How to Clean a BBQ

The easiest time to clean grill grates is while they're still hot. After cooking, turn a gas barbecue up to high for 10–15 minutes with the lid closed to burn off residue, then brush the grates with a grill brush. On a charcoal barbecue, brush the grates while they're still warm, before the fire dies out completely.

Wire grill brushes can shed bristles that end up in food. Many people now prefer bristle-free brushes, nylon brushes used on cooled grates, or scrunched-up kitchen foil held in tongs. Whatever you use, check the grates for loose bristles before cooking.

Empty the grease tray or drip pan of a gas barbecue regularly – a build-up of fat is a fire risk. Line it with foil to make cleaning easier. On charcoal barbecues, let the ash cool completely (at least 48 hours, or douse it with water) before emptying it into a metal container. Never put warm ash into a plastic bin.

Once or twice a season – at the start of summer is ideal – give a gas barbecue a thorough clean. Turn off and disconnect the gas, and let everything cool.

Remove the grates and soak them in hot water with washing-up liquid or a barbecue cleaner, then scrub. Remove the flavour bars or heat tents that sit over the burners and scrape and wash them. Brush the burners gently with a soft brush and check the burner ports aren't blocked; spiders and insects sometimes nest in the burner tubes over winter. Scrape grease from the inside of the firebox and lid into the grease tray, then wash and rinse.

Reassemble, reconnect the gas, check connections with soapy water for leaks (bubbles mean a leak – turn off and get it fixed), and run the barbecue on high for 15 minutes before cooking.

Empty all the ash and old charcoal. Remove the grates and soak and scrub them as above. Scrape the inside of the bowl and lid with a plastic scraper to remove flakes of carbonised fat, then wash with hot soapy water and rinse. Make sure the vents open and close freely. Dry everything thoroughly to stop rust.

Cast-iron grates should be dried immediately after washing and wiped with a thin coat of cooking oil to stop rusting, like a cast-iron pan. Porcelain-enamelled grates can chip if scraped with metal tools; use a nylon brush. Stainless steel grates are the most forgiving and can be cleaned with a stainless steel brush. Our stainless steel guide covers the outside of a stainless barbecue.

A barbecue put away dirty is much harder to clean in spring:

Specialist barbecue cleaning services – often run by oven cleaning companies – dismantle gas barbecues and clean the parts in a heated dip tank, much like a professional oven clean. It's popular before summer parties and for holiday lets. Our guide to professional oven cleaning explains how the dip tank process works.