I bought this Oxo cold grilling brush for post-meal cleaning. So far it seems decent, and I hope to report back favorably at the end of the season.
Do you have a grill brush you can recommend? It seems that every year there are new ones that claim to fix all of the problems of other styles.
I have a metal bristle brush that I like to use for heavier cleaning. I’ve tried a couple of alternative style grill brushes over the years, including a very messy stone-like scrubber made from glass or something like that.
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The metal brush works best, but I don’t like to use it every time.
Here’s my usual cleaning method:
- Preheat
- Wipe down with cut lemon
- Grill
- Eat
- Wipe down cold grill
I used to use a wire brush more, but I was doing a lot of work for little benefit. When I’m just grilling for my immediate family, a wipe down at the end sets me up for an easy preheat cleaning next time.
The cool grate cleaning process can be less messy – I usually use damp paper towels – and so that’s where this brush comes in.
As for the damp paper towels, I once used some to lift a grate so that I can remove a piece of food that fell through. When I was done I wiped the grates, and I found I had less cleaning to do the next time. So, I kept doing that – wiping things down with damp paper towels after we ate and the grill cooled down.
The idea behind brushes like this is that you don’t have to worry as much about bristles being left behind and ending up in your food. For for me, it seems to fit my cleaning process. We’ll see if it works out like that or not.
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It has a metal scraping edge, an angled front, and nylon bristles throughout.
The head is replaceable – I spotted a 2-pack for just under $13.
I’m liking it so far.
I looked at other brands’ nylon grill brushes last year, but passed on them. The Oxo looked interesting and I figured I’d give it a try.
I should repeat that this is a cold cleaning brush; don’t use it on a hot grill.
At the time of this posting, it’s priced at a little under $18.
The Char-Broil is a little less expensive ($15) and seems to be highly ranked on Amazon.
For deep cleaning, I still like the Weber 3-sided brush, and check for bristles before putting any food on the grill. That’s also where the pre-cook lemon wiping helps.
I think it’s too much for use every time, and also like to save it from excessive wear. The combo makes sense to me – a heavy duty brush for as-needed heavy cleanings, and a nylon brush for cleaning the cold grill.
What types of grill brushes do you use and can recommend?
Do you have any tips or tricks for even easier cleaning?
Bob+Hinden
Interesting. I was looking at the Amazon page and noticed they also had this:
OXO Good Grips Hot Clean Grill Brush https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJ366RNF
No bristle to fall out.
Stuart
I saw that too, and am curious about its stainless coil with silicone spring-like pad design, but not curious enough to spend $32. The only reviews so far are from free product Amazon Vine partners.
carl
As a Viner I wish I had seen that pop up, but I will say there’s no incentive to give good reviews.
Franco Calcagni
Could you please explain your comment?
I am familiar with the term “Vine” or “Vine Purchaser”, on Amazon, but do you have to give good reviews?
Do you get items for free or at a discounted price?
Ben
I have used the Grill Grubber for several year and really like it. I only clean the grill at startup. Turn on gas grill, spray grate and grubber with vinegar water and scrub while warming up. No cleanup after grilling, unless the grill is going to sit for more than a week or two.
Harrison
I actually like the wooden paddle style scrappers. They develop grooves that conform to the spacing of your specific grill, and get it plenty clean for my (admittedly novice) standards. Plus it’s biodegradable when you’re done with it.
Tim D.
Add another to the wooden paddle team. I was skeptical at first, but seems go do a pretty good job. I use the paddle and a paint scraper for areas the paddle can’t fit.
Daniel
I bought a Grill Rescue grill brush off Kickstarter a few years ago.
It’s basically a sponge wrapped in Kevlar. Immerse in water and then steam cleans the grates w.th out a wire bristles
It works really well for me!
JH
I am have been underwhelmed by the Grill Rescue Brush. Feels like it should get stuff cleaner
George
I use this Weber cleaner for my stainless grill grates: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Weber-18-in-Detail-Brush-6279/316340337 I really cleans the grates well and gets down between to clean off the food contact surfaces.
Every so often, I bust out one of those porous grill stones to really take things back down to bare metal.
Beginning of the season always sees the ammonia and garbage bag treatment for the grates to start things off.
Al
I don’t remove the seasoning. Cooks down after food is removed. Carbonizes the next time the grill heats up. Bang it a few times to shake off the big pieces.
Garrett
Agreed. I use a stick to get some of of the larger carbonized chunks off, but dont bother with the rest. The heat from the fire sterilizes the grill. Takes longer to clean a brush than it does the grill.
MM
Same. When I take the grate off the grill before adding more wood/coals I drop it on the ground from a couple feet, that knocks off 95% of whatever was on there. I leave the grate on the grill while the fire heats up and that burns off anything else. At that point, while it’s super hot, I do use the Weber 3-sided brush just to knock off anything that didn’t fall off but I’m talking about less than 5 seconds worth of effort, no scrubbing. I use the brush more as a tool for manipulating the grate than for scrubbing. Let the heat do the work.
Pablo
I like brass brushes best. The are softer than the steel bristtled ones, but still tough enough to scrub well. I think there is less risk of damaging enameled grates like my Weber has. This is the style I prefer – https://www.shopatdean.com/products/libman-long-handle-grill-brush-12006
These seem to hold up better than the twisted wire/pipe cleaner style.
Jeff C
I use the Tool Wizard Grill Brush-
https://www.amazon.com/Toolwiz-Tool-Wizard-Grill-scrubber/dp/B000216X6M
I like the replaceable cleaning head as well as it’s long handle. I had one for years and recently bought another for my Son.
On my other Weber Gas Grills that use a Stainless Steel round tube grates I use the Chargon-
https://www.amazon.com/CharGon-Stainless-Ultimate-Cleaning-Grills/dp/B00UI1X0L2/
It fit’s the 9mm grates perfectly.
Loaded with these two cleaners I can easily maintain my grills.
Tim
I switched over to using grill bricks (pumice stones). Some wear faster than others but do a great job of cleaning. After it’s scrubbed down you just rinse it off and good to go.
Jack D
This sounds like a gas grill tool exclusively. I use my charcoal grill with cast iron grate all year round and never have a need for cold cleaning. The charcoal carbonizes any scraps while it burns out, then on a new cook, gets hot enough to burn off any remnants from previous cooks. Only takes a once over with an old fashioned steel brush to do the trick. I’ll occasionally brush some oil on the grates while the fire’s burning.
That said, I too looked for a better grill brush for years until I realized there simply wasn’t one. I’ve got half a dozen I don’t even use anymore. It’s all about your system.
fred
I also liked the Weber 3-sided brush. I say liked – because it got swat away along with the BBQ grill during Hurricane Ian down on Sanibel.
Up north – I use a different Weber brush that works well enough so as not crying out for replacement. They call it a detail brush – but I use it for general cleaning.
https://www.amazon.com/Weber-6279-18-Detail-Brush/dp/B08M3MXV36
At our other home we have a Cuisinart brush that seems OK – but I have not used it enough to recommend it one way or the other. It was a gift.
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSBS-777-Steam-Clean-Grill/dp/B083PKQ3T6
Jason
Was I supposed to be cleaning my grill grates this whole time?
fred
Nah – those burnt on bits and grease add to the flavor of the next thing you cook.
Cast iron Dutch ovens were said to have contributed mightily to the pioneer movement that settled the west. It was said (joked more like) that the only thing that was used to clean them out after each use was the burlap bag that they were kept in.
Jack D
I would say that’s pretty accurate. My daily cast iron skillet gets a wipe down after and before each cook and she’s still going strong. In the event I really burn something on there, I have a piece of chain mail for the scrubbing…cast iron definitely “matures”.
Jared
I use the Lee Valley Bristle-Free Barbecue Brush. You certainly could scrub pretty hard with it, though I don’t, but there’s no bristles to leave behind in your food.
Kent hanson
I use a wooden paddle scrapper and a ball of tin foil. A small wad of tin foil does an amazing job at removing debris. I clean grills constantly because I run a competition bbq team.
Jack D
I’m going to try your foil trick. Always trust the professionals!! Cheers, and thanks for sharing!
eddie sky
Get one with the stainless coils, not bristles. They can come off and end up in your food, then mouth, then visit to ER. https://www.konabbqstore.com/products/safe-clean-grill-brush-by-kona-18-free-shipping
fred
I can appreciate the dangers of bristles (little bits of wire left behind to get stuck in the food. My grate cleaning is always a 2-part thing. First, I use the brush on a preheated grill grate – then I follow it up with swabbing the surface down with a wad of paper towel saturated with cooking oil and held in my tongs. Gets up some of the charred dust and helps making the grill a bit more of a non-stick cooking surface.
Aaron SD
I’ve been looking at that for years but never bought. I’ve been using the Weber grill pads and it’s been working nicely. I use them both before (warm or cold) and after grilling (hot) and seems to do a good job.
Keith
Saw on the news last week a segment about metal grill bristles coming loose and getting in your food. Multiple ‘victims’ needing surgery to get a piece of wire removed from their throat or lungs. Gave me the heebee-jeebees. But it was the local news, so if it bleeds, it leads. Total sensationalism journalism, but enough to get me thinking.
I never clean the grates, but the Wife insists on it when she runs the grill. Our bronze brush has mysteriously disappeared, however…
Bob
I was using the Weber 3 sided brush. I have to say it works the best for me. However, I had one of the metal pieces end up in a burger. Luckily it was mine and I didn’t swallow it. I immediately threw the brush away. It was admittedly several years old. Maybe metal fatigue on the wire pieces was a contributing factor?
I switched to coils of stainless steel brillo pad type thing attached to a handle. Not happy with the results But it also won’t kill me so I’ve got that going for me 🙂
I’ve seen the pumice stones but I think you would have to wash the grill off with water after which seems kind of annoying?
The wood spatula sounds intriguing. my current grill doesn’t have continuous grill grates there’s cross-sections that would be in the way. I’ll be switching out to a new to me Lynx grill as soon as I can get my natural gas line hooked up. Spatula should work better with those style of grates.
I can attest the tinfoil does work pretty well in a pinch. I wonder if I could come up with some kind of a holder for that so I could use it on a hot grill?
I think this needs more testing. Quick to the grocery store for more steaks. It’s for “science” lol
fred
Tried a pumice stone thingy a few times and found it ineffective.
Used those “Chore Girl Style” SS scrubbing pads – but found them harder to apply pressure and they sometimes uncoiled and left a fragment behind.
I find that the second step of swabbing with an oily wad of paper towel gets up (or more likely pushes them down into the flame area) any wire bits or debris left behind by my Weber brush.
Chaz
I don’t use anything brushed, especially steel. I just let it season and scrap the excess using a scraper, water bottle sprayer and the grill warm and not hot.
Nathan
After having bristles come off a brush and into a piece of chicken I am firmly no more brush
Also I’d say what the grate is matters. So charcoal grill has cast iron grates. Dads grill he got is gas and ss grates. And my smoker is ss or chromed wire. Not sure
And I use the wood block for it all. Made one for dad too. No bristles. Not wearing away metal. Doesn’t break down and leave lava rock/ceramic dust. Is biodegradable natural and renewable.
I make my own and I used handles from the old brushes we had but that’s not necessary. I’m using a piece of alder on mine at the moment
Cleaning. After cook while still hot scrap down and yes the wood will brun a bit. I’ve seen people water soak them but I don’t. This gets hard stuff off and any bits that straddle the grate. Next cook light coals dump and place grill let it heat. And since I do most cooks ripping hot. I just let it heat. The meat or veg is oft coated with oil for the drop
Smoker grate is often washed prior to starting the smoker
I would say don’t waste the lemon but to each their own. I know some swear by wiping the grates with a oil towel or ? I find oil on the meat works better. Unless I’ve brined a chicken or turkey. Then I let the skin fat work.
Wood block or paddle is grand
Yadda
I use nonstick grill sheets. Easier cleanup and no issues with bristles or cleaning grills. Excellent for anything you grill, but particularly good for fish.
MM
I don’t understand the point of nonstick grill sheets. Yes, I see how the convenience is attractive: but the ones I have seen are all made out of or have a teflon coating, they’re only good to about 500F. This makes them unsafe to use with direct radiant heat over coals, which is the main benefit that grilling offers compared to other cooking methods. It’s the same problem as a nonstick wok: you can’t use it properly because you can’t get it hot enough due to the PTFE.
I can see them being useful for more BBQ type applications where you’re cooking low and slow and the temperature limit isn’t a concern, or if you’re cooking some side dishes on lower heat (and I do that myself) but for actual grilling they seem confusingly counterproductive.
Walt
I will never, ever use any bristle brush on a grill. My daughter had a steel bristle caught in her esophagus…had to go to a Boston hospital because local hospital didn’t have the “tool” to remove it. Later googled the situation…not rare at all.
I also checked the grill…yep, more loose bristles.
Franco Calcagni
I for years tried many different brushes, then on my last BBQ, I just use the plain dollar store brushes, and they work great.
I think the type of grills your BBQ has plays a role. My previous model had big and heavy porcelain covered cast iron grates. Those were great for cooking but more of a problem to clean…from what I remember. that is why I would try a different brush every time I needed a new one, hoping to find one that worked best for those grills.
My current model has thick, round, stainless steal grates, and the el-cheapo brush works great. I am sure any of the fancier ones would work great also, but why spend the extra money when one of these does the job. Every so often, there is a piece of “something” clinging to the bottom side of the grill, the cheap ones have the scraper thingy that reaches in between and dislodges it.
For once the plain and simple, $1.25 brush works great for me!