We love every part of grilling and smoking – except for cleaning the grill afterward. It's dirty, requires tons of scrubbing, and is just generally a pain in the butt. Conventional cooking sprays can prevent some food from sticking, but those sprays also build up and leave a greasy mess. A grill brush helps to clean the mess, but it also flings little bits of black charred food around. In order to get the grill perfectly clean and free of debris, you want to find a better solution. We recently started using Crocodile Cloth grill wipes and we've been amazed at how well they actually work.
What Do You Wipe a Grill Down With?
We subscribe to the philosophy that your grill grates should always be clean when you are grilling, smoking, or barbecuing. That means cleaning the grates before you cook, after you cook, and even wiping the grill grates down during the cooking process. You should wipe a clean grill grate down with a high heat grilling oil like vegetable oil, avacado oil, or a special grilling oil intended for keeping the grill grates non-stick.
What is the Best Way to Clean Grill Racks?
The best way to clean grill racks is regularly. That may seem silly, but it's the truth. If you stay on top of the cleaning, it makes the least fun part of the grilling and smoking process faster and easier.
Now, if you are starting out with really nasty grill grates that haven't ever been cleaned, you'll want to take a few steps to get the grates ready for cooking. Start by using hot water and dish soap to remove most of the chunky junk stuck on the grates. Stainless steel grates can be cleaned with steel wool, while cast iron grates can be scraped clean with a grill scraper.
What is the Best Product to Clean a Grill?
One of the things that we love about the Crocodile Cloth wipes is that you can use them inside and outside. They cut through soot and grime on the lid and handles of your BBQ, easily wipe away charred sauce on the grilling surface, and keep your BBQ tools looking good as new. We've used everything from basic paper towels and spray-on cleaners to special products designed to make cleaning greasy messes convenient, but we've yet to find a product that works as well on grease, rust, and grime while being gentle on the hands and biodegradable.
Crocodile Cloth Grill Cleaning Wipes Product Review
There are a ton of gimmicky products out there that are just a waste of money, so we always love it when we come across a product that is better than its marketing. The Crocodile Cloth makes some lofty claims on its website, and we can tell you that these giant, oversized wipes work great.
Crocodile Cloth has been found to be safe for repeated and long-term exposure without causing harm as reported on the Materials Safety Data Sheet for the product. The ingredients are considered to be totally safe with very little risk of skin irritation. The wipes are made from a synthetic material that doesn't shed or leave lint. They are also durable and can take a good scrubbing without falling apart.
The chemicals are formulated for cleaning grills and outdoor equipment, but Crocodile Cloth makes several different products formulated for cleaning cars, painted surfaces, and other stuff. Each offers easy application and convenience for taking care of the nastiest of messes.
Every step that we can take to reduce the junk going into landfills that won't break down for centuries is a step in the right direction. These grill wipes are fully biodegradable so you won't be adding to the problem. That also means the chemicals they use to clean are environmentally safe, so you won't be introducing harmful chemicals to your family.
Why Keeping Grill Grates Clean Matters
We know lots of people who never clean their grill grates. They just "burn off" the leftover crud and maybe hit the grates with a brush before cooking. There are several issues with this method, starting with the unsightly appearance. When searing food, the burned-on particles adhere to the meat you are cooking which can make your food unappealing or give it an off flavor.
There are also risks of contaminating food with bacteria that aren't killed by burning the grates off. This can cause anything from an upset stomach to serious illness. Food safety is a big deal.
You can prevent foods from sticking by oiling a clean grill before and after you cook. One of the reasons that the Crocodile Cloth grill wipes have become favorites of ours is because they help get the clean-up done quickly so we aren't stuck doing the worst part of the job all evening.
Bottom Line
We've found that using the Crocodile Cloth wipes regularly to clean grates and prevent grease build-up on the lid of the grill, and they also work well for cutting through smoke residue that clings to the smoker.
