I need me a new BBQ

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Yeah, I don't clean my iron grates. I do clean the stainless steel ones, though, and that's how you do it. The fumes from the ammonia in the bag are enough to loosen up the build up, and then you can pretty easily just scrub it off. Have to make sure you very thoroughly clean them afterwards, obviously, before cooking on them.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Why clean it? Most food should burn off it or scrubbed and stubborn grime can be cleaned with a slurry of kosher salt and then re oiled with vegetable oil and heated. You don't want to remove years worth of seasoning (polymerized oils) from the cast iron. Ammonia, that's crazy.

The spaces between the grates themselves are plugged with all the charred leftovers from over the years. I'd like to get that off if possible. The design of the grill is poor IMHO and leaves a lot of stuff on it even after heating and scrubbing.

[Canehdianman]

This is all I do.

crank it on high for an hour and burn it all off.

then brush the white ash off and apply some oil.

[GreenLantern]

I've had really good experience dealing with Trail and of course Costco, so I narrowed those two down for my grill choice. I am between these two right now:

Both are the same price, from what I can tell the Costco is a better value for the money spent with the side burner and extra burners. Anyone have experience with either of these grills?

Edit: I found them on the Napoleon website for comparisons, seems like the Triumph blows the Prestige out of the water.

http://www.napoleongrills.com/grills...#specification

vs.

http://www.napoleongrills.com/grills...#specification

Edit 2: I think the big difference is it appears the Prestige is made in Canada and the Triumph is made in China, so one will last 10 years the other 2.

[HotHotHeat]

Regarding cleaning...
http://www.napoleongrills.com/suppor...-cooking-grids

Seems to be minimal

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

The spaces between the grates themselves are plugged with all the charred leftovers from over the years. I'd like to get that off if possible. The design of the grill is poor IMHO and leaves a lot of stuff on it even after heating and scrubbing.

I'm no expert, but personally...

- Remove grate
- Use scraper from other side
- Scrape till reasonably satisfied "plugging" is gone.
- Put grate back on BBQ
- Turn on BBQ to burn "loose bits"
- Repeat first 4 steps till satisfied?

I don't have a cash iron grill, but I personally wouldn't use any cleaners on cast iron unless I was certain I'd re-season it soon after cleaning it; and even then... (Kosher salt rub as mentioned earlier is better way to "clean")

Stainless is a different discussion though. I've heard of people running stainless grills through a dishwasher after a good scraping. Seems like a great way to gunk up a dishwasher and damage a grill... I used to just remove grate if the gunk is too much, give it a quick scrape and let the flames do the rest on the next BBQing session.


Random... does anyone ever scrape the inside of the lid of a BBQ? I did that once and my GF (at time) ran off saying it made her want to throw up.

[oilyfan]

A great tip I have learnt about cleaning a grill, use aluminum foil. Cover the grates with loose foil, make sure no gaps remains. Just need one sheet coverage so to speak. Turn on grill on high, close lid for 20 mins. Everything burns, discard foil, use paper towel dipped in oil to season up the grates. Voila clean grill!

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I'm no expert, but personally...

- Remove grate
- Use scraper from other side
- Scrape till reasonably satisfied "plugging" is gone.
- Put grate back on BBQ
- Turn on BBQ to burn "loose bits"
- Repeat first 4 steps till satisfied?

I don't have a cash iron grill, but I personally wouldn't use any cleaners on cast iron unless I was certain I'd re-season it soon after cleaning it; and even then... (Kosher salt rub as mentioned earlier is better way to "clean")

Stainless is a different discussion though. I've heard of people running stainless grills through a dishwasher after a good scraping. Seems like a great way to gunk up a dishwasher and damage a grill... I used to just remove grate if the gunk is too much, give it a quick scrape and let the flames do the rest on the next BBQing session.


Random... does anyone ever scrape the inside of the lid of a BBQ? I did that once and my GF (at time) ran off saying it made her want to throw up.

You want to remove carbon, rancid grease, and creosote build up that can drop onto food making it taste bad or dark material that covers reflective surfaces that should be reflecting heat. Other than that, it's all seasoning.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Barnes

You want to remove carbon, rancid grease, and creosote build up that can drop onto food making it taste bad or dark material that covers reflective surfaces that should be reflecting heat. Other than that, it's all seasoning.

I assumed that was already done and the only complaint was the stuff underneath not accessible from the top blocking heat. I think I misread.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I assumed that was already done and the only complaint was the stuff underneath not accessible from the top blocking heat. I think I misread.

I was more responding to your last paragraph about the lid. I should have started with 'Yeah you should clean the lid...'

Think I misread. Too many lunch beers for this guy.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by oilyfan

A great tip I have learnt about cleaning a grill, use aluminum foil. Cover the grates with loose foil, make sure no gaps remains. Just need one sheet coverage so to speak. Turn on grill on high, close lid for 20 mins. Everything burns, discard foil, use paper towel dipped in oil to season up the grates. Voila clean grill!

This is not a great tip. Yes, it will get your grill clean, but it's unnecessary and will damage your grill. With the high heat, and the foil, your grill will start to warp, particularly right above the flames. I've seen grills in restaurants ruined from using this method.

[Regulator75]

Random question : Can a natural gas BBQ use propane?

All I see is the conversion kits for propane to natural gas, not the other way around.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

Random question : Can a natural gas BBQ use propane?

All I see is the conversion kits for propane to natural gas, not the other way around.

No. The flow rates of natural gas and propane are different. There should be conversion kits for both ways of switching, but I haven't looked for either one, as I just use propane tanks.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

This is not a great tip. Yes, it will get your grill clean, but it's unnecessary and will damage your grill. With the high heat, and the foil, your grill will start to warp, particularly right above the flames. I've seen grills in restaurants ruined from using this method.

Perhaps.

This is what I have observed, I have used this method for 4-5 years on my Weber, and I see not signs of warping or damage to the grill. Maybe if you leave it on like this for an hour at a time, but I do it for 20 minutes or so.

[afc wimbledon]

You all realize that it's the carbonated food left on the grill that gives a gas BBQ any taste?
Brush it down with a wire brush after cooking, any more than that and you are making it pointless, might as well just use your oven.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

You all realize that it's the carbonated food left on the grill that gives a gas BBQ any taste?
Brush it down with a wire brush wood paddle after cooking, any more than that and you are making it pointless, might as well just use your oven.

Most wire brushes fall apart and leave nasty wire bits behind. They are also overly aggressive on porcelain coated grills.

[GreenLantern]

Bought a BBQ last night went with a Napoleon. Haven't unboxed it yet but planning to hook it up tomorrow. I have the natural gas all hooked up outside I just need to connect the house. The problem is that it is on one side of the deck and I want my BBQ on the other side. So my plan is to drill a hole and run a hose under the deck, a 10 foot piece should get me there with the hose provided. I see Home Depot has one for 70 bucks, just the hose female and male ends. Costco also has some that come with a regulator for 100. Is a regulator necessary for a NG hook up or is that just for a situation where you are converting a propane BBQ? I haven't looked to see what is provided in the box yet so maybe this is answered for me already.

[Lubicon]

You shouldn't need a regulator, everything past the meter is at low pressure already I believe.

[DionTheDman]

For those that are interested in kamados (such as the big green egg), but are a bit wary of the price --

It seems that Kamado Joe has a pretty solid reputation despite being a relatively young company. They're starting to branch out to do road shows at Canadian Costco stores. They are doing them in BC right now and over the next few weeks.

From what I gather, the regular price for the 18" model is $1299, but the Costco deal is $989.99 and they throw in a cover and fire starters. The larger model is $1,599.99 down from $1,999.99. I'm heading out to BC in a week and am strongly considering picking up one of these babies...comparable to the BGE, but includes a lot more for the price, and has pretty comparable quality/features/warranty.

[GoinAllTheWay]

OK, BBQ acquired. Bought a Broil King Signet. Off the bat, it's waaaay more solid than my previous BBQ. Really looking forward to trying it out but have to learn the quirks of a new grill.

Could also use some help as far as the correct way to BBQ beef & chicken. In particular, the temp you set the bbq at for each and cooking times. I like a decent char on almost any meat I eat. Hate it when chicken just looks like a white piece of meat.

Got some tips & tricks you want to share?