Summer is just around the corner, which means backyard barbecues and outdoor family gatherings will be in full swing. During the peak of grill season, it is important to ensure that your grill keeps on performing, regardless of the number of meals you need to cook. Barbecues, whether gas or charcoal, can continue to serve you for years to come – but it all boils down to your grill maintenance habits.

GAS GRILL MAINTENANCE HABITS TO PROLONG LIFESPAN

Grills are a household staple, especially if you like to invite friends and family over for any kind of gathering. From Sunday brunch with the extended family, to weekday date night, to more extravagant parties, you can rely on Napoleon grills to elevate your meals.

This brings us to a very important point: taking care of your gas grill makes sense, not just for this season, but all year round. Here are some of our tried-and-tested grill maintenance habits to enhance your grill’s output and extend its lifespan.

CLEAN YOUR GAS GRILL DEPENDING ON HOW OFTEN IT IS USED

As daunting as it may sound, cleaning your grill each time you use it is one of the most important grill maintenance habits. How deep of a clean your gas grill needs will depend on your frequency of use. This blog: How to Deep Clean Your BBQ, will provide detailed instructions on how to give your grill great yearly maintenance to ensure longevity and great functionality.

• If you use your grill every day:
  Grids should be cleaned while the grill is still hot from the previous cook, however, you can also do this while preheating if you forgot. This disinfects and cleans your grill on its own. Brush the grates to remove any residue and to keep it looking fresh. When your BBQ party is over, don’t forget to cover your grill as soon as it cools down. The drip tray should be checked and cleaned every 10 cooks to ensure it doesn’t overfill. Frequent grilling means that your barbecue will be dirty faster and may be in need of a deep clean every couple of months.

• If you use your barbecue infrequently:
  A brush when done cooking, while the grill is still on but the food has been removed should be sufficient. Check the drip pan every 15 to 20 cooks depending on the amount of drippy food being grilled and clean it out as necessary.

• If you use your grill a few times a year:
  If you’re the type who only applies grill maintenance habits once a year because you don’t use it often, it is best to do so in the spring before you get the most use out of it.

To aid in your grill maintenance, we recommend using Napoleon’s Gas Grill Cleaning Toolset. Included in the set is an angled grid cleaning brush with a grid scraper, a venturi tube cleaning brush, a firebox scraper, and a burner port cleaner.

CHARCOAL GRILL MAINTENANCE HABITS TO KEEP IT LOOKING FRESH

Let’s face it, grills are hard to clean. Not only does grease and meat residue cling to the grates, but the overall buildup can get so thick that cleaning can be a painstaking job.

If you love the smokey taste that a charcoal grill has to offer, then you should definitely apply these grill maintenance habits. Here are some charcoal grill maintenance habits to keep in mind.

KEEP A CHARCOAL GRILL CLEANING KIT

Before you can clean a charcoal grill, you need to have brushes, scrubs, and cleaning materials. Here are some of the things that you would ideally need to obtain:

• Different types of cleaning brushes, depending on if you have cast iron, stainless steel, or chrome grids. (This applies to gas barbecues too)

• A metal garbage bin for ash storage

• Rubber gloves

PERFORM A DEEP CLEAN ONCE OR TWICE A SEASON

This is one of the most vital charcoal grill maintenance habits that you need to do. Here’s how to properly clean a charcoal grill before you start using it:

• Start by cleaning the grill grates. Remove and clean the cooking grids with a grill brush.

• Unburnt charcoal can/should be choked off. This is done by closing all of the air vents to starve the fire until it goes out completely. Monitor to ensure no fires occur.

• Check ash catcher every two to three cooks. This will depend on how often you cook and how long the cook is lasting (slow smoking vs. hot sear).

• Ensure all charcoal that you wish to dispose of is completely burnt out and dead before placing it into a heat-safe container like a metal garbage can, same with spent ashes in the ash catcher.

• Scrub the inside of a barbecue with nylon brush. This is one of the best grill maintenance habit hacks. Use hot soapy water to scrub everything to remove any gunk or residue every few cooks to remove any buildup. If you are an infrequent (less than once per week) charcoal user, this will ensure there is no buildup in the grill when you go to use it next.