Winterizing the Grill

Sadly the time of year has come where I have to say goodbye to my smoker/ charcoal grill. The grill has been more than amazing throughout the years of owning it, and it has produced some wonderful meals for me and my family. It is only right that I now repay the favor and take care of the grill in return.

With winter basically in full swing here in Pennsylvania, it is time to clean up the grill and season it for storage. Do not worry though, I have a back up. If you do not have a gas grill in your collection, I suggest getting one. I found a two burner grill on Facebook Marketplace for 10$ and it is in great condition. The only thing I had to do was clean up the grates for cooking. Now that I have a gas grill I can grill year round without any worries. The gas grill is very easy to heat up and keep the heat up while cooking even in frigid cold temperatures. It is surely an item to have if you love grilling and do not want to fight the cold while tending your charcoal.

On to the cleaning and preparations for winter storage. DISCLAIMER: This is my method, I have done my research and have created a winter storage plan that works for me. To begin, I like to give the grill a good cleaning, get rid of the old charcoal dust and wipe down the outside. Then I like to plan a meal out, one that is going to need to cook for a few hours, whatever that meal may be for you, you can use. I chose to do this process while smoking a turkey for our little Thanksgiving dinner. Now while the turkey was cooking I took my spray can of vegetable oil, use whatever oil you prefer, and sprayed down the entire grill. I sprayed inside and outside of the grill box, smoker box and all the grates. This allows for the grill to get seasoned while cooking, it’s a double dip. Most people season an empty grill, I have had zero issues with rust or upkeep doing it this way, but once again this is my method and you can do it however you would like.

Once the food is off, I then put on a little more charcoal to heat the grill up and make sure the seasoning process gets done well. I then just let the charcoal burn itself out and come back the next day to finish up. To finish this project up I clean out all of the charcoal dust from both the grill box and side fire box. I knock out as much of it as I can and wipe down what is left with a damp towel. I then like to give the grates a good scrub as well, making sure all the food is off of them. Once the grates are completely clean, I give them another light spray of the vegetable oil and place them back on the grill.

Now that the grill is seasoned and cleaned, I say my final goodbyes. I thank the grill for all it has done for me through the year and cover it up one last time. I sadly walk the grill under the deck and place it where it will rest for the next several months while the winter takes over. I would be lying if I said I did not acknowledge the grill as I walk by in the snow, but I feel I have to let it know I am thinking about it. Reminding the grill that one day soon it will be heated up and cooking as it once did.