Grilling is a great way to cook your food because it removes most of the fat from the meat. Instead of building up in your body and clog up your arteries, the fat builds up and hardens on your grill grates together with marinade and burned food particles. If you leave this hard black residue on your grill, it will ruin the taste of your food and shorten the life span of your trusty backyard cooking equipment. If this greasy gunk has started to accumulate in your new Weber grill, despair not because it’s easy to clean up your grill by just following this guide.

Different grill grates are made of different materials, the most popular of these are stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain enameled steel. These require different handling and cleaning methods. So, it is best that you first read the manual that came with your new Weber grill and see if any of the steps mentioned in this guide is applicable to your particular type of grill.

A few minutes after using your Weber grill. While they are still warm, remove the grates from the guide that keeps them in place on the grill and soak in a tub or sink filled with warm soapy water. If you have cast iron grates, do not soak overnight as it encourages the formation of rust. After a few minutes remove them from the water and using a wire brush, scrub gently the grates until the residue is removed. If you own a gas Weber grill remove as well the ceramic briquettes, lava rock or metal shield to expose the grill burner. Scrub away any cooked on food on the lava rocks, briquettes or metal shield and clear the gas jets of the burner of any residue using a thin wire or a paper clip. Using a piece of nylon scrubber, gently scrub the inside of the grill with a bit of soapy water to remove any residue sticking on the surface. Then, let them stand to dry completely.

Put back the lava rocks, ceramic briquette or metal shield and slide the grate into the grill guide. Spray some cooking oil on the grates and the inside of the grill to protect them against rust. The next time you feel like having grilled meat for dinner, heat up your Weber grill for a few minutes before putting in your food. This way, you burn off the oil protection and whatever soap residue may have remained when you last cleaned your grill. If you have any other problems about the proper care of your Weber grill, you can visit its website or call its service department who will be happy to guide you on the right handling of their product.