How to Clean Fat Residue Off Barbecue Grills

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Fat residue builds up on barbecue grills quickly. The grill surface, grill lid and the heat plate are typical areas that catch most of the residue when the meal's fat burns. Frequent cleaning helps to remove the fat residue and other harmful contaminants.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Latex gloves
Oven cleaner
Garbage bags
Sponge
Dish soap
Scouring pad

Step1

Open the lid to the barbecue grill. Look for large areas of fat residue build-up. Let the grill cool completely.

Step2

Put on latex gloves and remove the grill grates. Many grill grates simply lift out or pull straight out. Take out the warming tray or grate if your grill has one.

Step3

Spray all of the grill grates with an oven cleaner. Cover each grill grate, paying close attention to the areas most affected with fat residue.

Step4

Place each grill grate into a large plastic garbage bag and tie it closed. This allows the cleaner to work quickly in a closed environment.

Step5

Clean the interior of the lid with the same oven cleaner or a soapy sponge. Wipe away any residue from the lid handle to the rear hinges.

Step6

Take out the grill grates and clean in a warm soapy water solution until all oven cleaner is gone.

Tips & Warnings

Wipe away any fat residue from any protein before placing any other food on the grill grate.
Use a scouring pad to lift and scrub away stubborn areas of barbecue fat residue.
Wear gloves and eye protection when you're working with chemicals like oven cleaners.