Things to Do before Firing up Your Gas Grill

When you and your family are craving for hot grilled chicken, you’ll surely like to ignite your barbeque grill and roast the chicken instantly. We are sorry to say that, but, you need to give a once-over to your grill before heating it. It becomes more important when you are using the grills after a time gap. You might know, cleaning and maintaining your gas grill is imperative for great grilling experiences. But, you should also note that a regular inspection of the parts of the barbeque grill is equally important to spot the problems that may cause safety issues.

Here are the things that you must do before firing up your grill.

Test for the Gas Leaks

Surely, you do not need an explanation as to how dangerous a gas leak can be. Before starting your cooking process you must check for any gas leaks. You might be tempted to have a close look at the gas connection and the hose to declare everything is fine. But, you should never do so. Most of the time the cracks in the hose are tiny holes or hairline cracks that you won’t be able to find by simply looking at it.

You need to fill a spray bottle with dishwashing liquid and water solution. Spray the solution along the hose and over the connection. And, then turn on the natural gas line or the gas tank if you use that. The soapy water will cause the leaking gas to form bubbles. If you find the bubbling near the connection, you can simply tighten it to stop the leak. But if gas is leaking through the hose, you should instantly replace it. Don’t use your barbeque grill unless the leaky hose is replaced with a good one.

Check the drip pan and replace when needed

The drip pan needs to be cleaned very often. So, make it a habit to clean it before any cooking. While cleaning the drip pan you should also inspect it for any corrosion or cracks. If the thing is cracked or corroded, replace it as soon as possible. By making it a habit to clean your drip pan regularly you’ll not only enhance the life of your grill but also keep yourself safe while cooking on the grill. Excess drippings and grease pass through the drip pan before being accumulated into the disposable drip tray. This is the reason drip pan needs frequent cleaning and maintenance.

You may find some people suggesting you to cover the drip pan with aluminum foil or even sand. Don’t ever do such nonsense things to your drip pan; if aluminum foil were required manufacturers would have mentioned that in the manual. Putting an extra layer restricts the flow of grease and can cause a fire hazard. You may want to slide out the drip pan to make the cleaning easy. Scrapper or putty knives are good tools to clean the drip pan.

Clean up the firebox

Although you do not need to do the firebox cleaning before each cooking, you should keep this in your regular routine. This is necessary when you are taking out your grill from storage to be used after a long gap. And, if you use your grill regularly then the frequency of cleaning should be directly proportional to the frequency of its use. An unclean firebox may get heated far more than the required temperature due to the accumulated grease. And, this overheating may damage interiors of the grill.

You will need to remove the cooking grates, burners, warming rack, flame tamers etc. to clean the firebox. A plastic scraper is a perfect tool to clean the ashes, food residue and other build-ups inside the firebox and the lid. Wire or brass brush can also be used, but, if you are not very careful you may damage the porcelain finished parts of the firebox. You can use a spatula or similar tool to remove the debris while doing this dry clean-up. If you can see white oxidation spots on the interiors of firebox you may need to wash it with mild soap and water. You can use a garden hose to rinse the firebox after scrubbing it with mild soap. After washing towel dry the firebox.

Clean the cooking grates

Grates are the part of a grill that actually comes in the direct contact with your food. So, you already know that a dirty one will pose threat to you and your family’s health. And, this health threat can sometimes be as serious as cancer. So, make it a habit to clean your grates before each phase of grilling.

Use a stiff-wired grill brush with a long handle to scrub and clean your grill grates. You can use a soap solution to clean the grates. After cleaning them, you’ll require to towel dry your grill grates. You might have heard that grates should be cleaned on a high heat level. But, that instruction is for the coal grills. If you own a gas grill, never try to clean your grates over the flame.

Check the functionalities of your grill

Now that you have checked for any leaks and cracks in your grill and have also cleaned it thoroughly, it’s the time to check its functionality. Once you clean your cooking grates you’ll like to rush in your kitchen and marinate the meat to be grilled. But, it’s better to check whether each knob, buttons, and switches are working properly. You don’t know if anything has gone wrong during the storage period of your grill.

Make sure to check your on/off switch, the igniters switch, thermometer, pressure regulators etc. before planning your first grilling of the season. If anything is not working, you’ll need to get your gas grill repaired by experts, as sometimes grills need more than just cleaning. Be sure to contact reputed experts like Grill Tanks Plus whenever you need someone to take care of your grill.

All these may sound daunting task but remember, each of the steps are important for you and your grill too.