Before the next time I grill. And I usually just take a wire brush to it real quick. If at all.
It’s kind of odd. We have bears in our area, and we get warned about leaving grills outside. While the bears have tried to break into my shed to get the garbage, they have never gone after my grill. :dubious:
I scrape while it’s still HOT, not warm, because it’s easier to get all the gunk off while it’s still warm and mooshy. Gunk on a grill = sticking. Sticking = more gunk on a grill. I lost two grill grates that way before I started beliving in Alton Brown.
I don’t currently have a grill (weep for me), but I just watched a rerun of “America’s Test Kitchen” on PBS yesterday that addressed this question.
Their preference is to scrape it after you first heat it up, but before you start cooking, and then once in a while also rub it with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil to aid in seasoning (use tongs to not burn the hands).
So they agree with the OP, and they test everything. I’d go with them. The “ick” factor isn’t really anything, since it all gets good and cooked anyway.
Same here. I leave the gas on for just a bit after grilling, while the meat ‘rests’ under foil.* Not more than a couple of minutes. Then I turn everything off and scrape it. I do the same thing before I grill. I let the grill warm up a bit, scrape it, and then turn down the flame and plop the meat on. Leaves a nice grillmark on the meat.
you all DO let your cooked meat rest, don’t you? ;j
I give it a scrape with a wire brush before and after cooking, both times while still hot.
I keep two spray bottles near the grill. One is full of canola oil, which I use to douse the grate after the pre-cooking scrape (spreading it around a bit with some paper towels). (Gives you some nice flame action, too, since it’s all about the show.) The other is water; in addition to putting out unwanted flare-ups, I use it for the post-cooking scrape.
I have these 4 thick cast iron grates on my grill. It’s basically one large grate divided up to make it easier to handle (and not so heavy). My method is 1)removed the two far right grates, 2)fill charcoal chimney and light, 3) spead ashen coals under grates, 4)reapply all grates and close lid, 5)scrape grates while hottest and reclose lid to allow grates to gather heat 6)apply meat to get those sear lines
If it looks chunky when I’m done grilling, I scrape.
Also. . .after burning myself and destroying paper towels, I came to the realization that it’s OK to wipe the grate with Crisco BEFORE you heat it up. I use a cast-iron grate, too.
On the gas Weber, I do a quick scrape right after the food comes off, and a wire brushing before lighting it the next time. Every coupla months, I do a full burnoff, as Weber recommends.
On the charcoal Smoky Joe, the grill just barely fits in the dishwasher.