Tips for a Clean & Healthy BBQ Grill!

What is the best way to go about cleaning your backyard barbecue grill?

Whether you use your BBQ grill year round or just during the summer months, it's going to get dirty. So what are some tips to keep your grill clean and healthy?  The best advice we can give is to prevent it from getting overly dirty in the first place.  Below I will go over four tips to keep your BBQ looking and grilling its best.

1.) Don't let the food stick - 

No one wants to see old food stuck on your grill's grates. Not only is it disgusting but it's not healthy either. Avoid having stuck on food with two simple tricks.  The first, simply spray or rub cooking oil over the grates before you put your food down.  Another trick is once you have preheated your grill, rub a halved onion along the grates.  Sounds weird I know but it really does help stop your food from sticking.

2.) Clean it after every use -

This tip is pretty straight forward, clean your grill off when you are done using it. This will help keep your grill healthy and clean by reducing the build up of old food and grease over time. It is a lot easier to get food, grease and other things off your grill when it's fresh and the grates are hot. This will also help make your annual deep cleans easier.

3.) Don't forget the pan underneath - 

Many people focus all their attention on the grill grates when cleaning and forget about the pan underneath.  This can be a big mistake for several reasons.  The grills pan is where the majority of grease and food scraps end up.  Left uncleaned it can begin to attract unwanted pests like mice, rats and bugs.  Also, all this grease and old food can plug up your grills burners, making your grill less efficient. Lastly and the most important reason to remember to clean your pan is that this is where grease fires can occur. Being sure to clean it out regularly can help prevent a disaster.

4.) Deep clean it once a year -

Having a thorough grill cleaning done once a year will help keep your grill healthy and working like a champ! It can also help to minimize the wear and tear seen from years of use. For many the best times to have this done is in the fall after grilling all summer or in the spring before the grilling season starts back up again. If you are not sure on how to go about deep cleaning your grill we recommend contacting a local pro to come take care of it.

If you are in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area and looking for a grill cleaning at an affordable price please visit bbq.joefilter.com.

Tips and Tricks for the Spring BBQ Season!

Spring is almost upon us, which means its time to get ready for the BBQ season! The first step in doing this will be to go outside and check out your BBQ grill to make sure it is still working.  If it is a propane grill make sure your tank is full and connected properly.  The next big thing you will want to do will be to thoroughly clean your grill focusing on the health and safety related areas such as where you cook your food and all the way down to the pan where potential grease fires can begin. Over the winter your grill can play home to all sorts of little critters so do be careful when opening and cleaning.  Once your grill is nice and clean you are all set to begin your BBQ!

Here are a couple tips and tricks for a successful spring BBQ!

Tips for any grill-

1. Always preheat your grill before you begin cooking.
   
   
2. Halve an onion and rub the sliced side along the preheated grates.  This will keep your food from sticking to the grill grates.
3. Always be sure to thaw your meat out before placing on your grill.
4. This should go without saying but wash your hands immediately after handling raw meat.
5. Never cut or stab into your meat. It will cause the meat to lose its flavorful juices.
6. Portobello mushroom caps can be used as a healthy alternative to hamburger patties. That is if your into that sort of thing ;).
7. Simply wrapping your hot dogs in bacon can turn a good BBQ into a great one!
8. You can use a muffin pan to store all your condiments and add on's (ketchup, mustard, diced onions, etc.) at your BBQ.  This way your table is not cluttered with different bowls and dishes.
9.  Always always always clean off your grill once you are done using it. This will help protect your grill and keep you from more work in the future.

Charcoal Grill Tips-

1. To quickly start your charcoal grill pile all your kindling and coals into one area of the grill. Have the kindling on the inside and the charcoal covering it but with holes for the kindling to breath.  Once the coals are fully lit spread them evenly around the grill.
2. Go easy on the lighter fluid. Your food will absorb a lot of the flavor of what it is being cooked over and lighter fluid is not very tasty or healthy.
3. Using additive free charcoal will give you a cleaner burn and put less chemicals into your air and food.

Having trouble cleaning your grill or just don't have the time? Give Joe Filter a call (480) 813-9494 and we will get your grill BBQ ready right away!

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BBQ 101: Grilling Basics

Whether seasonal or year round barbecues are always a lot of fun. You invite your friends and neighbors over throw some meat on the grill and make a day of it.

Anyone can throw a barbecue but it takes time and know how to throw a great barbecue. If you really want to know the secrets of how to barbecue with the best, it just became your lucky day.  I won't spill all of our grilling secrets but I'll cover some of the basics that most people forget about.

The first step before anything else is pick your grill... charcoal or gas. If you choose a charcoal grill try not to use lighter fluid and make sure to get additive free charcoal.  This way you won't be cooking your food on harsh chemicals.

Now let's get into those basics...

CLEAN YOUR GRILL-  This tip is the most important thing you can do.  No one wants to cook on a unkept grill... disgusting.  The best way is to clean the grates and drip pan before and after you use the grill.  This will make sure you don't have any gunk or leftover food built up above or below.  Its also a good idea to get your grill professionally cleaned once or twice a year.  This will help the grill to stay in working order as well as make it nice and presentable for your next barbecue.

Schedule a BBQ Cleanup Service today!

PREHEAT-  Don't throw your meat on a grill before it's lit! Just like an oven a grill needs to be preheated.  This allows the grates to heat up and the grill to cook your food properly.  Usual
preheat time for a grill will be about 10 mins. You can use that time to make sure you have everything you need and to make sure your meat is thawed out.
DON'T LEAVE YOUR STATION- Leaving your grill unattended is the easiest mistake you can make. To grill right you have to be watching your grill! This doesn't mean you need to be constantly opening the grill cover or that you can t enjoy a good conversation, it just means you should stay next to the grill incase anything goes wrong.
MARINATE, MARINATE, MARINATE-  Marinade doesn't just make your meat taste great it serves other purposes too.  Most marinades you use will help your meat to stay tender and moist while being cooked.  Marinade also will help reduce HCA formation (which has cancer causing properties) in your meat by almost 92% to 99%.

Try these simple tricks at your next barbecue for a more successful grilling experience. Stay posted to our blog for more Joe Filter BBQ Tips to come.

   

How to Get Rid of Rodents in your BBQ Grill

BBQ’s are a year round occurrence for a lot of us. Unfortunately more and more BBQ’s are being crashed by unwanted 4-legged guests! Leftover food on the grates attracts rodents like rats and mice who get cozy in your grill. This is why the best way of preventing unwanted guests at your next BBQ is to regularly clean your grill or BBQ thoroughly. If it is already too late and your BBQ is infested here are some steps on how to remove your unwelcome guests and keep them from returning…

1. REMOVE THE RODENTS FROM THE GRILL- This is the hard part. The quickest yet most dangerous way to do this would be reaching in with THICK GLOVES to remove them manually. Other methods you can use if you don't want to risk a bite are setting traps for them, leaving the grill open overnight (so it no longer provides a shelter) or use a ultrasonic pest repeller to drive them out. DO NOT TRY TO BURN THEM ALIVE OR POISON THEM IN THE GRILL! It's never smart to poison a surface you use for cooking and if you light them one fire they may get out while on fire leading to even more of an issue for you. 
2. REMOVE ALL NESTING MATERIAL- This includes twigs, leaves, charcoal and anything else inside the grill. Make sure to wear gloves and a mask while doing this so not to get exposed to the rodent droppings. 
3. CLEAN THE GRILL THOROUGHLY- Clean the entire surface of your grill to remove any pheromones, urine, droppings, or bits of food that could draw the rats and mice back to the grill. After your done cleaning disinfect all of your tools and put the grill on a high burn for a few minutes to kill any leftover bacteria you couldn't get. 
4. TAKE PREVENTIVE MEASURES- Now that you have got rid of your unwelcome guests it’s time to make sure they never come back. The best way to prevent rodent nesting is to clean your grill or BBQ regularly (+Joe Filter can help with that!) Other ways to help keep these pests at bay are, block all access points into the BBQ using sheet metal and set up traps and repellent around your BBQ area. If you have a family pet be careful where you place your traps and be sure not to use any toxic material. If the problem persists call your local pest control service for further actions. 

For more Healthy Home Tips visit JoeFilter.com

BBQ Cleanup Time Lapse

Interested in what a Joe Filter BBQ Cleanup looks like? 

Here's a time lapse video to show you!

BBQ Cleaning Service from Joe Filter

Joe Filter Wants to Clean your BBQ

People love to grill but there are very few folks who love cleaning a dirty BBQ. 

Over time all that awesome grilling builds up residues and grime that could affect the way your food cooks and tastes. The longer you wait to clean it, the dirtier it gets. Who wants to spend hours soaking and scrubbing a BBQ instead of relaxing with friends and family? 

Let Joe Filter clean that filthy BBQ for you. We will come to your home and do all the dirty work. The service typically takes just about an hour to complete and includes disposal of all the cleaned out gunk. 

Joe Filter BBQ Cleanups will help keep your BBQ looking and cooking great!

Call today to schedule a BBQ Cleanup from Joe Filter!
1-800-940-0000