Cleaning the Baby Q and use of Non-Stick materials

Would like to hear from a frequent user of the Baby Q when is the best time to burnoff residue and to wash the grate.

Thought I saw or read something it was not necessary to burnoff after cooking but to wait until the next time one cooks. The users manual sort of infers to wipedown and wash the grate after every cooking when cooled down. I figure if the latter is true, then burnoff should occur after cooking and not wait for the next preheat/burnoff for the next cooking.

Also, has anyone tried to use or heard anything about using non-stick materials to achieve Indirect cooking in the Baby Q?

Steve

Steve
I will answer the easy one first.
Non-stick indirect cooking - When I roast or cook indirectly, I use either a Weber Aluminium drip tray if I think it is going to be messy - it is easy to just throw them away. If I am going to do a long cook with low heat, (temp control turned to minimum) or I know it is not going to be messy I use a non-stick pan with a rack on it. I bought a couple of cheap ones from a home catalogue here in Australia for about 10 bucks each. Yes, the heat does affect them a bit – to overcome this problem I put a doubled up sheet of foil underneath the tray. Seems to fix the problem and work OK.

Cleaning - you will probably get a variety of opinions all of which will work.
This is my cleaning regime. After cooking and while the grill is hot I brush down the grill with a Weber "D" shaped brush this dislodges most of the gunk and gets it reasonably clean. I then wipe down the lid with a cloth to remove any splatter. After the meal is finished, (and to get out of clearing the table and washing up) I remove the grill and wipe out the bottom of the Q, removing the majority of the gunk. I then wash out the drip tray and pack it up. Total cleaning time is about 5 -8 minutes.
I always preheat on high for 10 minutes before cooking this will burn off any remaining gunk, I then give it a quick hit with the brush again close the lid for a couple of minutes to bring up the heat again and them I am ready to cook.
Every 2-3 weeks or about 10 uses I take the lid off, remove the grill and drip tray and spray it all over with some normal washing up detergent. I leave this for 10 minutes and then wash it down with my high-pressure washer (K'Archer). I then turn it upside down for 10 minutes to drain any water out of the burner ring. I then wipe it down, re-assemble without putting the grill back on, light the gas using a gas lighter rather than the igniter, check to see that the burner is properly alight (if it isn't just wipe it over where it isn't with a rag and it should light up) I then put the grill back, close the lid and leave it heat up for 10 minutes. - all done in about 45 minutes.
If it is exceptionally dirty I spray the Q with easy-off oven cleaner instead of the detergent - but not the grill. I leave it for 10 minutes and clean as above.
To preserve the grill when you have heated the Q for 10 minutes after cleaning spray the grill all over with some vegetable oil and then let it cool down. As it is cooling, it draws the oil into the cast iron instead of moisture and preserves it.
Regards

Steve

I have used the Baby Q extensively for about a year. I NEVER wash the grate and do not plan to do so in the future. I do scrape it with a putty knife and use a stainless steel brush on it before I grill on it however. I don't clean it off when I'm done, I wait until I'm going to use it again. At the temperature achieved by preheating the grill, nothing is alive on the grate anymore anyway. If you do wash any cast iron, then you should reseason it with oil again. There is no need to go through all that.

When I've wanted the grill to be really clean, I have wiped it off with a paper towel sprayed with Pam (before it gets too hot.) That makes it really clean.

As an aside, I really prefer the stainless steel brush to a brass brush. They seem to last longer and the bristles are really soft and don't clog up much. I buy the best brush I can find at the industrial/welding supply store.

Doug

Stephen, I believe the owners manual states that the grate should NOT be cleaned after use. The manual states that this grease build up helps to protect the iron from rust. A burn off prior to cooking and a quick brush off is sufficient.

However, Phil's method works too if you're going to keep the grill perfectly clean each time you use it. Just remember to put a thin film of oil over the grate before storing. Think of it as caring for a cast iron frying pan.

Once a year I give the entire grill a good spraying with Greased Lighting and rinse it off. I can guarantee that yours will come out sparkling after this minimal effort. However, I still don't clean the cast iron grate. I like to leave some grease on it.

Ron