During the winter, your grill isn’t likely to see a lot of action. While you might be the exception to the rule, grill maintenance changes slightly during the winter season. To address these changes, check out the below list of winter grill maintenance tips.

Clean Your Grill

Knowing how to clean your grill is vital if you want to keep it around long term. For the winter, you want to make sure that your grill is clean, saving you a lot of potential winter headaches. 

The easiest way to do this is to clean your grill is through high heat. Keeping the grill at a higher temperature will enable you to loosen the caked-on grease or food residue. 

After heating the grill, you can take a large wire brush for cleaning. Soapy water using anti-grease dish soap is usually your best bet for removing residue. 

If you have a charcoal grill, you will need to sacrifice a few briquettes to get to that high temperature. If the grill needs some additional love, you might need to call professional cleaners.  

Prep Your Grill for Storage

Prepping your outdoor grill for winter storage changes depending on your grill’s fuel source. However, all grills benefit from having a coat of cooking spray on the grates to prevent rust and a grill cover for further protection.

If you have an electric grill, there is likely a connected battery. You might want to store your batteries in such a way that they are disconnected from the central unit.

Those with a gas line or burners will want to wrap them in plastic. Insects tend to use these natural sources of warmth and oil as a means to survive through the winter, leading to unfortunate discoveries when spring returns. 

Check your grill’s warranty if you want to use anti-corrosion or polish material. Many grill warranties prohibit the use of this sort of cleaning material. You can use these specialized cleaners to discourage rust if they don’t. 

Always be sure to remove all potential moisture before storing your grill over the winter. The dampness will lead to greater chances of rust and corrosion. 

Make Any Necessary Grill Repairs

Before you store your grill over the winter, now is the best time to check it for necessary repairs. After all, it is off-season, making it the best time to manage any problems. 

Pay special attention to your grill’s hoses (assuming you have a gas grill). You can expect the burners for the same thing.

If your grill is still under warranty, you might be able to get the repair done free of charge. Just remember that guarantees and insurance are different, meaning you are only covered in specific situations. 

Conclusion – Storing Your Grill Over The Winter

After ensuring your grill is clean and in working order, you can confidently store it over the winter. Make sure you leave it in a cool, dry location with the grill cover firmly attached. By following these steps, you can increase your grill’s longevity. 

With 2021 coming to a close, we can all breathe a small sigh of relief. Despite the upcoming New Years’ resolutions, we can all use a great way to bring in the new year. The best way is to sit down with your family for a barbecue meal.  

Below, we will review a few meal ideas you can steal for your New Year’s barbecue.

#1: Pulled Pork

Thanksgiving has Turkey, the holidays have ham, but there isn’t much to eat on New Year’s Day. Change this up by introducing the idea of pulled pork. 

Grilled pulled pork is incredibly tender and flavorful. Compared to other types of meat, it’s also straightforward to manage. 

Much like turkey, you can easily use leftovers to make sandwiches. So try to smoke some pulled pork with hickory wood chips for a post-new-years celebration. 

#2: Rotisserie Duck

Duck is an alternative bird to chicken. Much like rotisserie chicken, you can cook it using a rod, 350 degrees, and about an hour and a half. 

The inside of the duck should read about 130 degrees. With a good meat thermometer, you can easily keep track without fancy skills.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by a bird you haven’t cooked before. Thankfully, duck and chicken are pretty close when it comes to almost all aspects of cooking. 

#3: Salmon

Grilling is a much healthier alternative cooking method to frying. One of the best items to grill is salmon. 

Salmon is an excellent meal because it is incredibly healthy. While you would have to eat metric tons of it to get the Omega-3s, it is still a low-fat and healthy alternative to most meats you would grill.

To start on the right foot, try out some salmon tacos. The cooking temperature is about 275, while the cooking time is about 50 minutes.  

Salmon tacos are an entirely different experience from ground beef. If you want to start the new year on a healthy diet, this is an excellent and flavorful dish for new beginnings. 

#4: Prime Rib Roast

A prime rib roast is an excellent choice when it comes to enjoying a warm meal during the holiday season. Low and slow cooking is perfect when the outdoors isn’t a fun place to live. 

Often, position their grills a bit closer to the front door and have to clear off their patio for this to work. For your health and safety, don’t bring your grill indoors. It’s a bad plan for a few reasons.

A tasty dry rub involves taking advantage of hotter spices. Otherwise, you can take the time to use brown sugar and cinnamon. 

Regardless of what you use, prime rib is an excellent addition to whatever gathering you want. Anything can be an excuse to cook it. 

Conclusion 

Regardless of what you want to grill during the new year, this is a time for reflection. Take the time to relax, enjoy your family, and think about how fantastic the future will be.

We hope you and yours have a happy New Year this season. Thanks for reading.