Cleaning and Seasoning Your BBQ – a couple of hours work next Saturday and the job will be done

At the start of every season, you should spend a little time cleaning your BBQ because the last thing you want to do is to be cooking in last season’s old fat. Cleaning your barbie might look a little daunting but it is really quite easy, and you don’t have to use anything stronger than warm water, dishwashing detergent and a kitchen scourer.

Fill your laundry tub or kitchen sink with warm soapy water, and at the same time light your BBQ and let it heat up but don’t let it get so hot that you can’t hold the grates. Transfer those warm grates straight into the soapy water you have prepared, and clean them up with the scourer.

Once you have removed all the fat and residue from last season, rinse the grates in clean water and then leave them outdoors to dry.

Don’t be impatient and move on to the next step before the grates are really dry. When they are dry put the BBQ back together. Once that’s done spread a small amount of vegetable oil … or canola oil … evenly over the BBQ. You can spray it on or, if you’re using the oil from a bottle, use a clean cloth to wipe the oil on.

You can wipe any excess off with a paper towel and once you’ve done that, light the BBQ, bring it up to 180C and leave it burning for 30 minutes with the lid open.

And that is all it takes to set your BBQ up for some more great meals.