Cleaning your outdoor grill

You know you're lazy but you gotta keep your grill clean if you want to continue grilling good tasting food. I'm talking about more than just scraping the grate down with a wire brush and water. You have to get the ashes, old food particles, and grease residue out if you want good tasting food in the future.

* Soak your grates in warm soapy water before scrubbing them down. Of course, ideally, you clean them each time after you grill before the grates get cold. While setting up to grill, how many times have you opened the lid to discover a bunch of bad crusties seemingly glued onto the grates?

* Left over ashes contribute to rusting. Get em out of there. They can also cause clogs which results in uneven cooking across your grill.

* Scrub out the inside of your outdoor grill at least once a year with warm soapy water.

* Keep your briquettes, lava rocks, or whatever you use replenished.

Remember, grill residue leads to bad flavors at your next grill out. Don't be lazy.