The largest segment in the outdoor cooking industry are pellet grills, this is due to them having the convenience of gas, but the flavor of charcoal. The maintenance of your pellet grill partially relies on how often you clean it. So how often do you clean a pellet grill? It is recommended that you clean your grill after each use with the addition of a deep clean every 6 weeks.
What should you use to clean a pellet grill?
Here are some common household options that have grease-cutting properties to clean your grill:
| Product | Instructions |
|---|---|
| Dish soap and baking soda | Fill a sink or bucket with warm water and approximately 1/2 cup of baking soda. In a bowl, mix up a paste of Dawn dish soap and baking soda. Apply the paste to the grates, making sure to get in all the nooks and crannies, and let the grates soak for at least 30 minutes. |
| Baking soda and water | Sprinkle baking soda on the grill and dissolve some in water. Use a sponge with a scourer to scrub until all the baking soda is gone and the grill is sparkling. |
| Vinegar and water | Mix 500ml of vinegar and the same amount of water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution onto the grill and leave for 10 minutes. Empty the bottle, refill with vinegar, spray on and then scrub to clean the grill and its interior. |
| Ammonia and vinegar | Mix the ammonia and white vinegar together. Add baking soda (gently but quickly) and pour into the bag. Seal bag and shake to coat the grate inside. If you're worried about the foaming, you can use just ammonia and nothing else, but this combo will clean even the toughest burnt-on food. |
How do you clean the inside of the pellet grill?
Grill grates are the traditional grill surfaces that hold the food over the heat, this allows the flames through, and drippings to fall away. The grates are an important part of cooking because they concentrate and even out the heat of any grill. It is important to properly care for the grill grates as they may rust. After removing the grates, you want to completely submerge them in hot soapy water for at least 30 minutes. During this process, you may also use your brush and scraper. It is important to be mindful what material your brush and scrapers are made of as it can damage what your grates are coated with and even scrape the paint on the interior.
Take a plastic scraper and start scraping down. For more confined areas such as the grease catch you may want to use a smaller scraper. The inside of the grill is painted, so you don’t want to use so much force that you chip the paint. When scrapping the grill, you want to make sure your grease drain, and exhaust tube remain open.
Once you have scrapped all the sides down the best way to remove left over debris is to get a shop vacuum and suck out the grill.
* Be careful of the igniter. DO NOT spray anything, just wipe the igniter off with a cloth.
Check your thermometer
To make sure your thermometer reads correctly, you can use oven cleaner and a non-abrasive cleaning cloth to remove grease. If the thermometer is not cleaned properly this can result in inaccurate readings.
Clean your drip tray
For the best results and easy cleaning, it is best that your drip tray is covered in aluminum foil. This way all you need to do is do is remove the aluminum from the drip tray. Next you should check the drip tray for cracks, and wipe or scrape any remaining grease and rewrap with aluminum foil. This is important because excess grease will cause the grill to combust into flames.
Replace drip tray and grill grates
Reassemble the grill putting everything back in its proper place. Pay close attention to grooves and ledges.
Can you leave your pellet grill outside?
Most people store their grills outdoors, and while it is not frowned upon, we do recommend you purchase a grill cover to protect your grill from the elements and maintain your investment.
