Caring for Your Grill

Time-saving cleaning tips that make cooking easier.

Spring Clean Your Barbecue

• If ashes remain from last season, get rid of them. Wash the lid and firebox with detergent and warm water, using a steel-wool soap pad for stuck-on stains. Rinse and dry.
   
• Before your first cookout, light a fire and heat the grate for about 30 minutes. Then scrape it with a long brass-wire brush, like the 18-inch grill brush and scraper from Weber ($8, weber.com). During the rest of the season, brush right before and after cooking. A little residual grease is good―it helps give grilled food its smoky flavor.
   
• At the end of the season, dump the ashes and close the lid. Leave the grease on the grate until spring; it will help prevent the metal from rusting.