A well kept grill will improve your BBQ game

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The summer season is slowly gracing the UK, which can only mean one thing - it’s officially BBQ season. It has probably been a while since you’ve fired up the grill and in order to avoid failure for your next one, it might be time to check for any damage and give it a deep clean.

You might know what you’re doing when it comes to vegetables and meat but many don’t pay the same attention to cleanliness. If you don't clean your BBQ properly after using it, then the next time you are looking to cook some burgers and sausages, you might find that your grill isn't in the best condition to cook on it.

There are a few quick and easy ways to go about cleaning your grill. Here are some tips that will give you a head start in order to have an enjoyable BBQ experience.

Read more: Food safety warning for Brits planning a BBQ for the Jubilee Bank Holiday

White vinegar is a favourite for cleaning inside the house as it’s a great alternative to stainless steel cleaner. You can keep on top of your BBQ game with a bit of white vinegar. All you have to do is spray over the grill, and wait five minutes before wiping it off with a clean and dry cloth.

This one may sound strange but a mixture of boiling water and coffee grains will do wonders for your tools. Instead of buying new tools because of tough stains that won’t budge, you can use the coffee method. The acid from the coffee will loosen up any dirt.

Covering your gill when not using it is the best way to save you loads of hassle in the long run. We’re not talking about the lid found on some BBQ’s. Covers are available for most brands and will need to be purchased separately. They work well to keep away extra dirt between cook-outs and will ward off rust.

There are antibacterial wipes that target barbecues. Lanmann’s Barbecue Cleaning Wipes are great for a speedy clean. They are double sided and available in large amounts.

Everyone has ketchup at home. Adding a small amount of ketchup to any areas of rust and leaving it for a few minutes will do much more than you think. If you’re hosting a BBQ soon, it might be time to buy more ketchup.

The Food Standards Authority (FSA) believes washing grills by hand is best practice. If you’ve never washed a grill before, you get rid of any food residue when the grill is still hot but be careful not to touch any hot bits. This way the heat will help stubborn food to loosen, then use a special BBQ brush and washing-up liquid or barbecue cleaner to get rid of the dirt.

Ashes can quickly turn into a mouldy mess. However, that being said you shouldn’t dispose of your BBQ’s ashes too quickly as it can set a wheelie bin on fire. The cleaning tip is to dispose of your ash safely and don’t let it rest at the bottom of your grill for too long.

Using a fork and placing half a white onion on the end has been suggested by some as a way to remove any dirt that hasn’t already been scrubbed off. The grill should be kept hot for this that any residue can easily be removed.