It’s barbecue season, which means you’re likely firing up the grill to whip up some of your summer favorites. But after a whole winter season sitting stagnant, it likely needs a good clean. So you get out your bristle brush and begin scraping.
Except the grime isn’t budging. If no amount of elbow grease seems to get to the bottom of the stuck-on grime and oil, Jeff Rossen, NBC News National Investigative Correspondent and host of Rossen Reports, has some tricks up his sleeves to help you get through the grime and back to cooking up some tasty summer fare.
4 Hacks to clean your grill
- Steam: Fill a regular, metal tin from your kitchen with water and boil it on the grill. Push the tin to the side (using a mit!) and begin scrapping with a bristle brush. The steam helps the grime come right off!
- Beer: Pour half a bottle of beer over the top of greasy grates on a warm grill. The beer will break down the oil and grease, and it will come right off when clean with a bristle brush.
- Vinegar: Put regular, household vinegar into a spray bottle. Spray vinegar all over the grill, then take a balled up piece of aluminum foil and use that as a bristle brush to scrape the grime right off.
- Onion: Cut an onion in half, put it on the end of your grilling fork and rub it all over the grill grates, then scrub with a bristle brush. The enzymes from the onion will help break down the oil and the grease.
And remember to be extra careful about loose brush bristles left behind on the grill — a huge safety hazard. Barbecue brushes have caused an estimated 1,698 emergency room visits from 2002 to 2014, according to a study published in 2016 in the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Experts suggest replacing your brush regularly, and inspecting both the grill grates and your food for lose bristles.
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