Proper maintenance adds years to life of your grill

Your greasy grill needs a good cleaning.

Dave Coppinger of Taproot in Williamsburg, Va., recommends you always preheat your grill until it stops smoking. This technique sanitizes the grates and burns any residual grease into a flaky ash that’s easy to periodically remove from the bottom of the firebox. Also, use a wire brush to scrape the grates, he says.

In return, your grill will reward you with more years of great outdoor cooking.

“Stay cool. Never clean a hot grill. Let it cool to the touch.

“Tools are helpful. Wire brushes, especially those with brass bristles, are good for scraping off heavy layers of grease. Even crumbled aluminum foil, folded inside out after you remove it from potatoes, scrubs grates on a cooled grill.

“Check below. Gas grills have grease trays or cups that need emptying; they are usually located under the firebox. Also, make sure debris does not collect in the bottom of the firebox.

“Keep it clean. Before lighting the grill, apply nonstick spray on the grates. The protective spray cuts down on cleanup time after you cook. Before turning off the grill, remove your food, shut the lid and let the grill burn any remaining grease off the grates.

“Use a tray. You can also purchase disposable aluminum cooking trays at home-improvement and hardware centers. For charcoal grills, line the bowl with aluminum foil; when you finish cooking and the grill is cool, discard the foil with the coals and ash, then wash and put in new foil for the next time.