Cleaning Weber kettle


 
Tex Slater

Tex Slater

New member
How often does everybody clean their kettle? I mean a deep clean, bottom and top from inside. I did mine this spring and it needed it. I am thinking to probably clean it at thy change of seasons. I used a scrub brush, a few SOS pads and some soapy water. This next time I will probably use a degreaser of some sort.

Anything else?
 
Keep the outside nice and clean but the inside only when your see flaking start and then only knock of the flakes. The seasoning is what keeps the temps stable and is what we strive for. Have had my WSM22 for about 3 years and have only ever cleaned the outside. Really cleaning the interior is kind of like starting with a brand new WSM. Won't work well until it is reseasoned. This also applies to my Performer. Keep the crud out of the charcoal chamber but that is it. Keep the outside clean out of pride. Just my take on the situation.
 
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I have 2 kettles and clean the outside with soapy water and the inside I just scrape with plastic putty knife to get rid of built up grease, the rest of it I consider "seasoned"
 
I use my power washer to get the gunk out of the inside of the grill a couple times a year. Grease Lighting to clean the exterior and the occasional SOS pad to clean the grates
 
I've gone to using those throw-away aluminum roasting pans when indirect cooking messy stuff like chicken. Inside stays pretty clean when cooking direct. A good grill brush does a fair job of keeping the grate clean.
 
I dont clean my "keepers" on the inside because i think the seasoning helps. i just scrape the grates.

On grills i sell on craigslist i give them a thorough cleaning and get them as close to new as i can. My method:

1 .Remove any loose ash by dumping or brushing. I have a long handled brush dedicated to this.

2. Spread liquid dish soap (without water) all over the kettle bowl and underside of lid. Spread with a sponge if needed and let sit. 30-60 minutes good, overnight better.

3. Spray off with hose.

4. Scrape with a plastic putty knife. This will get rid of most of your big gunk spots.

5. Scrape with a razor blade. This will get rid of smoke and grease staining and restore the porcelain to brand new. The left over grease will scrape off like strips of 35mm film.

6. A final dish soap and water wash inside and out and you will look brand new.

To clean grates:

An overnight soak in vinegar and baking soda will remove some debris.

If they aren’t too rusty, A wire wheel on a drill will restore grates to near new condition.

Oil grates up after cleaning to fight future rust.

I have old grates that I season like cast iron: Oil up and heat up.
 
I'm not a clean fanatic by any means, but man when that grease builds in the the bowl it can get funky in hot weather.
So I scrape it with a wooden slat maybe 3 or 4 times a year to knock off the major build up.
If you don't have to give it a lick and a promise now and then, in my opinion, then you're not grilling often enough. :p
 
They day after a cook I salvage the leftover briquettes then get the ash down into the pan. Then I use a plastic putty knife (Bondo applicators work really well for this) and scrape the grease through to the pan as well. Pan gets emptied, rinsed and set aside. I toss a bucket of water in to get the loose ash, then put the grates back in, set the ash tray on the cooking grate inverted so it dries, and let the entire thing dry out before putting the lid on. The entire process take less than 10 minutes (except drying!)

Those aluminum ash pans will pit if you let ash set in them and get wet. If memory serves charcoal ash is alkaline.
 
I "deep clean" once a year. Meanwhile scrape off flakes from inside the cover if any, after every use I scrape inside any heavy grease or sauce drips. Empty the ash catcher and run one of those cleaning pads all around the inside edge above the grates. Now the grates I can't but cleaning after every use, what a pain they're!!
 
Bob Correll said:
Everything from never clean, to clean thoroughly after every cook.
To each their own, it's all good.
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Way back, I never cleaned it. Maybe once a year, but other than that it was left to set. It was loaned out to my mom's house where everyone and their brother used it. There was ash left in the pan for prolonged periods. When I finally cleaned it I found the pan to be very pitted. Truthfully, the rest of the grill is in great shape, so it appears that not cleaning it for a very long time had no adverse affect other than the pan. I guess that after 29 years of service I kind of pamper the old girl. Knowing me, if it were new it'd probably get treated with less reverence!
 
I always flush my Weber grill out with a garden hose after smothering the coals and emptying the ash pan. I don't mind some seasoning on the inside, but I feel the water spray helps to cut down on excessive dirt and grease buildup.


T Waite said:
Those aluminum ash pans will pit if you let ash set in them and get wet. If memory serves charcoal ash is alkaline.
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Mine isn't pitted, but I noticed that it has some discoloration (probably related to heat from small coals). Metal polish may offer some protection against pitting.
 
I use diluted windex on the outside of my kettles. I brush the heck out of my grates after & before each cook. I end up only getting maybe 2 years out of my chrome-steel grates, doesn't seem to matter if they're the heavy duty grates or not. I've yet to get cast iron grates for my kettles (hope to this Thanksgiving when they go on sale) I think one reason why my chrome-steel grate life is so short, I do some pretty high heat cooks and I think that does them in pretty quick
 
I normally buy used grills. When I get a new grill I will do a cleaning. Typically I use a razor blade and scrap out off the gunk and ash on the inside bowl and lid and then use paper towels and water to try and get most of the rest off. I really don't care about cleaning it perfectly because it's just going to get gunked up and nasty again. For the outside I use weber exterior grill cleaner and paper towels. I'll do a pretty good job of getting all the dirt/grease etc off. After I clean a grill and it's "new" to me I never clean the inside. the grease and gunk is good in my opinion unless stuff is flaking off onto food.

I cleaned my WSM when I first got it and then cleaned the lip on the middle section to install a gasket kit. I'll never clean it again.
 
Tommy B said:
I normally buy used grills. When I get a new grill I will do a cleaning. Typically I use a razor blade and scrap out off the gunk and ash on the inside bowl and lid and then use paper towels and water to try and get most of the rest off. I really don't care about cleaning it perfectly because it's just going to get gunked up and nasty again. For the outside I use weber exterior grill cleaner and paper towels. I'll do a pretty good job of getting all the dirt/grease etc off. After I clean a grill and it's "new" to me I never clean the inside. the grease and gunk is good in my opinion unless stuff is flaking off onto food.

I cleaned my WSM when I first got it and then cleaned the lip on the middle section to install a gasket kit. I'll never clean it again.
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That's pretty much my rule too. I buy and sell a lot or used grills on craigslist and most get 1 "like new condition" cleaning with a razor scraper when they are bought and 1 when they sold. In between they only get external wipe downs and an occasional quick ash and gunk clean up on the inside with a plastic putty knife. I feel Gunk helps season and seal the kettle/WSM up for temp control so i don't mind some around the edges.

If i was more responsible and used a drip pan or tin foil under the meat when i cook indirect in my performer,I would probably cut required cleanup by 90 %
 
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