Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Spring is here!

Spring is finally here! Well, sort of here in Colorado. :) 

Even though we here at Colorado BBQ Outfitters grill and barbecue year round, we understand that many of you only do so during the warmer summer months. 

That means it is time for you to dust off that grill or smoker and get it ready to use. 

If your grill looks like this poor guy, then it's time to just get a new one. 

That is an extreme case of course. Our landfills have so many old grills that people have thrown out that could be refurbished. Most are cheaper big box store grills. 

If yours is the latter, here are a few tips you can use to get your grill back to newer condition. 

1. If your grill has been in storage or has had a cover on it all winter, use a broom handle or something of the sort to poke your cover gently. This will scare any critters that may have taken up residence in your grill over the winter. (One year I had a nest of spiders in mine. Yikes!

2. For gas grills, it is very important to thoroughly inspect all hoses and connections for gas leaks. You can put some dish washing liquid in a small bowl of water and brush it around all the connections and hoses. If you see bubbles when you turn on your gas, you have a leak. you may or may not be able to smell leaks. 

3. Check your cooking grids for rust. Cooking grids are expensive to replace so it is recommended to try and clean your grids as best you can. If they are damaged beyond repair, DON'T THROW THEM OUT! If they still fit on your grill, you can purchase products such as Grill Grates that simply sit over your ruined grids and you can cook on those. Made of anodized aluminum, they keep the heat in their "fins" so the meat sits up out of the grease. The fins give you great grill marks on your steaks! Grill Grates are almost always cheaper than replacing your manufacturer's grids. 

4. Clean up your grill using a non toxic cleaner. We carry both interior and exterior cleaners by Citrusafe.  This product works great even on baked on tough stains. It is non toxic and pet friendly. Never use a corrosive cleaner on the inside or the outside of your grill!

5. If you have porcelain coated cooking grids, make sure you use a brush designed for porcelain. porcelain can chip and crack if you use the wrong type brush. Do not use cheaper bbq brushes on these types of grids. After cleaning your grids, I suggest you "season" them with a high temp burn rate oil. 

6. Always inspect the burners on gas grills and smokers. If they are horribly rusted or broken, replace them. If they are intact, simply use a the end of a coat hangar or something similar and clean out the holes in the burners. Make sure you clean out the bottom of your grill.

7. Use a common putty knife to get the hard baked on gunk from the inside of your grill.  I know it is gross and full of gunk but use your scraper and get that gunk out of there. 

8. Fill up your propane tank so you are all good to go and don't run out of gas on your first big cook out. 

9. Put everything back together, recheck your connections and go ahead and fire your grill up. Run it on high temperature for about 15 minutes to burn off any left over residue, cleaner, etc. 

10. Lastly and most importantly, come on down to Colorado BBQ Outfitters at 6850 N. Academy Blvd and pick up all your grilling and barbecuing needs! 

Dan MacDonald
Colorado BBQ Outfitters