I wouldn’t say never, but I’ve had cooked on char that even a stiff wire bristled shop brush won’t take off. The nylon is usually adequate and when it’s not, a few minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit usually loosens things up enough that the nylon can get it next time. Ideally, I see the problematic char when I’m taking the food off and crank up the heat for a few minutes before shutting everything down so that it’s easy to clean next time.
IKR?
Who could have known that actually chewing your food before swallowing might be a good idea?
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A grinder with a wire cup brush usually does pretty good.
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I wasn’t trying to politicize the thread, similar to "Godwin"ing. I wanted my point to stand on its own.
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that’s a polite term for ‘fake pumice’, which is essentially the same thing. I use that to scrape the ash and cinders off my (propane) grill after running a cleansing burn on it. (i.e., turn all the burners up to full blast, close the lid, and wait 20 minutes or thereabouts.) However, my grill also has porcelain coated grates, so whatever doesn’t get burned n scraped off is pretty much fused to it. 
It really depends a lot on how the wire brushes are constructed. There are the kind that are twisted wires with bristles sticking out and the kind with bristles stuck into holes on a base. I’ve used both and I’ve had bristles come off both, but it seemed to me the twisted wire brush started shedding bristles sooner. I’ve gotten rid of my wire bristle brushes, but I’m searching for a good replacement. I don’t grill, but I do smoke, and I get quite a bit of grease residue.
This thing looks promising.
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I am a pediatrician and I have had the great pleasure of pulling one of these out of a kid’s tonsil. He thought he had strep. Not so much. I have moved to the “sear and scrub” camp with both my gas grill and my Weber kettle. Uses a little bit more fuel, but I feel safer about it. 600 deg F will kill anything. And if carcinogens worry you, don’t grill. Those lovely and delicious grill marks are where the carcinogens live. Small but nonzero risk. I am ok with it!
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If 15 minutes of high heat on the empty grill doesn’t enable an easy clean there’s always the ammonia trick.
- Place bbq grill (or oven grill) in a garbage bag with a cup of ammonia.
- Seal (well) and leave overnight somewhere safe and well ventilated.
The fumes will break down any tough residue and the grill will easily wipe/hose clean.
Caution:
Avoid a face full of fumes when opening the sealed bag and ammonia spillage around lifeforms.
Dispose of leftover ammonia safely in down a sink in a well ventilated area or pass on to local poison center.
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Oof. Good tip.
I was thinking the same thing! But I guess the subsequent slathering with BBQ sauce makes it all worthwhile!?!
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It is fake pumice and it disintegrates as you use it. Bought one once thinking it would be a real stone and do a great job cleaning a gunked up grate with some rust. Crumpled aluminum foil works WAY better, but leaves residue. When it’s my week to cook, I grill at least once a week. This time of year I grill up to three times a week. I use a wire brush to clean my grill. I have had bristles break off, and it’s not as if they’re super hidden on the grill grate. Just pay attention to your work and you’ll be fine.
Hmmmph! I have an assortment of metal grill brushes, but I never clean my grill with them. Metal brushes are for car parts and carved wooden furniture details. Cleaning the grill grates is a job for FIRE!
Al J. Bundy: “Oh, oh. Well, the secret’s in the ashes, Steve. You see, I never clean my grill. Ashes of the past for the burgers of the future.”
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Use a metal grill scrubbing pad. Like this one
No bristles, the scrubbing pad is continuous steel, nothing falls off.
When it gets too gunked up, the replacements are cheap, and the handle lasts forever.
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This one is half the price of the copper one linked in the article, but doesn’t come with a handle. If you’re looking for the added leverage or more comfortable grip that a handle would afford, it would be pretty easy to add one yourself.
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Here is a handy tip for all you backyard grillers and smokers out there. Keep a spray bottle of water near your grill/smoker. After cooking, open up the vents, close the lid, and get that baby hot as you can. After you’ve reached the max temp for your grill/smoker, spray the grill grate and the sides of your grill/smoker with water. It will flash steam and remove quite a bit of your caked on grease, food, and soot particles. This won’t sterilize or anything like that but it will help make cleanup easier by loosening all that crud. A nice wipedown with a hot damp cloth will remove most of the rest of the crud and you can save the wire brush for the tougher stuff. Be sure to spray everything with a thin coat of high temp cooking oil (refined safflower, peanut, or your favorite high temp oil) when done. I like to keep both water and oil in spray bottles for easy cleanup.
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You could dip the wood scraper in a little water and get a similar effect. Probably not as much water per pass, but I have a spray bottle of water by the grill for flare-ups, so I just use that with the wood scraper.
