This year make a New Year’s Resolution you can keep. With a Meal-to-Meal Grill Maintenance plan you can extend the day-to-day performance and ultimately, the life of your charcoal and gas grills.
Our Meal-to-Meal Grill Maintenance plan consists of the following three simple, yet important cleaning steps:
- Keep the grease collection tray clean for gas grills and remove ashes each time you grill for charcoal.
- Preheat your grill to 500° to 600° F for at least 15 minutes each time you grill. This will burn off the residue of the previous meal.
- Brush the cooking grates with a stiff wire Weber stainless steel grill brush before cooking.
Check out this latest video blog to see how to keep your grills in tip-top shape.
User Comments
Apr 26, 2012Chris says...
Sounds great, Kevin! I look forward to seeing it, especially after the pollen gunking we've gotten over the past few weeks! :o)
Apr 14, 2012Kevin says...
Hi StoopidMonkey81:
We are actually just got done filming a great video on cleaning and maintaining a gas grill. We covered all the topics above and a couple more. It should be up very soon so make sure you check back. I know you will enjoy it. Thanks for the great post and Happy Grilling!!-Kevin
Apr 9, 2012Chris says...
Hi Kevin,
It looks like my previous comment got truncated. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd be able to post a spring cleaning video tutorial for those of us who just did the quick grate cleaning over the winter, but are in need of a thorough cleaning now that the weather's nice. Everything from how you should scrape down the firebox and drip trays, brush the burners and flavorizers, and return the stainless steel and enamel coating to a like-new shine. Thanks!
Mar 26, 2012Kevin says...
Hi Vic:
I appreciate your feedback and honesty. If people could follow the pre-heating routine regularly the food they are grilling would be 100 times better. It is a very simple concept but like most skills, it all boils down to execution.
Let's talk grilling first, then we will talk about using marinades and sauces. If you are grilling chicken pieces (bone-in) the breast (10-12 ounces) should take you 25-35 minutes. This should be 3-5 minutes over a direct heat for the sear and 20-30 minutes over an indirect heat. The charcoal should be in two separate piles opposite each other. You should have a large indirect area directly in the middle of your grill.
If you are doing chicken pieces (legs and thighs, bone-in) those will take 35-40 minutes to grill. They should grill 5-10 minutes over a medium direct heat then moved over to indirect for 30 minutes. If you are grilling on a 22.5 inch kettle you will start with either a chimney starter with 50 briquettes in it or two piles with 25 briquettes in each. This will give you a medium direct area and a medium indirect area. Now if you are doing boneless and skinless pieces of chicken those should take 8-12 minutes. Always grilled over a medium direct heat.
Additionally, it appears that your fire is too hot so you need to use less charcoal and also adjust the dampers to make sure you are keeping a nice roasting temperature inside your grill. One thing you need to realize is that when using marinades that are high in sugar those can over caramelize. What I like doing when I grill chicken is use some olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic as my rub. I will grill it and the last 5-10 minutes I will baste the chicken with teriyaki, soy sauce or a bbq sauce. You get the outstanding results without overcaramelizing. If you want to use it as a marinade this is not a problem either. You just have to make sure you are keeping the heat at a 350-425 degree temperature. If the temperature inside your grill is too hot you will overcarmelize your food causing it to over char.
I am hoping by reading this Vic we can get you back on the right track. Follow the tips and you should be ok. Hope this helps and Happy Grilling!!-Kevin
Mar 23, 2012Victor says...
Kevin,
I am a charcoal grill guy and have been for many years. I read your preheating suggestion and will take it to heart. I hadn't done so because I thought the meat/chicken, etc would stick to the grill, if preheated. My question: I don't seem able to do chicken parts (with a teriyaki/soy sauce baste) without charring the skin and drying the chicken out and that never makes my wife happy. I grill it for 45 minutes, indirect method, mid-to-large charcoal pile (how do you figure small to large piles-number of briquetts?). I still use an electric starter. Your chicken recipies seem done for a much shorter time period (8-12 minutes). Am I doing it too long and is the fire too hot? Thanks Vic
Feb 28, 2012Kevin says...
Hi Grilling15235:
Another great question. If your grates are showing some surface oxidation or rust in some spots it might be time to get yourself some new grates. If the grates are a couple years old you might want to see if they are covered under the warranty of the grill by calling our customer service at 800-446-1071. Just make sure you have the serial number. If you have had the grill for longer and the warranty has expired, the simple fix is to replace the grates completely. Hope this helps and Happy Grilling!!-Kevin