How to Clean a Gas Grill: Grates, Burners, Grease Tray and Venturi Tubes

A two-minute routine after every cook prevents most buildup:

1. Burn off. When the food comes off, close the lid and run all burners on high for 10 to 15 minutes. Drippings on the grates and heat bars carbonize into dry ash. Some cooks do this before cooking instead, as part of preheating; either works.
2. Brush the grates. With the grill still hot, scrub the grates with a bristle-free brush or scraper. The GRILLART 18 in. brush uses a coiled head and a scraper on a long handle; the Scrub Daddy steam brush is dipped in water and scrubbed on hot grates so the steam lifts residue. Keep your hand and face back from the steam.
3. Turn off and close the tank valve. Shut the tank valve first, let the flames go out, then turn the burner knobs off.
4. Check the grease tray. Look at the catch pan or cup. Empty or replace the liner when it is about half full.
5. Cover once cool. A cover keeps pollen, leaves and insects out of the burners.

Oil the grates lightly before the next cook if they are bare cast iron. Porcelain-enameled and stainless grates do not need it.

Wire brush bristles break off as brushes wear, stick to the grates and end up in food. Swallowed bristles have lodged in the throat, esophagus, stomach and intestines, and emergency physicians and the CDC have published case reports of these injuries, some requiring surgery. The risk is small per cook but entirely avoidable, which is why bristle-free tools are the safer default.

• Coil or helix brushes, like the GRILLART 18 in. Bristle-Free Grill Brush and Scraper, scrub with wound stainless coils that do not shed individual wires.
• Steam brushes, like the Mr. Bar-B-Q Steam Clean Bristle-Free Grill Brush (Scrub Daddy), pair a heat-resistant sponge head with a stainless mesh and a scraper.
• Wood or metal scrapers cut grooves to match your grates over time and have no loose parts.

If you still use a wire brush, inspect it before every use and replace it at the first sign of loose or bent bristles, then wipe the grates with a damp paper towel and look closely before cooking. More grilling tools are in best grill accessories.

Flavorizer bars (Weber's name), heat tents, flame tamers and heat plates all do the same job: they shield the burners from drippings and vaporize juices into smoke. They also collect the most carbon. Scrape them with a plastic scraper or the edge of a bristle-free brush, then wash in warm soapy water. Stainless bars can take a non-scratch scouring pad. Porcelain-enameled bars should be scrubbed gently, because chips expose steel that rusts.

Replace bars that have rust holes, crumble when scraped or let flames lick straight up through them. Failing bars cause uneven heat and flare-ups, and they are inexpensive compared with a grill. Search your grill's model number to find the exact size; parts support is one reason brands like Weber, Broil King and Napoleon are worth their price. If your grill needs bars, burners and an igniter all at once, pricing a new grill such as the Weber Spirit E-325 is often the smarter move.

Uneven flames, a burner that lights on one end only or yellow, lazy flames mean the ports are partly blocked or the venturi is obstructed. Healthy flames are mostly blue with yellow tips, about an inch tall on medium, along the whole burner.

• Brush along the burner, not across it, so debris is pushed out of the ports rather than into them. Use the brush type your manual recommends.
• Open clogged ports with a straightened paper clip or a thin drill bit turned by hand. Do not enlarge the holes; that changes the flame.
• Clear the inside of a removable burner by shaking out debris or running a flexible venturi brush through it.
• Replace burners that are cracked, rusted through or have ports that have merged into slots. Gas escaping from a split can flare up under the control panel.

Some grills use tapered or specially shaped burners, such as Weber's PureBlu burners on the Genesis E-325 or Broil King's Dual-Tube burners on the Baron 520 Pro. Follow the manual's cleaning directions for those designs.

Yes, and it is a real fire risk. Spiders and some insects are attracted to the odorant in propane and spin webs or build nests inside venturi tubes, the open-ended tubes where gas mixes with air before reaching the burner. A blocked venturi can push gas and flame backward out of the tube, a condition called flashback, which can start a fire behind the control panel or under the grill.

Warning signs include yellow, lazy or uneven flames, a gas smell during use, a burner that is hard to light, popping sounds and flames or scorching near the control knobs. If you see fire near the knobs, turn off the tank valve immediately if you can do so safely, move away and let it burn out or call 911.

Inspect venturi tubes at the start of each season, after the grill sits unused for a few weeks and whenever flames change. Many grills include insect screens over the air shutters; keep them clean and in place. A fitted cover like the Weber Premium Spirit cover or the universal Unicook 58 in. cover reduces, but does not eliminate, insect nesting.

Built-up grease is the most common fuel for grill fires. Grease that overflows the catch pan or soaks the cookbox floor can ignite during a long, hot cook. Check the catch pan after every cook and empty it when about half full. Scrape the grease tray, the slide-out bottom tray on most carts, at every deep clean or sooner if you cook fatty foods often.

• Let grease cool and solidify, then scrape it into the trash. Never pour it down a sink or storm drain.
• Use disposable foil liners sized for your grill to make emptying faster.
• Do not line the cookbox floor or cover the grease tray opening with foil unless the manual allows it; that can trap grease and block airflow.
• Put a Cuisinart 65 x 36 in. grill mat under the grill to catch drips before they stain a deck or patio.

Stainless steel resists rust because of a thin protective oxide layer, and harsh cleaning can damage it. Wipe with warm soapy water and a soft microfiber cloth, rinse, and dry. For fingerprints and streaks, use a stainless steel cleaner made for appliances, wiping in the direction of the grain.

• Avoid steel wool, abrasive scouring pads and wire brushes on exterior panels; they scratch and can embed iron particles that rust.
• Avoid chlorine bleach and chloride cleaners, which cause pitting and tea staining.
• Rinse more often near salt air or pools, where airborne salt and chlorine speed staining.
• Painted and powder-coated lids clean with mild soapy water and a soft cloth only.

Brown surface staining on lower grades of stainless is cosmetic in most cases and wipes away with a stainless cleaner.

These intervals reflect typical owner manual guidance for a grill used a few times a week in season. Cook more often, or cook fatty foods, and shorten them.