HOW TO CLEAN A GRILL
The easy, fast, and cheap way!
If you watched our turkey smoking video and gave it a go (we know you couldn't resist it), then you may be left with a dirty, greasy grill. In fact, this is the case regardless of what you happen to be cooking.
It’s understandable. We all enjoy the cooking bit, and of course the main event; stuffing our faces with delicious, smoky meats. But the moment everybody puts their dinnerware down, the not-so-enjoyable part of the evening starts -- the cleaning.
To help you get on with it like a pro, Jamie, from Satchmo's tells us his secrets to keeping his smoker clean, from the importance of prepping it before cooking to the tips that will make the aftermath less messy and easier to deal with.
What You’ll Need for This Project
- Tin foil
Step #1: Prep the Traeger
Use tin foil to wrap around the heat-diffusing pan of your smoker. It will catch all the drippings from the meat, whether it's a long or short cook, those drippings are inevitable, so it's always best to prep and save some precious time later. Then, after you're done cooking, and everything has cooled down, remove the foil, and it will be as good as new.
Step #2: Oil the grill
It's advisable to hit your grill grate with some olive oil, cooking spray, or vegetable oil of your preference. Just make sure to remove the grate before you spray the oil to avoid damaging your grill’s other components.
Step #3: Mind the oil catch pan
One of the great features of the Traeger grills is the little oil catch pan that sits outside the grill. Keep an eye on it, so when you finish cooking, let it cool off a little and then take it off. It is best to go ahead and clean it out when it is still slightly viscous. You don't want to let the fat sit in there too long.
Step #4: Simple sometimes is better
After you finish grilling or smoking with your Traeger, remove the meat and, while it is still hot, take a handful of tin foil, and water it up, then proceed to rub it around the grate; it wraps around each individual piece, so it's cleaning around the sides and slightly underneath as well.
The key here is always to clean your grate while hot; if you're going to do it later, make sure you fire it up and get it to 200-250 °F, it's what makes all the stuck bits come off.
Conclusion
It can be daunting to see the grill all dirty after cooking, but it can be as simple as prepping it beforehand and giving it a good scrub with tin foil. If you feel like the tin foil trick can be too much for the environment, and if we all turn to this technique it might be, you can always go to HomCo and get all the right tools and supplies to clean your Traeger for a very long time.