BARBECUE CLEANING
Q Blue, can you give me some advice on getting my barbecue clean
and keeping it that way?
Adam
Sunshine
Victoria
A Hi Adam. You don't say what sort of barbecue you own or what
condition it's in. So, I'll assume it's a flat top gas barby and it has been
sitting
outside all winter and spring and is covered in rust.
I can only give advice for cleaning the actual cast iron cooking surfaces.
The body of the barby could be painted metal, stainless steel or vitreous
enamel - and all demand completely different cleaning procedures.
The first thing to do is scrape off the loose and flaking rust and then run
over the surface with a fine wire rust remover attached to an electric drill
(you can do it by hand with a wire brush if you have the time). Wash the
plate in warm water with a little mild soap. Rinse with a cup of white
vinegar mixed into a bucket of water (this neutralises the surface) and let
it dry thoroughly.
The next step is to season it. Thoroughly wipe the plate with canola oil
(grapeseed or sunflower are okay but avoid olive oil as it can be too
acidic). Now heat it until the oil smokes and keep rubbing in more oil on
paper towels (obviously you need to be very careful and do this quickly so
the oil soaked paper does not ignite) until you get an even shiny surface.
Shut off the gas and let the plate cool. When it is cool enough to touch
(but not cold) rub on a final coat of oil. It should then be sufficiently
seasoned to use. If the barby plate was heavily rusted you might have to
repeat the seasoning process.
You can maintain the surface by cleaning it with tightly bunched newspaper
while it is still hot (always remember the only barbecues that are hard to
clean are cold ones). Wipe or spray on a protective film of canola oil when
it's warm and the plate should be ready for next time.
Hope that helps
BBQ Blue