My old Weber BBQ has been sitting out on the deck all winter. Uncovered, unloved, untethered from a gas bottle and a safe winter refuge for all manner of critters.
So, with spring in the air and the prospect of summer BBQs beckoning, it's a good time for some restorative attention.
In the eight years I've had it, it's never had a deep clean. Apparently putting the lid down and blasting the heat on full doesn't count.
So, the good people at Supercare sent Troy Morrell to walk me through a Weber resurrection.
A Weber resurrection was required. Photo: RNZ
Morrell manages teams of specialist cleaners handling jobs in data centres and hospitals and all manner of commercial premises here and in Australia, but he kindly agreed to get back on the tools and show me how to bring my sad BBQ up to scratch.
First up was the big reveal, as the lid went up, so did my shame level.
Morrell generously said it wasn't the worst he'd seen.
Troy Morrell. Photo: RNZ
How to clean your barbecue
The first step is prep. Disconnect the gas, remove components: grill plates, grill drips, trays and other removables. Oh, and don't forget those rubber gloves.
Now for the grill grates. We soaked the grill and hot plate in soapy water, just regular old dish washing liquid. Hot water works best. Leave those soaking while you crack on with the interior.
Scrape off as much loose build up of gunk and grime as you can using a plastic scraper or a putty knife. Leave in the catch tray and it'll collect all the carbonised matter tumbling down.
Gently brush the gas pod with a wire brush, from side-to-side, not along the length of the burner, so as not to push debris into the wee jet thingies.
Morrell decided that my caked interior needed more than elbow grease, so the chemical cavalry was deployed. On went the oven cleaner, keeping a cloth over the gas burners to protect them.
While that was doing its worst, it was time to check on those soaking grills.
As the main grill was scrubbed with steel wool the water turned a particularly unpleasant shade of brown, as years of neglect was sloughed off. A wire brush was also deployed at this point to get into the fiddly bits and remove the seriously stubborn build-up.
The hot plate, the bit that gets the most punishment in my BBQ, was in a sorry state. This needed steel wool, wire brush and finally a gentle work over with a chisel to get it coming up shiny (ish) and new.
Then it was back to the mothership for an interior scrub with warm soapy water and wire wool, that was all hosed down, with the drip tray removed the gunky, greasy water drained off onto the lawn.
After an exterior clean it was all put back together, left to dry before being fired up - it started first time.
The Webber has had a glowup and is ready for sizzling. Photo: RNZ
How to keep your barbie in good condition
Now, if you don't fancy an almost two-hour mission to rejuvenate your barbie, don't be like me, be like Troy.
After every cook give the plates a quick scrub while they are still warm and wipe down the exterior with a damp cloth.
This will prevent build up, Morrell said, and regular maintenance will save on future elbow grease.
Give it a good, deep clean every two months.
You don't need expensive chemicals (apart from oven cleaners in my case) baking soda, vinegar and dishwashing soap will do the trick.
Don't leave it uncovered on the deck all winter, if you can, wheel it into the garage, if not invest in a good quality cover.
Follow these simple steps and you'll have many happy seasons sizzling sausies in the sun.
