from the kettle and ash catchers of your charcoal barbecue after each use.

Grates

To make barbecue cleaning easier, put oil on the grill once it has heated up to help stop food sticking to it. If food does stick, reheat the barbecue after cooking to help burn off the remains. With a gas model you can just use a high heat for about ten minutes.

Charcoal - Wait for the coals to die down before cleaning the grates of your charcoal barbecue. When the grate is warm, brush any food off with a brass grill brush before giving it a good clean with warm soapy water. The Weber Grill Brush will help get rid of any tough stains.

Gas - Brush down the grates and flavourizer bars of your gas barbecue with a brass grill brush. The Weber 21” T Brush is perfect for this, with a long handle to keep your hands away from the heat.

Burners

To maintain an even heat across your gas burners, clean any debris off the burner tubes with a stainless steel brush, being careful to use an up-down motion.

Bottom tray

Get rid of grease with a plastic scraper each time the bottom tray is used. Wash it with warm soapy water before rinsing it.

Warming racks and work surfaces

Look after your barbecue’s warming racks by cleaning with a soapy, fine steel wool pad. Use this lightly on a porcelain control panel so as not to scratch the surface.

The stainless steel surfaces should be cleaned with a specialised cleaner, such as Beefeater BBQ Cleaner. Always clean in the direction of the grain and do not use abrasive pads as they will scratch the surface.

Related Products
Weber BBQ covers - protect your BBQ from the elements.
Beefeater BBQ cleaner – Barbecue cleaning product for enamel, stainless steel and hotplate surfaces.
Weber BBQ accessories – Barbecue maintenance products and tools.