Cleaning your grill is essential to maintain the flavor and quality of your food. It’s also super easy! All you need are two things: a scraper, like this one, and some cleaning solution, like this one.
Yes, you read that right! Finally, there is a way to keep your Z grills ZPG 450a Smoker Grill clean, and the best part is it’s effortless. If you have struggled with keeping your grill looking new, this post will show you the easy way out.
Shut Off The Power And Allow To Cool Down
You must turn off your grill before you start cleaning. There are many causes for this – one meaning that the grill could be warm and you may get hurt. The other reason is that electricity can cause damage to the inner workings of the unit if it isn’t correctly handled, so it’s better to avoid any chance of an accident.
The grill I’m using today is a Z Grills ZPG-450A. While this is an electric smoker, the grill inside has the same components as any other standard infrared grill; a coil behind a reflector and a metal plate which holds food in place while it’s being cooked. However, the problem with these units is that they can become dirty very quickly, and sometimes, no matter how much you clean, your food still doesn’t taste as good as it should.
Grill Is Cool?
Time To Clean!
Before I started cleaning my grill, I shut off the power to the unit and allowed it to cool down completely. This is a critical step because cleaning a hot surface can be dangerous and voids typically the warranty on your team.
I then grabbed my grill scraper and a clean rag, dipped it in the cleaning solution, and began to wipe down the surfaces of my grill. It’s essential to see that you shouldn’t use any house cleaners with this method – only the cleaner included with the scraper.
The scraper is easy to use – start at one end of the grill and scrape in a back-and-forth motion until you’ve covered the whole surface. Repeat these steps for each track in your unit.
Time To Dry!
When you are done cleaning, allow the grill to dry completely. This is also a crucial step because you don’t want to leave any moisture on the grill, as this could cause damage and result in a horrible tasting meal.
I usually suggest using a shop vacuum to exclude the excess moisture from the interior of your system. Still, I have found that it can be so powerful that it can damage the interior of some grills. An alternative method is to leave the grill open until it’s scorched, which usually takes about an hour or so.
Once your grill is dried out, re-lubricate any surfaces that are sticky with WD-40. This isn’t entirely necessary, but I do this regularly because it makes opening and closing the grills easy.
All that’s left to do now is fire up your grill, enjoy cooking some delicious food, and remember never to use any household cleaners on it! Cleaning this way will keep your grill looking new for years to come.
And there you have it – the most comfortable way known to man to wash your grill. If you’re looking for a great grill scraper, check out the one I use in this link.
Empty The Hopper & Reassemble
- Before you start:
- Unplug your Z Grills pellet smoker.
- Fill the hopper with pellets and shut the lid on the grill.
Rotate the auger wheel inside to push all of the pellets into one area. You may need to use something blunt like a screwdriver to help pry them into place.
When all of your pellets are in one area, you can safely empty them into the garbage.
Now remove the auger wheel and clean it with soap and water. You will also need to remove the auger housing because food particles do accumulate there as well. If you want to be thorough, you can disassemble your auger completely (it doesn’t come apart) and clean each piece.
After you have removed as much debris as possible from inside your auger:
- Reassemble it back onto the wheel. This wheel should now turn freely, so go ahead and rotate it a few times to make sure there’s no residue sticking to anything.
- If everything turns freely, remove the auger housing and clean that too.
- When you’re done, reassemble all pieces back onto the auger wheel.
You will now need to remove your grill racks from inside your smoker because they will probably have some caked-on gunk that needs to be removed. Grab a grill brush and scrub down each frame until it’s free of debris.
Before you replace your grill racks, go ahead and remove your drip pan to give it a good cleaning as well. You can use the same methods described above on the drip pan, so follow the instructions for cleaning your auger wheel. If you have multiple levels of racks inside your unit, now is a great time to clean those as well.
Exterior Cleaning
Now it’s time to move on to the exterior of your grill – not including the smoker itself. The first thing you’re going to want to do is to remove any door hinges so that you can clean behind them. These doors are usually pretty dirty, so it’s worth taking some time out of your day to take care of this little detail.
Now that you have your grill gates off, it’s time to provide them with a great cleansing. The best thing you can use is some warm soap and water – the hotter, the better! Scrub down all of the tiny crevices until they are nice and clean. It would be best if you also took this time to check for any damage or problems that could have been caused over time.
Do the same for both doors – ensuring that you clean behind them as well. Now it’s time to pass on to the surfaces of your system. Depending on how long it has been since you last cleaned, they will most likely need a thorough scrubbing with warm soapy water. I also recommend giving the control panel a little attention as well.
Once you’re finished washing the sides of your smoker, it’s time to clean out any debris that may have accumulated in the front door area. Most people gather around when standing outside the unit, so this part tends to get dirty very quickly.
Conclusion
Your grill is very easy to clean, and you can do it by following a few simple steps. Z Grill ZPG-450A Some things you need to use here to clean the smoker grill. And we hope you find this guide helpful! If you have any other questions about how to clean or maintain your grilling equipment.
