The Texas BBQ Forum

Hello guys, I am using a propane gas grill for the first time and would appreciate a little advice please.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Monument-Gr ... /301689534

First issue, I am being told my other grillers that using a sheet of foil on the grates is best because it will cut down on the amount of stuff being stuck on the grates. Also I should poke holes in the foil at different spots to help the heat come through to the meat and also first spray the foil with cooking oil to avoid the meat getting stuck to the foil, is all of this best practice please?

Hey, Mike, I'm not a Gas Griller but I do realize your problem and it happens even with charcoal. However, the only time I worry about this is when I'm cooking fish or other "fragile foods" - - - I don't mind cleaning my grates when they need it and then it's a good brushing with my wire grill brushes. So I bought me some Stainless BBQ Grates at Academy and they do the job plus they clean up "decent" also. Good Luck

mikehende wrote:Hello guys, I am using a propane gas grill for the first time and would appreciate a little advice please.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Monument-Gr ... /301689534

First issue, I am being told my other grillers that using a sheet of foil on the grates is best because it will cut down on the amount of stuff being stuck on the grates. Also I should poke holes in the foil at different spots to help the heat come through to the meat and also first spray the foil with cooking oil to avoid the meat getting stuck to the foil, is all of this best practice please?

We've never used foil except for fish.

Don't use spray. Its additives, which include propellant and some form of alcohol, will create a gunky mess, and maybe even unpleasant brow-singeing kick-back.

When you oil the grill, use Crisco, or even steak fat trimmings. We've done fatty bacon in a pinch....but first the grates must get really really hot before you oil. And we oil multiple times before setting food on the grill.

What OUP shows is also a good way. But again, don't spray, let the grates get hot.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the advice and info guys. Ok so if no foil, do I simply purchase any crisco oil and paste it on the grills after they get hot?

For the stainless steel grills, wouldn't that be double work having more grills to clean?

Also, with the coal grills I used to wire brush them when done grilling so they are super hot and this cleans the grill the best. Can I do the same with the gas grill plates or should I wait until they are cold?

No, on the foil. You will need to oil those grates of yours as they look like there are cast iron or they will rust. Buy cedar planks, soak them prior to using them for your fish. You can buy replacement grates that are stainless then you don't worry about the maintenance on the grates.

Oil your grates before they get hot or you will burn the crap out of your hands

To clean a gas grill it is two fold, use aluminum foil to cover the grill grates after every use, then when you need it, heat up the grill with the aluminum foil still on and it will clean the grill for you. I've never cleaned my grates in 15 years+.

Alright, let me see if I can follow along with all of this. So I get crisco oil and paste unto the grates before I light them. I don't use foil unless it's for fish and use only a piece of foil to cover the area needed for the fish. I should get stainless steel grates to place on top of the original grates as this should cut down on the amount of cleaning needed for the original grates. I use foil to cover the grates after finished, heat up the grates with the foil on them then remove the foil before cooking again, is this all correct please?

mikehende wrote:Thanks for the advice and info guys. Ok so if no foil, do I simply purchase any crisco oil and paste it on the grills after they get hot?

For the stainless steel grills, wouldn't that be double work having more grills to clean?

Also, with the coal grills I used to wire brush them when done grilling so they are super hot and this cleans the grill the best. Can I do the same with the gas grill plates or should I wait until they are cold?

GRATES MUST BE HOT BEFORE GREASING.

You get a long pair of tongs, grab a greased, folded paper towel in them, and then grease the grates. If you use bacon or steak fat, grab that with the tongs and grease. I should have mentioned this in my post.

For cleaning, we let it run on high for about ten minutes after the food has been cooked and removed , which burns off most of the whatever was burnt on there, then clean with a wire brush. Prior to the next cook, also use a wire brush beforehand. This knocks off any rust formations.

i've used GrillGrates on both my gasser and charcoal grill for a number of years
the way they are made they keep drippings from flaring up and burning the food
https://www.grillgrate.com/

the other thing I use a lot is FrogMat grill mats
they're made out of Kevlar and rated up to 550°
http://www.frogmats.com/
and the cheapest place to buy them - Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Frogmats-Non-Sti ... H7TVY?th=1

mikehende wrote:Alright, let me see if I can follow along with all of this. So I get crisco oil and paste unto the grates before I light them. I don't use foil unless it's for fish and use only a piece of foil to cover the area needed for the fish. I should get stainless steel grates to place on top of the original grates as this should cut down on the amount of cleaning needed for the original grates. I use foil to cover the grates after finished, heat up the grates with the foil on them then remove the foil before cooking again, is this all correct please?

I've used various gas grills for decades and I don't use foil or an extra ss grate on top. I just clean the grates with a wire brush, when hot, and then I grease them. After the cook I burn off the grates that had food on them for 10 minutes or so and then I give them a good cleaning with a wire brush.

The one place I do use aluminum foil is to cover the drip tray (with a hole to allow flow into the drip cup).

I would suggest one place to look for basic grilling instruction would be Steve Raichlen's website and his earlier tv series. This would be a starting point:
https://barbecuebible.com/

Good luck with the new grill!

Nice tip on placing foil over the drip tray and thanks for the link, it has some great tips like getting replaceable foil drip cups.

Wow, looks like the Gang has you pretty much covered - - - FWIW, you can put that crisco on with basting brush.

I have never used any foil on my gas grill, which i use alot. Nor have I used grill grates. But I do clean the grill before and after every use. Mine are stainless as well. Mine also has a removable pan to catch the droppings, and I also pull out the heat shields periodically and scrap them off. And I have run thousands of pounds of meat through mine over the last 12 years.