I have one of those outdoor stainless steel built-in grills at my house, and the grilling grates are getting pretty crusty. I do a basic brush and wipe each time I use it, but what is the secret to getting the grilling surfaces back to a reasonable level of clean?

High heat and burn it off?

Three suggestions, in order of aggressiveness:

1) Get grill hot, have bucket of water next to it, dunk grill brush in water and clean using wet. After each section, move to another. If it doesn't come clean wait for that area to get hot again while doing other sections, then work back to it.

2) Easyoff or similar cleaner and green scotchbrite pad.

3) Wire wheel and cordless drill.

Warning: Only use option 2 & 3 on SS, not coated iron grates.

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Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
High heat and burn it off?

That's what I do on my charcoal grills and smokers. Run temp up to 600+. Then scrub with grill brush.

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High heat and burn it off?

+1, just like the self-cleaning oven. Wipe off the ash with damp paper towel & good enough to go.

Do what?.

I just grill...then the next time I build a fire, that burns off the grease from the prior food.

This water brush works surprisingly well. Heat your grill as hot as you can get it. Maybe 20 minutes on high then brush with this gadget which will dispense water and magically steam off all of the crud. Trust me I was not a believer until I tried it. It works.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=U..._sl_7xsadldrwi_b_p37

Now the insides of the grill are a different deal.

What is this "cleaning" you speak of?

I've had Weber Kettles forever and I just brush the grill just before I put whatever meat I'm cooking. An acquaintance I once knew that was a champion BBQ cook told me to never clean the inside of the lid. He said if it starts to flake then just clean with a damp cloth and that's it. I've been doing it this way for ages.

Jim

I have removable cast iron grates and occasionally I’ll pressure wash them.

Grill Daddy Pro brush. It works. The steam cleans and the brush works good too.

I will let it burn on high and the next time I use it heat it up and us the Grill Daddy

My family always grills at medium temperature. The grease never gets a chance to burn off. Run your grill wide open. Let it burn off. Then scrape.

My new/used house had a built in gas grill, wanted to give it a go as I've ALWAYS been a wood/charcoal burner. Used it a few times, grates went from pristine to gunkified.

I laid them out on some cardboard in yard, sprayed well on all sides with oven cleaner and let them sit for a full day. Then scrubbed them off with a couple SOS pads and hose. Not perfect, but close to shiny and new again.

Put them back on the grill, turned it on to dry, covered the grill back up the next day, put a bungee around cover to keep it in place and never plan to use again. It'll be clean when we get ready to sell.....

I'm old school I guess.

As a footnote, a neighbor shared with me his revelation that the "stainless" grates on our Kitchenaid built-in grills really are just some stainless coated cast structure. He had been cleaning his with the high-heat approach above and the stainless had broken down, underlying grate was rusting. Being a little over the top and looking for a welding project he got some stainless bar stock and welded a new set of grates. THOSE will last a while!

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Originally posted by Anush:

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High heat and burn it off?

+1, just like the self-cleaning oven. Wipe off the ash with damp paper towel & good enough to go.

I use a lime or a lemon after high heat to burn it off.

If all else fails, use Carbona. You have to let it sit for a day, but it's the best chemical cleaner I've ever used.

I have one of those steamer cleaners, got it for a birthday present and haven't used it yet, I'll give it a go on the smoker and weber to see how it does....

Right now I pull the grates, spray them down with Weber Grill cleaner spray, from Lowes Depot let it soak a bit and then scrub with a green fiber/sponge pad and rinse with the hose. Wipe it down with a shop cloth and it's good to go.

Put the grate in a black trash bag and spray it with ammonia (windex will work) and leave it in the sun for a day. Then scrub and wash.

I don't think that I've ever cleaned a grill beyond the occasional rub with a wire brush. And by "occasional" I mean about every ten years or so.

Just cook it clean.

I have a cast iron grill grate that gets seasoned with use. I will brush it if necessary but I don't clean it.

Bought new grates a month or so ago. Never worried about cleaning them in the past. Last grate lasted a year, maybe less.

This time around, I'm using a balled-up piece of foil that I pour a little oil cooking on, then scrub the grates. I'm cleaning the grates while the chimney is getting going. I don't wipe them down after I'm finished cooking.


Rick