Grilling season is coming back, and you just remembered that cast iron grill that you shoved into the basement at the end of last summer? We’ll show you a couple of ways how to clean a cast-iron grill or a cast iron grill pan.
Unfortunately, every meal preparation for hosts usually ends with this question: ‘Who will clean the grill?’ This is one of those jobs that nobody likes doing.
Nice weather, nature, society, beer, and the smell of barbecue represent rejuvenation for the soul, body, and stomach. And while everyone is around the grill while the meat is grilling, when the grill needs to be cleaned, you find yourself alone? Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered.
Leave it to nature to clean your cast iron grill
Almost all food that is placed on the grate of the grill is perfectly tasty. The only drawback of this kind of food preparation is the painstaking cleaning of the grid after the fun ends.
You can leave that unpleasant and tedious job to nature! Simply leave the grill grate (only after cooling), in the grass overnight. The moisture and the morning dew will slowly melt the sealed deposits on the lattice and the next morning you’ll just simply wipe it or it’ll be at least easier to clean.
If you don’t have a yard, it is also a good idea to wrap the (cooled) grate in the wet paper that will have the same effect overnight. Finally, put the wrapped grid in cold water and wait for the next morning.
What to use when lighting a fire on a cast iron grill?
For lighting a fire, it is necessary to use kindling (we cut down a wooden cask when we prepared the fire for our grill). Also, very useful are fire starting cubes you can use. If you want to get the fire from ‘real’ wood you can use, of course, dry beech logs, oak, grape tree branches … they make a good fire. You can use charcoal or briquettes to get a good fire going too. We regulate the heat of fire by lowering and lifting the grill, depending on how much fire we want. Wood that you can’t use for barbecue is pine, spruce, and cypress. But when we did all this, grilled the meat and are now waiting for the cleaning? Here’s what to do!
Work no one likes to do – how to clean your cast iron grill effectively
1. Use baking soda
Mix a quarter cup of baking soda with a quarter cup of water. Apply the mixture with a wire sponge for grilling on the grill and leave for 15 minutes.
After that, begin to scrub your cast iron grill with a dry cloth and then place the grid over a hot flame and coal for at least 15 minutes to burn any residues of grime or dirt.
2. Trash bags
Spray the grid of the iron grill with a cleaning solution or ordinary vinegar (some think that this helps and since there are no harmful chemicals feel free to try). Put the grids in a garbage bag and seal them tight. Leave overnight. Open the bag tomorrow (of course, do not push your nose right in there, because the inside of the bag is going to smell pretty bad). All dirt from your cast iron grill should have fallen off, and it is up to you to clean it up with a rag.
2. Use coffee
Coffee has long been known as a good cleaner in the fight against fat. This procedure is simple if you are not sorry to waste a little of this favorite drink. You need to do the following
- boil a large jug of coffee,
- pour it into a bowl that you previously put in the dirty grill grids.
- Dip them in the coffee for an hour.
- Then gently scrub them and wash them with water.
3. Use onions
The old grill trick is to clean the heated iron grill rids with an onion. Peel it, cut it in half and apply it with a fork or rub it on the grate. There are no harmful chemicals and the clean-up is fast and easy.
4. Use aluminum foil
It’s time for grilling, and your grill grate on charcoal has been dirty since last year’s celebration? You don’t need any special cleaning agents, you can clean the grid with ordinary aluminum foil.
Make a ball out of the aluminum foil and scrub the grill. You’ll get rid of dirt.
You can also wipe the wire mesh with a mixture of bicarbonate and water. After some time wipe the grate with a dry cloth. It would be good to put the grill over a fire and begin to burn the rest of the impurities before you start preparing the food.
When the cooking is done, take aluminum foil and use it to cover the grill. Much of the food left on the grate will be burned by the heat of the coal. Grind the foil that you put on the grid and remove any residue of the food that has been overcooked or burnt. This cleaning method shouldn’t be used on gas grills.
Other practical advice
Every good party and fine eating is followed by clean-up. And if there’s something we don’t like to clean – it’s an iron grill. But if you follow these tips, you will make the job a lot easier
on yourself.
More vinegar applications
Do you like to give your environmental contribution and want to avoid chemical cleaning agents? Try it with vinegar. It’s not only an important ingredient of your salad, it is also an excellent grilling cleaner for eco-conscious chefs.
Just follow these simple steps: pour two glasses of vinegar into the spray bottle and add two glasses of water. Scrape the solution at the top and bottom of the grate until you soak it.
Let it dry for at least 10 minutes.
In the meantime, pour the remaining solution and fill the bottle with vinegar. Sprinkle the vinegar on the aluminum foil and use it to rub the inside of the grill. No rinse is required.
Old fashioned guy
When it comes to home affairs, do you trust in tradition and your grandma’s advice? She suggested you use a grill cleaner. Place a few drops on a rough sponge and rub it into the grill grids. Leave for at least 15 minutes for the grilling cleaner to absorb. Then wash the grate with clean cold water and repeat the procedure.
The time saver
Is saving time very important to you? If you want to clean your grill quickly, forget the myths that your dishwasher is too rough to clean the grill grid. To prepare the grills for the dishwasher, firstly soak them in water, remove the hard residues of food, place them on the bottom of the dishwasher and choose a special option for the Intensive Zone. While you and your guests enjoy dessert, your dishwasher is doing the job for you.
A professional
Professional grillers know that cooking at high temperatures is a great advantage when cleaning. Every time you turn on the grill, let the grid warm up in the intense heat for about five minutes. That will burn all the food leftovers. Only space and a little manual work are needed. If you haven’t done so already, get a good grill brush with a long handle and a hard cushion pad, and this part of grilling will seem as easy as child’s play.
Ready for the barbecue season
Use special bowls for grilled dishes to avoid making the grill dirty. Soak a paper towel in a small amount of oil and use grips to evenly apply some oil on the grids – to avoid sticking the food on the grill and to prevent dirty grids.
Grill cleaning no’s!
Grill cleaning methods you mustn’t use in the summer – strong chemicals or high-pressure cleaners and oven cleaner solutions.
Even more advice
These six useful tips will help you clean a cast iron grill in no time.
1. Fill the sink or bath (depending on the grid size) with water and vinegar. Soak the greasy grill and allow it to soak for a few minutes. Instead of vinegar, you can also use soap, but in that case, let it stay for five minutes longer.
2. While grinding the grate, wipe with a wire sponge for dishes and gently remove residues of food, fat, and ashes from the rest of the grill. If you have a gas grill, free the path to the burner and clean it well.
3. When you have cleaned and removed all the food and fat deposits, it’s time to assemble the grill.
4. Then use the wire sponge to clean the grid. Remove all grease by scrubbing and making sure that you have access to every groove. When using a gas grill, be careful not to damage some parts.
5. When finished with the cleaning, leave the grill for 15 minutes in the air to dry well.
6. To keep the grill functioning well, before shelving the grill pour a thin layer of oil before grilling.
Enjoy your grilling with a clean cast iron grill that’ll make your cooking more delicious than ever thanks to this simple advice. Here’s hoping you got the answer on how to a clean cast iron grill.
