DadCooksDinner

  • Home
  • Rotisserie
  • Recipes
  • Tools
  • Books
  • Merch
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Merch
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Books
    • Tools
    • Merch
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Ramblings

    Dirty Grill Shame

    Published: Jul 14, 2015 · Modified: Oct 21, 2015 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Don't blame the grill...
    Don't blame the grill, blame the griller.

    My YouTube video for Rotisserie Prime Rib Roasts is getting a lot of play this summer. As a side effect, two people asked me essentially the same question last week. Here's a mashup of the two questions:

    I was going to buy a Weber Summit until I saw the burn marks on your grill lid in the video. Is that permanent? Can it be cleaned? Is there another grill you’d recommend?

    My poor, abused, workhorse grill. I’ve used it hard since 2007, and I’ve neglected it. Those aren’t burn marks. Those are soot stains. I grill multiple times a week, year round - almost every day in the summer, and every chance I get during our cold Ohio winters.1In the summer, a lot of those grilling sessions are on my charcoal kettle, but I’d estimate half of them are on the gas grill - and most of the winter grilling sessions are on the gas grill.

    I don’t keep up with cleaning, especially on the outside.2I don’t wash my car, either. I figure, if God wanted my car washed, he’d make it rain, and who am I to disagree? The grill works just fine - as long as I give the inside a good cleaning every year. When it’s not in use, I keep the cover on, to protect it from the elements. So, I only really look at the stains when I’m about to grill. I think to myself “I really should clean my grill…some other time, when I don’t have to get dinner on the table…” and promptly forget about it.

    Those soot stains have zero effect on cooking - that’s why I haven’t worried about it. I feel like I let my grill down. It’s being judged because of *my* lack of cleaning. I hope you’re happy, you, you…grill shamers. I’m going to try to clean it - I’m worried I waited too long, and it is burned on - but I won’t have time until I get back from a vacation, probably in August. And so the cycle continues. As usual, I’m overbooked, and cleaning the outside of the grill is the first thing to get skipped, because it doesn’t affect the grill performance.

    Update: As a test, I cleaned a small section with a magic eraser, just to make sure I could. It took a couple of minutes of scrubbing - like I said, it’s long overdue - but the cleaned area looks brand new. 3Yes, I should try out Weber's grill cleaning products, but I had the magic eraser on hand.

    Dirty Grill Shame-1020217
    Scrubbed on the right...needs scrubbing everywhere else.

    Disclaimer, before I get to the next section: I am a huge Weber fan, and have been for years. Almost every grill I’ve purchased is a Weber, and the couple of times I didn’t buy the Weber, I regretted it, and wound up switching. I am also writing guest posts for the Weber blog. I am not being paid for this post - they have no idea it’s coming. Now that I’m done disclaiming…

    Recommend the a grill other than a Summit? Never. It is solid as a rock, still going strong after eight years. 4Should you buy a different stainless steel grill to avoid this? No, this happens to all stainless steel - if you don’t keep up with the cleaning, it’s going to look like that, regardless of the brand. Would I like a new grill? Sure. 5Especially one with the searing station, which came out a few years after I bought mine. But I’m not going to buy one while this grill is doing so well. 6I think…this might be an excuse to buy a new grill. Oh, no, now I have grill lust. This could get expensive. I must resist. Knowing what I now know about my cleaning habits and the need to clean stainless steel 7I worked at McDonald's as a teenager, and we had to dutch cleanser the brushed stainless steel every night at closing. Ah, the good old days., when my Summit goes to that great grill graveyard in the sky, I’m buying the lower-maintenance porcelain enameled model. Same grill, different lid material that hides the soot better. But if that model wasn’t available, I’d buy the stainless in a heartbeat.

    In other words - stop being so mean to my baby!

    Dirty Grill Shame-1020187

    (And, as a reminder - you DO need to clean the inside of your grill at least once a year. I should do it every six months, with how often I grill out - but that’s another thing I keep putting off. Again, shame on me.)

    What do you think?

    Questions? Lectures about basic cleanliness? (Mom, is that you? Sorry, mom, I haven't changed…) Leave them in the comments section below.

    Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via eMail or RSS reader, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, and buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

    Subscribe
    BirdSend Email Marketing Tool

    More Ramblings

    • Summer Vacation 2022
    • Rancho Gordo Bean Club Box | DadCooksDinner.com
      The Rancho Gordo Bean Club Is Open to New Members
    • Lit up "Happy" sign at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Wild Winter Lights festival
      Happy New Year 2022
    • Lit up star with a woman standing inside, with the Fulton Road Bridge in the background, lit up with holiday colors
      Merry Christmas 2021

    Sharing is caring!

    Comments

    1. Brian says

      August 08, 2015 at 9:07 pm

      Does the magic eraser scratch the finish?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        August 09, 2015 at 9:47 am

        Not that I saw - see the cleaned spot in the picture in the post.

        Reply
    2. Cary Hill says

      July 15, 2015 at 8:17 am

      As always, I really enjoyed your post. I don't have a stainless grill for the same reason you just discussed. Everyone I know that does, has the same problem. When I bought my Capt n Cook 10 years ago, I chose the porcelain lid which makes cleaning a snap. My family has used Lestoil for many years as a great all around cleaner. I keep a diluted solution in a spray bottle. I spray the entire surface, let it soak for a minute and all the grease wipes right off.

      Reply
    3. Terry says

      July 14, 2015 at 5:43 pm

      Hey, don't feel bad, My Genesis S-330 looks the same. Mine is about due for a cleaning inside and out. Thanks for the tip on the Magic Eraser...

      Reply

    Questions? Made the Recipe? Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner!

    I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

    More About Me →

    Popular

    • Three bowls of cooked Pinto Beans on a wood table
      Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soaking)
    • Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
    • Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
      Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
    • Pressure Cooker Brown Jasmine Rice
    • Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared)
      Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared)
    • A green bowl full of chicken noodle soup
      Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

    Seasonal

    • A bowl of asparagus risotto
      Instant Pot Asparagus Risotto (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
    • Grilled Butterflied Chicken with Garlic Butter
    • Sous Vide Rack of Lamb with Dijon Bread Crumb Crust
    • A bowl of beef stew with asparagus, carrots, and radishes.
      Instant Pot Spring Vegetable Beef Stew
    • A Rotisserie Chicken (Pollo Asado)on a platter of shredded cabbage
      Rotisserie Chicken Pollo Asado
    • Rotisserie Pork Shoulder Roast with Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
      Rotisserie Pork Shoulder with South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2025 Dad Cooks Dinner

    2 shares
    • 2