Ashton BBQ and Grill Pros

Repair Your BBQ Grill in Time for Summer Cookouts

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Repair Your BBQ Grill in Time for Summer Cookouts

Do you have a BBQ grill that’s been benched for the past few years because it broke and you haven’t remembered to get it repaired? This is your sign to get it repaired! COVID-19 has kept most of us from grilling with friends for the past few years, but this summer can be different. Here’s why you should repair your BBQ before summer.

Grilling with Friends Is Safe

Even if you still prefer to wear a mask, we’ve learned through trial and error that meeting with people outdoors is the safest way to socialize. So long as your gathering is small and you all stay outside, there’s virtually zero risk of spreading COVID-19. So, even the most COVID-conscious of your friends and family have little to worry about from sitting on your deck for a few hours and eating some burgers.

Having a Cookout Is a Great Pick-Me-Up

We’ve been battling COVID-19 and avoiding socializing for over 2 years now. The summer warmth making the outdoors a viable meeting place means we should take advantage of it while it’s here. Use the opportunity to socialize outdoors to lift your spirits and the spirits of those around you. You would be surprised how long a single cookout can sustain you when you’ve barely seen any of your friends in months.

Prevent Worse Damage

If your BBQ is broken or something is keeping it from working, leaving it unrepaired can lead to further damage. Using your grill fairly regularly allows you to regularly assess the state it’s in. If you keep the grill in a garage or shed and never look at it because it’s not currently usable, there’s a good chance you won’t notice if something else goes wrong.

To keep your grill from getting worse, repair your BBQ grill sooner rather than later. This can save you money in the long run when you don’t have to completely replace it.

Get Help from BBQ Pros

BBQ Pros are Toronto’s leading BBQ and grill experts. We can have your grill back in working order in no time. Plus, if it’s been a while since you last used it and you packed it up in a hurry when it broke, it might not have gotten cleaned properly. Our team at BBQ Pros can do a full clean of your BBQ while repairing it. If your BBQ has seen significantly better days, we can also do a full detail clean. This involves removing rust and painting over chipped parts of a glossy grill to restore it to like-new condition.

Give us a call if you want to repair your BBQ before summer arrives. We look forward to spreading some cheer in the form of a good old fashioned cookout.

Prevent Long-Term Damage When Using Your Grill

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Prevent Long-Term Damage When Using Your Grill

Maintaining a grill is something many people don’t realize they should be doing. However, it’s necessary to do maintenance on your grill to keep it in good shape. If you use a grill without upkeep for years, it will quickly fall into disrepair. Most people spend a pretty penny on buying their grill. Don’t waste your investment by letting your grill accrue damage from lack of upkeep. Here’s how you can prevent long-term damage when using your grill.

Clean Your Grill

First and foremost, you need to be cleaning your grill after every use. This is a vital part of keeping it in good shape. If you leave charred-on food and residue on your grate, it will become impossible to clean and may even damage the metal it’s made of. Likewise, after each use, be sure to empty your drip pan (the place where all of your oil and food drippings collect).

Cleaning your grill can involve a lot more than just cleaning up immediately after use. Plus, if you’ve been leaving it uncleaned for a while, trying to get it back to like-new condition is going to be rough. Rely on BBQ Pros to get it cleaned up for you in no time. Our professional grill cleaning services are for everyone – including you.

Oil Your Grate

One thing most people don’t realize they should be doing is oiling the grate of the grill. Before and after each use, coat your grate in vegetable oil. You can do this by pouring some vegetable oil on a paper towel and using tongs to apply it to the bars of the grate.

When applied before use, this oil minimizes food sticking, making it easier to clean later and requiring less force. Less force to clean means your grate lasts longer. When applied after use, this oil protects the metal of your grate from weathering and such. 

Protect Your Grill from the Weather

Speaking of weather, your grill isn’t made to withstand it. Grills may be made for use outdoors, but that doesn’t mean they’re good friends with the rain or wind. Metal and water aren’t exactly made for each other.

When you’re done using your grill, let it cool down and then put a waterproof cover over it. This will protect it from rusting as well as prevent outdoor debris from getting caught in it.

Store Your Grill Properly in Winter

What many people don’t know is that the grill can’t sit out all winter. This is a great way for the it to sustain damage. When the temperature drops toward freezing, remove the propane tank and store it somewhere at room temperature. Cover the end of the connecting hose with masking tape or something else easily removed. This will prevent bugs or small animals from trying to get into it.

When the propane has been disconnected, the grill should be moved somewhere more sheltered from the elements, like the garage or a shed.

Winter Grill Maintenence Tips

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Winter Grill Maintenence Tips

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. 

Best New Year’s Grilling Recipes

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Best New Year's Grilling Recipes

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. 

Is Christmas Barbecue A Thing?

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Is Christmas Barbecue A Thing?

Barbecues have classically been associated with the summer months. But as you reach the cold seasons, one has to wonder about breaking the tradition of cooking the ham. So, is Christmas barbecue a thing?

Yes, electric smokers and grills exist to bring the barbecue indoors. For those particularly ambitious, you can schedule cookouts around more temperate days.

Below, we will go through some fabulous meats worth grilling and smoking around the holidays. To get your grilled food inspiration during the less common months, keep reading.

Smoked Ham for Christmas

One of the most popular holiday dishes you can make is honey-glazed ham. Classically, this dish is baked over low and slow temperatures, leading to delicious aftermath.

However, if we know about one suitable device at the low and slow treatment, we learn about smokers. Whether you have indoor electric smokers or classic outdoor smokers, either will do.

The idea is to use potent spices like cayenne and paprika in a meat rub. The meat rub goes well with the pre-existing honey, making it a sweet and spicy combination.

Smoked Turkey for the Holidays

Despite us being a bit beyond Turkey Day, smoked turkey isn’t beyond the realm of possibility. Another way to deviate from tradition is to switch out the meat you use: trading a ham for a turkey.

It will still feel like an excellent holiday meal when using applewood chips and an apple cider mixture. Applewood is a great flavor that easily reminds you of the holidays.

If your grill has indirect heat settings, you can also slow cook your turkey through these means. Low and slow will let the meat you use fall right off the bone.

Beer Can Chicken

Beer can chicken is more of a summer meal but is still suitable for relaxing during the holidays. You don’t automatically have to use beer, as you can use any juice or water that comes to mind.

Brown sugar and garlic are great for creating a delicious outside. All you need to do to make this type of chicken is to insert the liquid inside its body cavity.

Beer can chicken typically is done through baking, but you can also grill it using more direct heat. Expect this meal to get done than most smoked or baked meals.

Smoked Sausage

Smoked sausage is an excellent part of any meal regardless of holiday involvement. Given that not every food item on this list will be covered in tinsel and wrapped means grilled Christmas is just a unique take.

Cheddar and Jalapeno sausage is a personal favorite among grilled wieners, but you can pick anything you want. Given that you are dealing with large crowds that will likely include kids try and ask around.

Wrap Up

Regardless of what you choose, you must keep your grill maintained. If you need to dust off the grill after a long period of hibernation, contact our team of professionals today. We will ensure that if you need your grill ready for the holidays, you can get that done.

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